Comparison

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro vs Countdown Star (Ad

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

Head to head
About

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro

Transform your device into a versatile noise machine with a vast collection of sound effects. Perfect for pranks, games, or adding a dramatic flair to any situation. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with exclusive sounds and no advertisements.

Highlights
  • Over 60 high-quality sound effects
  • Big Button Mode for full-screen interaction
  • Integrated flashlight utility
  • Dark Mode for comfortable viewing
  • Ad-free experience
  • Exclusive bonus sounds
Features
Read full description

Every sound, every mode and not a single ad. The Ultimate Buzzer Pro is the complete version of The Ultimate Buzzer: a big red button and more than 85 sound effects for game nights, classrooms, parties and the occasional perfectly timed rimshot. Tap a sound and it plays right away. Tap a few and they play together. PICK HOW IT WORKS • Multi Sound: a grid of sounds you can tap as fast as you like, even several at once. • Big Button: pick a sound and it fills the screen as one giant button. Made for trivia, quizzes and anyone who likes to slam things. • Dual Big Button: two giant buttons side by side on iPad, or on iPhone Duo when it's open, for head-to-head rounds. HOST A GAME SHOW Turn trivia night into a real game show. Players open The Ultimate Buzzer or The Ultimate Buzzer Pro on their own iPhone or iPad and buzz in. You see who was first, down to a fraction of a second, mark the answer right or wrong and keep score. Set the points, decide whether wrong answers cost points, and let players pick their own color and buzzer sound. Everyone connects over your local network, so nobody needs an account. RECORD YOUR OWN Turn a laugh, a catchphrase or the dog's bark into a button. Recordings can be up to 5 seconds, silence is trimmed automatically, and they sync to your other devices through iCloud. KIDS MODE Big, bouncy buttons with animals, trains and other favorites, five themes (Rainbow, Ocean, Space, Jungle and Candy) and stars and trophies to earn. A grown-up has to solve a math problem to leave, and you can set the app to open straight into Kids Mode. A SOUND FOR EVERYTHING Buzzer, applause, drum roll, rimshot, wah-wah, epic fail, siren, alarm clock, countdown, crickets, cuckoo clock, rooster, cow, UFO and plenty more. They're sorted into Alarms, Animals, Vehicles, Funny, Action, Effects, Around the House and Nature, and you can search or keep your favorites at the top. THE LITTLE EXTRAS • SharePlay: on a FaceTime call, tap a sound and everyone hears it. • Siri, Shortcuts and Control Center: play a sound without opening the app. • A flashlight button for when the lights go out. • Pick any accent color and the whole app follows. Most sounds are in the public domain.

About

Countdown Star (Ad

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
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

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro4 screens
Countdown Star (Ad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Countdown Star (Ad at fortnightly against The Ultimate Buzzer Pro's every 2 months. Countdown Star (Ad also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and chart position (#99 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro costs $2.99 and Countdown Star (Ad $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Countdown Star (Ad holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 3.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of The Ultimate Buzzer Pro's written reviews are positive against 56% of Countdown Star (Ad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro ships an update every 2 months, Countdown Star (Ad fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Ultimate Buzzer Pro versus Countdown Star (Ad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Ultimate Buzzer ProCountdown Star (Ad
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.5 (1.2K ratings)4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews55.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K3.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMakens Apps, LLCJoseph Merrill

Customer experience

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro

All ratings1,181 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral6.4%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral15.9%
Negative29.5%

Countdown Star (Ad

All ratings3,698 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews405 reviews
Positive55.8%
Neutral15.6%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Countdown Star (Ad

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

None

The Ultimate Buzzer Pro

No in-app purchases

None

Countdown Star (Ad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Ultimate Buzzer Pro free?
The Ultimate Buzzer Pro costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Countdown Star (Ad free?
Countdown Star (Ad costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Ultimate Buzzer Pro or Countdown Star (Ad?
Countdown Star (Ad is rated higher. The Ultimate Buzzer Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Countdown Star (Ad averages 4.7 from 3.7K ratings.
Do The Ultimate Buzzer Pro or Countdown Star (Ad have ads?
Neither The Ultimate Buzzer Pro nor Countdown Star (Ad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Ultimate Buzzer Pro or Countdown Star (Ad?
The Ultimate Buzzer Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Countdown Star (Ad fortnightly. Most recently, The Ultimate Buzzer Pro was updated on October 23, 2026 and Countdown Star (Ad on October 23, 2026.

Other comparisons