# Outside vs Candle

Outside and Candle both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 68% of Candle's written reviews are positive against 54% of Outside's. Candle also leads on chart position (#81 vs unranked) and ratings volume (11K vs 2.8K). Outside's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Outside sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Candle sells 24 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 — 4.7 for Outside against 4.8 for Candle. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.8K and 11K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Outside's written reviews are positive against 68% of Candle's.

Outside ships an update every 6 days, Candle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Outside | Candle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outside-countdown-for-couples/id1611434405/reviews) | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/candle-couples-and-relationship/id6743355635/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.8K | **11K** |
| Positive reviews | 53.5% of reviews | **67.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#81** |
| Size | 144 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Outside HQ LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1611434707) | [Encore AI Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1802415524) |

## 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


### Candle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/candle-couples-and-relationship/id6743355635)

**Currently charting:** #81 Top Grossing · Lifestyle (US App Store)

This app helps couples deepen their connection through quick daily rituals. Engage with meaningful questions, share private photos, play games, and discover local date ideas to foster presence and curiosity in your relationship.

**Highlights:** Daily conversation starters, Private photo sharing, Syncing thumb kisses, Local date ideas, Relationship games and challenges, Daily check-in streaks

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

**In-app purchases (24)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Candle Pro - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $89.99 | per year |
| Bag of Sparks (80) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Word Hint | $0.99 | one-time |
| Streak Reignite | $2.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Sparks (500) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pro Lifetime | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Perfect app for long distance couples
- 👍 Unexpectedly great for reconnecting
- 👍 Low-commitment, high-impact way to encourage connection
- 👍 Doesn't require subscription for full use
- 👍 Fun games and prompts

**Requested features**

- Different decks or categories for prompts to mix things up


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Outside free?

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

### Is Candle free?

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

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

Candle is rated higher. Outside averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Candle averages 4.8 from 11K ratings.

### Do Outside or Candle have ads?

Neither Outside nor Candle shows ads.

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

Outside ships an update every 6 days, and Candle fortnightly. Most recently, Outside was updated on September 23, 2026 and Candle on September 24, 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.*