Comparison

TalkingClock vs Countdown Star

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TalkingClock

This app functions as a talking clock, offering various voices and languages. Users can hear the current time by shaking their device or type in custom messages for it to speak.

Highlights
  • Speaks current time
  • Customizable voices
  • Multiple languages
  • Shake to hear time
  • Type custom messages
Features
Read full description

Talking Clock makes it easy to hear the time whenever you need it. With a clean, simple interface, the app speaks the current time aloud on demand, supports shake-to-speak, and lets you choose your preferred voice and 12- or 24-hour time format. Set a spoken hourly chime, schedule an alarm, and use quiet hours to keep announcements silent when you do not want interruptions. Whether you are getting ready, working, cooking, exercising, or just keeping your phone nearby, Talking Clock gives you a hands-free way to stay aware of the time.

About

Countdown Star

Track time until or since important life events. Set custom timers for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and more. Personalize with your own photos and share progress with friends.

Highlights
  • Add custom events
  • Customize event visuals
  • Apple Watch display
  • Today Widget integration
  • Set exact event times
  • Adjust time units
  • Share event progress
Features
Read full description

Countdown Star is the best way to countdown to — and count up from — all of your favorite events. Countdown to birthdays, holidays, an upcoming vacation, a wedding, the New Year, parties, sporting events, concerts and more. Count up from anniversaries, the day you were born, and other special events in the past. * How many seconds until your next birthday? * How many months since you were born? * How many days until you graduate from college? * How many hours until your anniversary? * How much time is left until your vacation starts? * How many days until Christmas? * How many minutes until your party begins? * How much time is left until your baby's due date? Countdown Star is the countdown app that lets you choose which events to add, then keeps them in sync across all of your devices. Features: * iCloud Sync — events and wallpapers sync automatically across all your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch devices * Celebration Animations — choose Confetti, Fireworks, Balloons, Stars, or Lasers when your countdown reaches zero * Repeating Events — annual events automatically advance to the next year so you never have to update them * Home Screen Widgets — Small, Medium, and Large widgets let you glance at your countdowns without opening the app * Apple Watch — view your events right on your wrist * Add Your Own Events — add as many events as you like * Custom Wallpapers — choose from 15+ built-in wallpapers or use your own photos * Time Zone Support — set each event in any time zone with localized city names * Sort and Search — sort by date, title, or your own custom order; events are sectioned into Countdown and Count Up groups * Favorites and Notifications — mark events as favorites to receive a notification when their countdown reaches zero * Interactive Slider — instantly switch between seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years to see your countdown exactly how you want it * Customizable Timer — choose timer position (Top, Middle, or Bottom), show or hide weeks, and toggle the leading zero * Multiple App Icons — personalize the app icon on your Home Screen Note: Countdown Star is available as a free version (with ads and an optional Remove Ads purchase) and as a paid ad-free version.

Screenshots

TalkingClock2 screens
Countdown Star4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TalkingClock at none against Countdown Star's 1. TalkingClock also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Countdown Star's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 28%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 37 months). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TalkingClock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Countdown Star holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 216K ratings behind it against 151, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of TalkingClock's written reviews are positive against 59% of Countdown Star's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TalkingClock ships an update every 37 months, Countdown Star fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TalkingClock versus Countdown Star: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTalkingClockCountdown Star
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (151 ratings)4.8 (216K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.8% of reviews59.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings151216K — better
Update frequencyEvery 37 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSchimera Pty LtdJoseph Merrill

Customer experience

TalkingClock

All ratings146 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive27.8%
Neutral22.2%
Negative50.0%

Countdown Star

All ratings215,578 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews1,321 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral11.7%
Negative28.9%

Bugs and requests

TalkingClock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Countdown Star

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Widget not displaying events
  • Wallpaper not saving
  • Countdown off by one day
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Crashes and glitches after updates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add weeks option
  • Allow multiple countdowns on one screen
  • Provide Apple Watch complications
  • Add ability to export/backup data
  • Improve wallpaper customization
Show 1 more
  • Add option for annual/recurring events

In-app purchases

None

TalkingClock

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Countdown Star

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is TalkingClock free?
TalkingClock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Countdown Star free?
Countdown Star is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TalkingClock or Countdown Star?
Countdown Star is rated higher. TalkingClock averages 4.5 out of 5 from 151 ratings, while Countdown Star averages 4.8 from 216K ratings.
Do TalkingClock or Countdown Star have ads?
Both TalkingClock and Countdown Star show ads.
Which is updated more often, TalkingClock or Countdown Star?
TalkingClock ships an update every 37 months, and Countdown Star fortnightly. Most recently, TalkingClock was updated on October 22, 2026 and Countdown Star on October 23, 2026.

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