# Outside vs Sparkli

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sparkli at none against Outside's 17. Sparkli also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 52%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Outside's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 26). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Outside sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sparkli asks for nothing beyond the download.

Outside holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Outside has 2.8K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Outside's written reviews are positive against 78% of Sparkli's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Outside ships an update every 6 days, Sparkli every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Outside | Sparkli |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outside-countdown-for-couples/id1611434405/reviews)** | [4.4 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparkli/id6472749814/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | 52.1% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 144 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Outside HQ LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1611434707) | [Sprklii, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1717703259) |

## What reviewers say

### Outside

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outside-countdown-for-couples/id1611434405)

Plan, share, and remember important moments with loved ones. Ideal for long-distance relationships, trip planning, and creating a visual diary of your year. Features live widgets and offline access.

**Highlights:** Shared countdowns for long-distance couples, Trip planning with group coordination, Yearly memory archive and profile, Live widgets for home and lock screens, Calendar sync (Apple & Google), Offline functionality, Photo sharing for Lock Screen

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Outside Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $4.49 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro Deal | $12.49 | per year |
| Annual Pro | $12.49 | per year |
| Outside Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Annual Plan | $29.49 | per year |
| Outside Pro Annual | $31.49 | per year |
| Annual plan | $44.49 | per year |
| Unlock Countdown styles | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ad supported tier | $4.99 | one-time |
| All Time Deal | $5.49 | one-time |
| All Time Deal | $7.49 | one-time |
| All Time Pro | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $29.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime access | $44.49 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Free home/lock screen countdown widget
- 👍 Simple and chic design
- 👍 Highly customizable
- 👍 Seamless calendar integration
- 👍 Useful AI assistant

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, crashes, and glitches
- 💰 Subscription-based model, expensive pricing
- 🔒 Limits free features, forces paid subscription
- 🤔 Confusing and changing pricing structure
- 🤔 Lack of transparency around free vs paid features

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not working after iOS updates
- Countdown events suddenly blocked by paywall
- Paid subscription not working as expected

**Requested features**

- More customization options for widgets
- Ability to delete or edit events
- Improved Android support
- Memories/map feature to track past events


### Sparkli

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparkli/id6472749814)

Discover personalized date ideas based on your mood, budget, and location. This app helps couples plan memorable experiences, from quick outings to full-day adventures, and stores important partner details for easy reference. It aims to simplify romance and foster authentic connections.

**Highlights:** Personalized date suggestions, Location-based discovery, Customizable date planning, Partner information storage, Smart event reminders, Save ideas to Boards, Community idea sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Outside free?

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

### Is Sparkli free?

Sparkli is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Outside or Sparkli?

Outside is rated higher. Outside averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Sparkli averages 4.4 from 26 ratings.

### Do Outside or Sparkli have ads?

Sparkli shows ads; Outside does not.

### Which is updated more often, Outside or Sparkli?

Outside ships an update every 6 days, and Sparkli every 3 weeks. Most recently, Outside was updated on October 17, 2026 and Sparkli on October 17, 2026.

---

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