# Countdown Star vs Days to Christmas

Countdown Star and Days to Christmas both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Days to Christmas's written reviews are positive against 59% of Countdown Star's. Days to Christmas also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and device support (6 vs 3). Countdown Star's advantage is ratings volume (217K vs 16). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Days to Christmas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Days to Christmas holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 217K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Countdown Star's written reviews are positive against 100% of Days to Christmas's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star | Days to Christmas |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/days-to-christmas-countdown/id1533555913/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 59.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 55 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Accessible Resources Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1389365061) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Days to Christmas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/days-to-christmas-countdown/id1533555913)

This app helps you count down the days until Christmas and plan your gift purchases. Add recipients and gifts, then mark them off as you buy them. Special gift ideas may appear as the holiday approaches.

**Highlights:** Christmas countdown timer, Gift planner, Add recipients and gifts, Mark gifts as purchased, Home screen widget, Special gift suggestions

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| This Christmas only | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

### Is Days to Christmas free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown Star or Days to Christmas?

Days to Christmas is rated higher. Countdown Star averages 4.8 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Days to Christmas averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Countdown Star or Days to Christmas have ads?

Both Countdown Star and Days to Christmas show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Star or Days to Christmas?

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, and Days to Christmas fortnightly. Most recently, Countdown Star was updated on November 1, 2026 and Days to Christmas on October 29, 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.*