# Phantom Countdown vs Countdown Widget Timer

Phantom Countdown and Countdown Widget Timer both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Phantom Countdown's written reviews are positive against 43% of Countdown Widget Timer's. Phantom Countdown also leads on ads (none vs shown). Countdown Widget Timer's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Phantom Countdown sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Countdown Widget Timer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Phantom Countdown against 4.6 for Countdown Widget Timer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 276 and 484 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Phantom Countdown's written reviews are positive against 43% of Countdown Widget Timer's.

Phantom Countdown ships an update every 2 months, Countdown Widget Timer every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phantom Countdown | Countdown Widget Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840/reviews) | [4.6 (484 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-timer/id1589042250/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 276 | **484** |
| Positive reviews | **82.8% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 55 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matthew Sinex](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549294842) | [App Box](https://appshunter.io/developer/1720178029) |

## What reviewers say

### Phantom Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-countdown/id1549294840)

This free utility app helps fans of a popular JRPG series track upcoming events. Create and customize multiple countdowns, display them on your home screen with widgets, and choose from built-in or custom themes. Countdowns update daily, offering flexible tracking by date, number of days, or unknown dates.

**Highlights:** Multiple countdown creation, Home screen widgets, Customizable themes, Automatic daily updates, Flexible date tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level 1 Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Level 5 Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Level 25 Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Level 50 Tip | $24.99 | one-time |
| Level 99 Tip | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Persona-themed countdown
- 👍 Customizable themes and colors
- 🎨 Stylish and visually appealing
- 📆 Helpful for tracking deadlines and events
- 🎮 Captures the Persona aesthetic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs with widget functionality
- 🔧 Issues with changing themes and colors
- 🔒 Lack of transparency in background
- 📊 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns disappearing or not saving
- Widgets not displaying properly
- App freezing when changing notification settings
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add countdown to lock screen
- Integrate with calendar app
- Ability to set custom countdown sounds
- Automatic countdown rotation
- More detailed Persona-themed design


### Countdown Widget Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-timer/id1589042250)

Easily track important dates and events with a customizable countdown timer. Set reminders for birthdays, holidays, or personal goals, and view remaining time in days, hours, minutes, and seconds directly on your home screen.

**Highlights:** Unlimited event timers, Customizable backgrounds and colors, Home screen widget display, Flexible notification settings, Annual recurrence options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full access for one week | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Full access for one month | $6.49 | per month |
| Full access for three months | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Full access for one year | $13.49 | per year |
| Lifetime Full Access | $3.99 | one-time |
| Premium access forever | $3.99 | one-time |
| Access to premium Lifetimeme | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable widgets
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Good for ADHD
- 🚀 Affordable price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widgets not updating
- 🔒 Paid features required for basic functionality
- 🐛 Bugs after updates
- 🔒 Limited free features

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not showing up on home screen
- Purchased features not working as expected
- App crashing after updates
- Countdown dates not accurate

**Requested features**

- Add repeat weekly/monthly option
- Allow more than one countdown for free
- Add option to show weeks in widget
- Improve widget customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phantom Countdown free?

Phantom Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Countdown Widget Timer free?

Countdown Widget Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Phantom Countdown or Countdown Widget Timer?

Phantom Countdown and Countdown Widget Timer are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 276 and 484 ratings respectively.

### Do Phantom Countdown or Countdown Widget Timer have ads?

Countdown Widget Timer shows ads; Phantom Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Phantom Countdown or Countdown Widget Timer?

Phantom Countdown ships an update every 2 months, and Countdown Widget Timer every 6 weeks. Most recently, Phantom Countdown was updated on September 18, 2026 and Countdown Widget Timer on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*