# Countdown Star (Ad vs Countdown to Anything!

The clearest difference is price: Countdown to Anything! at Free against Countdown Star (Ad's $1.99. Countdown to Anything! also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 56%). Countdown Star (Ad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#69 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Countdown to Anything! is free to download; Countdown Star (Ad costs $1.99 up front. Countdown to Anything! sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Countdown Star (Ad asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Countdown Star (Ad against 4.8 for Countdown to Anything!. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star (Ad has 3.7K ratings behind it against 571, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Countdown Star (Ad's written reviews are positive against 95% of Countdown to Anything!'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star (Ad | Countdown to Anything! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star-ad-free/id569371565/reviews) | **[4.8 (571 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-to-anything/id1489443070/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 571 |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | **94.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#69** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Jupli](https://appshunter.io/developer/988757514) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Star (Ad

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

**Currently charting:** #69 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


### Countdown to Anything!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-to-anything/id1489443070)

Easily track upcoming events with customizable countdowns. Choose from a vast library of icons or create your own to personalize your countdowns for any occasion, from birthdays to holidays. Get notifications and share your progress with friends.

**Highlights:** Create countdowns to any date/time, Customizable with hundreds of icons, Repeating countdowns (yearly, weekly), Tagging for organization, End countdown notifications, Shareable countdowns, Add notes to countdowns

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | per year |
| Premium (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Fun and cute
- 🗓️ Helpful for keeping track of events
- 🎨 Customizable with colors and icons
- ⭐ Reliable and accurate
- 🔍 Useful for remembering important dates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Some features locked behind paywall
- 🕰️ Countdown sometimes off by a day
- 🔒 Widgets only available with premium
- 🎨 Limited free icon/color options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns randomly disappearing
- App crashing on launch for some users

**Requested features**

- Add option to subtract weekends from countdowns
- Allow customizing countdown format (days vs weeks)
- Provide more free icons and color options
- Make widgets available in free version
- Add ability to set reminders for countdowns


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star (Ad free?

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

### Is Countdown to Anything! free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Star (Ad or Countdown to Anything!?

Countdown to Anything! is rated higher. Countdown Star (Ad averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Countdown to Anything! averages 4.8 from 571 ratings.

### Do Countdown Star (Ad or Countdown to Anything! have ads?

Neither Countdown Star (Ad nor Countdown to Anything! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Star (Ad or Countdown to Anything!?

Countdown Star (Ad ships an update fortnightly, and Countdown to Anything! fortnightly. Most recently, Countdown Star (Ad was updated on October 26, 2026 and Countdown to Anything! on October 23, 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.*