# Christmas Countdown! vs Christmas Countdown (2026)

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Christmas Countdown! at none against Christmas Countdown (2026)'s 4. Christmas Countdown! also leads on ratings volume (71K vs 3.5K) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Christmas Countdown (2026)'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Christmas Countdown (2026) sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Christmas Countdown! asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Christmas Countdown! against 4.8 for Christmas Countdown (2026). That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Christmas Countdown! has 71K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Christmas Countdown!'s written reviews are positive against 98% of Christmas Countdown (2026)'s.

Christmas Countdown! ships an update every 3 months, Christmas Countdown (2026) every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Christmas Countdown! | Christmas Countdown (2026) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (71K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown/id295350675/reviews) | [4.8 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown-2026/id1175449517/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **71K** | 3.5K |
| Positive reviews | 89.9% of reviews | **97.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jack McLean](https://appshunter.io/developer/295350678) | [Jupli](https://appshunter.io/developer/988757514) |

## What reviewers say

### Christmas Countdown!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown/id295350675)

Track the exact time remaining until Christmas 2025, down to the second or even heartbeats. Choose from fun characters to accompany your countdown and share your excitement with friends and family. Enjoy festive music while you wait for the holiday.

**Highlights:** Precise countdown (days, hours, minutes, seconds, heartbeats), Multiple time modes (weeks, nights, seconds, heartbeats), Six festive companion characters, Social media sharing, Christmas music playback

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐️ Excellent Christmas countdown app
- 🎄 Helps get excited for Christmas
- 🕰 Provides multiple countdown metrics (days, hours, minutes, seconds, weeks, sleeps, heartbeats, breaths)
- 🎅 Cute Christmas-themed characters and backgrounds
- 🎶 Festive Christmas music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Annoying notifications/reminders
- 💰 Premium features like music selection should be free
- 🤖 Heartbeat and breath counters are not personalized
- 🙄 Occasional countdown inaccuracies reported

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown sometimes off by a day
- Occasional app crashes or freezes

**Requested features**

- Add more Christmas song options
- Include countdown for other holidays
- Allow users to customize their own countdown metrics


### Christmas Countdown (2026)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown-2026/id1175449517)

Track the days until Christmas with a festive snowy countdown. Personalize your experience with various backgrounds and classic holiday music. Unlock daily advent calendar gifts and enjoy an ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Snowy countdown screen, Selection of Christmas backgrounds, Classic Christmas music, Daily advent calendar gifts, Ad-free experience, Premium upgrade for widget and more content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (2024) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium (2025) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium (2026) | $3.99 | one-time |
| Premium (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐️ Excellent Christmas countdown app
- 🎄 Fun and interactive advent calendar
- 🎅 Customizable countdown and backgrounds
- 🎶 Enjoyable Christmas music
- 🎁 Daily gifts and activities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Occasional inaccuracies in countdown timer
- 💰 Some premium features locked behind paywall
- 🔋 Can be a battery drain on devices
- 🎨 Limited free background and music options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown timer sometimes off by a day
- Music playback issues for some users
- Occasional app crashes or freezes

**Requested features**

- More free background and music options
- Ability to use own photos for backgrounds
- Additional mini-games and activities
- Countdown for other holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.)
- Improved widget functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Christmas Countdown! free?

Christmas Countdown! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Christmas Countdown (2026) free?

Christmas Countdown (2026) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Christmas Countdown! or Christmas Countdown (2026)?

Christmas Countdown! and Christmas Countdown (2026) are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 71K and 3.5K ratings respectively.

### Do Christmas Countdown! or Christmas Countdown (2026) have ads?

Christmas Countdown! shows ads; Christmas Countdown (2026) does not.

### Which is updated more often, Christmas Countdown! or Christmas Countdown (2026)?

Christmas Countdown! ships an update every 3 months, and Christmas Countdown (2026) every 6 days. Most recently, Christmas Countdown! was updated on September 25, 2026 and Christmas Countdown (2026) 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.*