Comparison

Countdown ‎ vs AJournal

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

Head to head
About

Countdown ‎

Visually track upcoming events with customizable countdowns. Set timers for vacations, concerts, or anniversaries using your own photos, music, and phrases. Share your progress with friends and family.

Highlights
  • iOS 16 Lock Screen Widgets
  • Home Screen Widgets
  • Customizable Background Photos
  • Personalized Music & Fonts
  • Calendar Event Integration
  • Count Up from Past Events
  • Event Reminders
Features
Read full description

Count down to your next event — a vacation, your favorite band's concert, a movie premiere, a graduation, an anniversary, and more — in style! Features: LOCK SCREEN WIDGETS: Add countdown widgets to your lock screen! First, set up your countdown in the Countdown app. Then, pull down your lock screen, long-hold an empty area and tap "Customize." FLEXIBLE UNITS: Years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and even heartbeats! (e.g. "3 months 14 mins" or "56,713 heartbeats") DRAG the Countdown and DISPLAY it wherever you want. Use YOUR OWN PHOTOS as the background, including INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK PHOTOS! Or browse a large selection of FREE BACKGROUND PHOTOS. Flip through your background photos while counting down. Set your own MUSIC for each Countdown. Customizable FONTS, font colors, and background colors. Add YOUR OWN PHRASE — "the concert of the year," "little pumpkin's dance performance," "we board the plane." Create Countdowns straight from your CALENDAR EVENTS. MULTIPLE Countdowns — rearrange them however you like. REMINDERS for your events. SHARE a live Countdown or a screenshot via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or email. Count down to ANNIVERSARIES that repeat every year. (e.g. "25 days until my 10th anniversary!") COUNT UP from past events. (e.g. "21 days since…") SMART TOOLBAR stays hidden until you tap the screen — more room for your Countdowns. Works in PORTRAIT and LANDSCAPE mode. === Countdown Premium === HOME SCREEN WIDGETS: Count the days to your event without ever opening the app. SLIDESHOW MODE: Automatically cycle your background photos with a choice of animation styles and speeds. NO ADS: No distractions or clutter — just you and your countdown. Make each second count! In addition to the free features above, Countdown Premium is available as a subscription. Premium subscribers get an ad-free experience, home screen widgets, and slideshow mode. Price may vary by location. Subscriptions are charged to your payment method through your Apple ID account and renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription anytime in Account Settings. Terms: https://www.sunflowr.com/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sunflowr.com/privacy/

About

AJournal

This app combines digital planning with the tactile feel of handwriting. Organize your days, weeks, and months, set goals, and track habits using Apple Pencil or your finger. Choose from numerous templates or create your own custom layouts.

Highlights
  • Handwriting and text input
  • Digital calendar integration
  • Over 100 customizable templates
  • Sticker library and custom stickers
  • Reminders integration
  • PDF export and iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

AJournal is the all-in-one digital planner built around handwriting and your calendar. Use Apple Pencil to plan, journal, and reflect on pages where events from any connected calendar appear right alongside your notes. Choose from 100+ fully customizable templates or design your own to fit exactly how you think. Combine the mindfulness of handwriting with powerful organization tools — plan days, weeks, and months, set goals, and track habits, projects, and progress, all in one place. SUPPORTS HANDWRITING, TEXT & IMAGES - Write/draw with Apple Pencil or finger - Text input with Scribble or keyboard, with complete formatting support like fonts, colors, etc - Save links to a website or another planner page - Add images and resize, rotate, or object crop - Choose among over 2500 stickers to make your journal/planner fun and personal - Save your own images as stickers for easier access DIGITAL CALENDARS - Connect any digital calendar so all events will show up in daily/weekly planners - Write/Scribble/Type alongside the events from the digital calendars REMINDERS - Apple Reminders are integrated into daily planners STAY ORGANIZED - Navigate effortlessly through journals/planners by dates, weeks, months, and projects - Search function for inputted texts makes it easier to find a journal/planner OVER 100 TEMPLATES TO CHOOSE FROM & FULL CUSTOMIZATION - Over 100 templates with minimalist design and cover every need: daily/weekly/monthly planners, project planners, finance planners, meal/fitness/habit trackers, ATracker, etc - The templates are fully customizable, simply add/remove/rearrange/configure elements and set colors/headers - Personalize a page with your writing/drawing and save it as a template Aesthetic Backgrounds & Color Themes - Choose from over 100 backgrounds with different textures, styles, and seasonal themes. - Select from various tints and foregrounds. INTEGRATION WITH ATRACKER (OPTIONAL) - With over 2 million downloads, ATracker is a time tracking tool trusted by users worldwide. - Combined with task/goal tracking in ATracker, you can follow up on your progress in AJournal in real time. EXPORT & BACKUP - Export your journals/planner as PDFs to read in other tools or for keepsake - Create backups to keep your data safe SPLIT VIEW & SLIDE OVER ICLOUD SYNC - You can now use AJournal on your iPhone - AJournal data can be synced via iCloud (Active subscription needed) SUBSCRIPTION AJournal supports unlimited pages per day/week/month/year and projects with a subscription. This add-on is optional. • AJournal subscriptions purchased in-app renew monthly or yearly, depending on your plan. Plan pricing may vary by country. • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period Users can try out AJournal without any limitation with a 7-day free trial. SUPPORT Visit http://Ajournal.pro or contact us at support@Ajournal.pro. Terms of Service: http://Ajournal.pro/TOS.html Privacy Policy: http://Ajournal.pro/policy.html AJournal - Organize your thoughts, keep track of your goals

Screenshots

Countdown ‎4 screens
AJournal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AJournal at 77% against Countdown ‎'s 34%. AJournal also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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 ‎ sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months and AJournal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AJournal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 5.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Countdown ‎'s written reviews are positive against 77% of AJournal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown ‎ ships an update every 2 months, AJournal every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Countdown ‎ versus AJournal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdown ‎AJournal
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (11K ratings)4.7 (5.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.0% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11K — better5.3K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSevenlogics, Inc.WonderApps AB

Customer experience

Countdown ‎

All ratings11,417 ratings
Positive69.0%
Neutral8.4%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews500 reviews
Positive34.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative55.0%

AJournal

All ratings5,294 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral10.4%
Negative12.7%

User reviews

Countdown ‎

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💖 Countdown app with customization
  • 🎨 Ability to use own photos
  • ⏱️ Counts down in various units
  • 🎉 Exciting for upcoming events

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Premium features locked behind paywall
  • 📢 Excessive ads and pop-ups
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔄 Resets countdown settings
  • 📱 Widget not working as expected

AJournal

From 5.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great integration with calendar and reminders
  • 👍 Highly customizable templates
  • ✨ Ability to create own templates
  • 💡 Combination of digital and handwritten planning
  • 🎨 Variety of stickers and colors

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues between devices
  • 🔒 Requires subscription for full functionality
  • 📱 No iPhone app, only iPad
  • 🖋️ Limited handwriting tools compared to other apps
  • 🔍 Difficult to find some features or settings

Bugs and requests

Countdown ‎

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on opening
  • Countdown not displaying correctly
  • Widget not loading properly
  • Purchased premium features not working

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to have multiple countdowns
  • Option to repeat countdown events
  • Countdown widget on home screen
  • Improved sharing capabilities

AJournal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Text boxes sometimes lose formatting or disappear
  • Occasional crashes when switching between views
  • Syncing issues causing data loss

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add PDF support
  • Improve handwriting recognition and tools
  • Implement iCloud sync
  • Develop iPhone app version
  • Add more customization options for templates
Show 2 more
  • Improve search functionality for handwritten notes
  • Provide option for one-time purchase instead of subscription

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Countdown ‎

Subscriptions2
  • Countdown Premium - 3 Months$4.993 Months
  • Countdown Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time3
  • Premium Backgrounds I$0.99
  • Holiday Backgrounds I$0.99
  • Premium$19.99
2 purchases

AJournal

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription7 Days trial$26.991 Year

Questions

Is Countdown ‎ free?
Countdown ‎ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AJournal free?
AJournal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Countdown ‎ or AJournal?
AJournal is rated higher. Countdown ‎ averages 3.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while AJournal averages 4.7 from 5.3K ratings.
Do Countdown ‎ or AJournal have ads?
Both Countdown ‎ and AJournal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Countdown ‎ or AJournal?
Countdown ‎ ships an update every 2 months, and AJournal every 3 weeks. Most recently, Countdown ‎ was updated on September 29, 2026 and AJournal on September 26, 2026.

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