# Countdown Star vs Noel

The clearest difference is ads: Noel at none against Countdown Star's shown. Noel also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 59%). Countdown Star's advantage is ratings volume (217K vs 84). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Noel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Countdown Star against 4.7 for Noel. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 217K ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Countdown Star's written reviews are positive against 80% of Noel's.

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, Noel every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star | Noel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews)** | [4.7 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noel-christmas-countdown/id1161557247/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 84 |
| Positive reviews | 59.1% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 55 MB | 132 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Paul Roden II](https://appshunter.io/developer/693041126) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown Star

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

Easily track upcoming events with customizable countdowns and count-ups.  Personalize your experience with custom wallpapers, animations, and widgets.  Syncs across devices and offers notifications for important dates.

**Highlights:** iCloud Sync across devices, Celebration animations, Repeating event support, Home screen widgets, Customizable wallpapers, Notifications for event completion, Interactive time unit slider

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


### Noel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noel-christmas-countdown/id1161557247)

This app helps you embrace the holiday spirit with a countdown to Christmas, festive recipes, gift ideas, and activity planning. Enjoy carols with built-in music sheets and track your holiday preparations.

**Highlights:** Christmas countdown clock, Advent widget, AI gift ideas, Recipe list, Activity list, Christmas music sheets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noel Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Noel Premium | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

### Is Noel free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Star or Noel?

Countdown Star is rated higher. Countdown Star averages 4.8 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Noel averages 4.7 from 84 ratings.

### Do Countdown Star or Noel have ads?

Countdown Star shows ads; Noel does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Star or Noel?

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, and Noel every 3 weeks. Most recently, Countdown Star was updated on November 13, 2026 and Noel on November 2, 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.*