# Talking Carl vs Countdown Star (Ad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Countdown Star (Ad at none against Talking Carl's 1. Countdown Star (Ad also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). Talking Carl's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 56%) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On ads, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Talking Carl costs $0.99 and Countdown Star (Ad $1.99 up front. Talking Carl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Countdown Star (Ad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Countdown Star (Ad holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 765 and 3.7K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Talking Carl's written reviews are positive against 56% of Countdown Star (Ad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Talking Carl ships an update every 5 weeks, Countdown Star (Ad fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Talking Carl | Countdown Star (Ad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.3 (765 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talking-carl/id417373312/reviews) | **[4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star-ad-free/id569371565/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 765 | **3.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.2% of reviews** | 55.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #193 | **#80** |
| Size | 62 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tayasui.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/359375853) | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) |

## What reviewers say

### Talking Carl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/talking-carl/id417373312)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Paid · Entertainment (US App Store)

Interact with a funny talking character by talking, tickling, and feeding him. He repeats your words with a silly voice and reacts to your actions with laughs, growls, and more. Features a baby mode for younger children.

**Highlights:** Talk and hear words repeated, Feed the character, Tickle for laughs, Poke for reactions, Baby mode for kids, Swipe gestures for actions

**Features:** iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sticker Pack | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😊 Funny and entertaining
- 🤩 Brings back childhood memories
- 👍 Great for kids and adults
- 💕 Cute and lovable character

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔧 Glitchy and buggy
- 🕰️ Outdated and not updated
- 🤖 Unresponsive voice recognition

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Sprites and animations glitch out
- Voice recording and playback issues
- Incompatibility with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Update the app to fix bugs and glitches
- Add more features and interactions
- Bring back old fan-favorite games and modes
- Improve voice recognition and responsiveness


### Countdown Star (Ad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star-ad-free/id569371565)

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Paid · Entertainment (US App Store)

Track time until or since important events with customizable timers. Set up countdowns for birthdays, holidays, and vacations, or count up from anniversaries and special dates. Share your event timers with friends and family.

**Highlights:** Add custom events, Customize event visuals, Apple Watch display, Today Widget integration, Set exact event times, Adjust time units, Share event timers

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Customizable backgrounds
- 🚀 Simple and functional
- 🎨 Nice visual design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable widget functionality
- 🔍 Limited event management options
- 💰 Paid version doesn't import free version data
- 🔧 Lack of customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Custom wallpapers not saving
- Countdown not updating correctly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Notification system not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Recurring event support
- Ability to exclude weekends/holidays from countdown
- Multiple event display on main screen
- Improved widget functionality
- Sync across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Talking Carl free?

Talking Carl costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Countdown Star (Ad free?

Countdown Star (Ad costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Talking Carl or Countdown Star (Ad?

Countdown Star (Ad is rated higher. Talking Carl averages 4.3 out of 5 from 765 ratings, while Countdown Star (Ad averages 4.7 from 3.7K ratings.

### Do Talking Carl or Countdown Star (Ad have ads?

Neither Talking Carl nor Countdown Star (Ad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Talking Carl or Countdown Star (Ad?

Talking Carl ships an update every 5 weeks, and Countdown Star (Ad fortnightly. Most recently, Talking Carl was updated on October 17, 2026 and Countdown Star (Ad on October 18, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Talking Carl or Countdown Star (Ad?

Talking Carl currently peaks at #193 in the App Store charts, and Countdown Star (Ad at #80. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*