# Countdown Star (Ad vs Countdown Star

The clearest difference is price: Countdown Star at Free against Countdown Star (Ad's $1.99. Countdown Star also leads on ratings volume (216K vs 3.7K). Countdown Star (Ad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Countdown Star is free to download; Countdown Star (Ad costs $1.99 up front. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 Star. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 216K ratings behind it against 3.7K, 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 60% of Countdown Star's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star (Ad | Countdown Star |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star-ad-free/id569371565/reviews) | **[4.8 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3.7K | **216K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **59.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 53 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Star (Ad

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

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 Star

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593)

Track time until or since important life events. Set custom timers for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and more. Personalize with your own photos and share progress with friends.

**Highlights:** Add custom events, Customize event visuals, Apple Watch display, Today Widget integration, Set exact event times, Adjust time units, Share event progress

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Customizable backgrounds
- 👍 Helpful for tracking events
- 👍 Useful for long-distance relationships

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widget not working
- 🐛 Wallpaper feature not working
- 🐛 Countdown inaccuracies
- 🐛 Notifications not working
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not displaying events
- Wallpaper not saving
- Countdown off by one day
- Notifications not working as expected
- Crashes and glitches after updates

**Requested features**

- Add weeks option
- Allow multiple countdowns on one screen
- Provide Apple Watch complications
- Add ability to export/backup data
- Improve wallpaper customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star (Ad free?

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

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

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

Countdown Star is rated higher. Countdown Star (Ad averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Countdown Star averages 4.8 from 216K ratings.

### Do Countdown Star (Ad or Countdown Star have ads?

Countdown Star shows ads; Countdown Star (Ad does not.

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

Countdown Star (Ad ships an update fortnightly, and Countdown Star fortnightly. Most recently, Countdown Star (Ad was updated on September 23, 2026 and Countdown Star on September 24, 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.*