# Countdown Star vs Novellea

Countdown Star and Novellea both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Novellea's written reviews are positive against 59% of Countdown Star's. Novellea also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Countdown Star's advantage is ratings volume (217K vs 7). 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 Novellea sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.49 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 4.9 for Novellea. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 217K ratings behind it against 7, 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 100% of Novellea's.

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, Novellea every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star | Novellea |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews) | **[4.9 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novellea/id1554760599/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 59.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 55 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [SHORT CONTENT LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1554760601) |

## 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


### Novellea

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novellea/id1554760599)

Discover and listen to original short stories across various genres like romance, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. Enjoy an ad-free experience with offline listening and personalized recommendations. Go premium for unlimited access and author support.

**Highlights:** Original short stories, Audio narration, Offline listening, Personalized recommendations, Genre browsing, Premium subscription

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Novellea Premium | $5.49 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

### Is Novellea free?

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

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

Novellea is rated higher. Countdown Star averages 4.8 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Novellea averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.

### Do Countdown Star or Novellea have ads?

Countdown Star shows ads; Novellea does not.

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

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, and Novellea every 9 days. Most recently, Countdown Star was updated on November 8, 2026 and Novellea on November 7, 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.*