# Countdown Star vs Book BAM

The clearest difference is ads: Book BAM at none against Countdown Star's shown. Book BAM also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Book BAM sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $100.00 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, Book BAM every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star | Book BAM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **216K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Best by You](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789918935) |

## 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


### Book BAM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/book-bam/id6789918513)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bam Customer Yearly | $100.00 | per year |
| Bam Artist Yearly | $199.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

### Is Book BAM free?

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

### Do Countdown Star or Book BAM have ads?

Countdown Star shows ads; Book BAM does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown Star or Book BAM?

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, and Book BAM every 2 days. Most recently, Countdown Star was updated on October 14, 2026 and Book BAM on October 9, 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.*