# Christmas Countdown vs Advent App

The clearest difference is ads: Christmas Countdown at none against Advent App's shown. Christmas Countdown also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 75%) and ratings volume (868 vs 226). Advent App's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Christmas Countdown sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per year and Advent App sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. 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 Christmas Countdown against 4.6 for Advent App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 868 and 226 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Christmas Countdown's written reviews are positive against 75% of Advent App's.

Christmas Countdown ships an update every 3 weeks, Advent App every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Christmas Countdown | Advent App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (868 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown/id325476623/reviews) | [4.6 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advent-app/id756869205/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **868** | 226 |
| Positive reviews | **88.1% of reviews** | 75.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 124 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Nicole Hankinson](https://appshunter.io/developer/502305137) | [PINTUMO UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/531781739) |

## What reviewers say

### Christmas Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmas-countdown/id325476623)

This app provides a real-time countdown to Christmas, displaying hours, minutes, and seconds. Enjoy festive music, customizable backgrounds, and interactive snowflake effects. Stay updated with daily badge notifications and access the countdown from your watch or home screen.

**Highlights:** Real-time countdown (hours, minutes, seconds), Customizable backgrounds (including own photos), Festive background music selection, Interactive snowflake effects, Daily badge updates, Watch app and home screen widgets

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Christmas Countdown Premium | $3.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for Christmas countdown
- 🎄 Customizable features (music, snowflakes, background)
- ⏱️ Detailed countdown (days, hours, minutes, seconds)
- 🕰️ Accurate and reliable countdown
- 🎅 Fun and festive design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Premium features locked behind paywall (e.g., widgets)
- 🐛 Bugs with badge/notification functionality
- 🔧 Lack of updates to keep up with OS changes
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown not updating correctly with time changes
- Inability to use custom photos as background
- Music playback issues after app updates

**Requested features**

- Allow custom font and text customization
- Add support for other holidays/events
- Improve social sharing capabilities
- Introduce more background/theme options


### Advent App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advent-app/id756869205)

Create and share personalized digital Advent calendars. Add videos, songs, vouchers, or quotes to each door. Fill and update your calendar at your own pace, with optional reminders to keep you on track.

**Highlights:** Personalize doors with video, song, or quotes, Digital calendar, fill and update anytime, Optional daily fill reminders, No account creation needed, Share via custom link (WhatsApp, SMS, mail), Share with unlimited recipients

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Ad-Free Calendar | $2.49 | one-time |
| 1 Pro Calendar | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and create
- 🎁 Fun and thoughtful gift
- 💖 Loved by recipients
- 🌟 Great for customized advents
- ✨ No ads (for some users)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Link doesn't work in groups
- 💸 Charged even when advertised as free
- 😔 Many users report it doesn't open
- ❌ Videos/YouTube not working
- 💰 Unexpected costs for gifting

**Reported bugs**

- Internal service error screen
- Calendar not working on Facebook groups
- App won't open
- Link doesn't work when posted in Facebook groups
- Days not opening even after the date has passed

**Requested features**

- Landscape version for iPad
- Ability to add videos from phone
- Change number patterns/designs
- Allow calendars for other months/year-round use
- Save work when not on the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Christmas Countdown free?

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

### Is Advent App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Christmas Countdown or Advent App?

Christmas Countdown and Advent App are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 868 and 226 ratings respectively.

### Do Christmas Countdown or Advent App have ads?

Advent App shows ads; Christmas Countdown does not.

### Which is updated more often, Christmas Countdown or Advent App?

Christmas Countdown ships an update every 3 weeks, and Advent App every 9 days. Most recently, Christmas Countdown was updated on September 24, 2026 and Advent App on September 18, 2026.

---

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