# Make It Big vs Countdown

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Make It Big at none against Countdown's 3. Make It Big also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (91% vs 72%). Countdown's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (188K vs 5.1K). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Make It Big asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Make It Big against 4.8 for Countdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 188K ratings behind it against 5.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Make It Big's written reviews are positive against 72% of Countdown's.

Make It Big ships an update every 3 weeks, Countdown every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Make It Big | Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-it-big/id479282584/reviews) | [4.8 (188K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5.1K | **188K** |
| Positive reviews | **91.1% of reviews** | 71.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#45** |
| Size | 2 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [An Trinh](https://appshunter.io/developer/441499584) | [Find Appiness LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685887104) |

## What reviewers say

### Make It Big

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-it-big/id479282584)

Display large, customizable text messages that fill your entire screen. Easily edit text, switch between portrait and landscape modes, and even flash your message with a shake. Store recent messages for quick access.

**Highlights:** Full-screen text display, Customizable fonts and colors, Portrait and landscape support, Shake to flash message, Lock Screen Widgets, Recent message storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple, easy to use
- 👍 Works well
- 👍 Helps communicate with deaf/hard of hearing
- 👍 Convenient for noisy environments
- 👍 Useful for signaling to friends

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Text input box is too small for editing
- 🐛 Font size decreases with more text
- 🐛 No option to save/recall frequently used messages
- 🐛 No option to mirror/reverse text

**Reported bugs**

- Text input box is too small for editing
- Font size decreases with more text

**Requested features**

- Option to resize/adjust text input box
- Ability to save and recall frequently used messages
- Mirror/reverse text option
- Support for right-to-left scripts and cursive languages
- Text-to-speech functionality


### Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

Easily track important dates and events with a customizable countdown timer. Set reminders, organize events with tags, and view upcoming dates on your home screen or Apple Watch. Syncs across devices and offers various counting options.

**Highlights:** Customizable countdown timer, Event reminders, Home screen widgets, Apple Watch support, Event sharing, iCloud sync, Repeatable countdowns

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Start 7-Day Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Countdown Widget Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Countdown Widget | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Customizable colors and emojis
- ⏰ Accurate countdown tracking
- 🔔 Helpful reminders and notifications
- 💰 One-time payment for premium features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Paid widget feature
- 🔍 Lack of instructions/guidance
- 🔀 Inconsistent countdown display on widget
- 📅 Limited repeat options for events
- 🖼️ No option to use custom photos

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not updating automatically
- Countdown display issues after iOS 14 update
- Inability to delete archived events

**Requested features**

- Add ability to count up from past events
- Provide more date/time format options
- Implement calendar view for all events
- Allow custom backgrounds for widgets
- Add support for weekly/monthly repeating events


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Make It Big free?

Make It Big is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Make It Big or Countdown?

Make It Big and Countdown are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.1K and 188K ratings respectively.

### Do Make It Big or Countdown have ads?

Countdown shows ads; Make It Big does not.

### Which is updated more often, Make It Big or Countdown?

Make It Big ships an update every 3 weeks, and Countdown every 4 days. Most recently, Make It Big was updated on October 11, 2026 and Countdown on October 13, 2026.

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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.*