Comparison

Visual Countdown Timer vs MSE Genie

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

Head to head
About

Visual Countdown Timer

This app uses a visual countdown to help children understand time and complete tasks. A picture is revealed as time elapses, and an exciting animation and sound reward completion. It aims to turn daily struggles into fun and encourage quicker task completion.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown from green to red
  • Picture revealed as time elapses
  • Exciting sound and animation reward
  • Customizable background images
  • User-selected reveal images
  • Adaptable for various tasks
Features
Read full description

Is it a battle to get your child to do something quickly? This visual countdown App was designed for my 2 year old son to help him get his reward chart star for getting dressed quickly. Getting him dressed used to take forever with many stalling strategies being deployed. Now he runs upstairs asking for the "Countdown". Watch as the timer runs from green to amber to red, helping the child understand that time is running out. A fun picture is slowly revealed as the time runs down and when the time is up the child is rewarded with an exciting sound and the picture spins. Background image changes to match the time of day, so that your child is given subtle hints as to what time of day the task they are being asked relates to. Choose your own image to reveal from your iPhones photo library to really surprise your child. Endless possible uses: * Getting dressed * Getting out the door (shoes and coats on) * Tidying * Brushing teeth * Sharing toys Turns daily struggles into fun time!

About

MSE Genie

Features
Read full description

With MSE Genie a Multi Sensory Environment can be controlled via iPad or iPhone. MSE Genie uses bluetooth to communicate with MSE Rewards produced by TFH Special Needs Toys. The MSE Genie is simple to set up: In Settings identify new Rewards (you can have up to 12). eg. Bubble Column 1; Bubble Column 2; Hurricane Wall; Fiber Optic Curtain; Colour Wash; Aroma diffuser; Musical Squares; Video Projector. MSE Genie is simple to adjust: In Teacher Mode choose which Rewards are "in play" then choose how many buttons you want to present to the student. You can make it very simple or fairly complex. MSE Genie is brilliant to use: In 'Student Mode' immediate reward control is via the tailored interface. Accidental re-configuration is avoided thanks to a required double-press gesture in opposite corners.

Screenshots

Visual Countdown Timer4 screens
MSE Genie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MSE Genie at none against Visual Countdown Timer's 7. MSE Genie also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). Visual Countdown Timer's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price 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. Visual Countdown Timer sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. MSE Genie asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual Countdown Timer ships an update monthly, MSE Genie every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Visual Countdown Timer versus MSE Genie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual Countdown TimerMSE Genie
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (41K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings41K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.512.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFehners Software LLPTFH Special Needs Toys

Bugs and requests

Visual Countdown Timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Custom pictures load rotated
  • Timer stops working when app is in background

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to set timer to countdown to a specific time
  • Ability to adjust timer in smaller increments
  • Option to keep picture displayed after timer ends
  • Background timer functionality
  • Custom sound/music options

MSE Genie

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Visual Countdown Timer

One-time7
  • Ocean Pack$0.99
  • Transport Pack$0.99
  • Animal Pack$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Cartoon Pack$0.99
  • Mask Maker$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Premium Upgrade$3.99
None

MSE Genie

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Visual Countdown Timer free?
Visual Countdown Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MSE Genie free?
MSE Genie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Visual Countdown Timer or MSE Genie have ads?
Visual Countdown Timer shows ads; MSE Genie does not.
Which is updated more often, Visual Countdown Timer or MSE Genie?
Visual Countdown Timer ships an update monthly, and MSE Genie every 3 months. Most recently, Visual Countdown Timer was updated on October 30, 2026 and MSE Genie on October 26, 2026.

Other comparisons