# Countdown Star vs Squishiverse

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Squishiverse at 100% against Countdown Star's 59%. Squishiverse also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Countdown Star's advantage is ratings volume (217K vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown Star sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Squishiverse asks for nothing beyond the download.

Squishiverse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Star has 217K ratings behind it against 2, 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 Squishiverse's.

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, Squishiverse every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown Star | Squishiverse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-star/id576177593/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/squishiverse/id6808965377/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 59.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 55 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Merrill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1099488988) | [Courtney Shoemaker](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797002091) |

## 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


### Squishiverse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/squishiverse/id6808965377)

This app helps children catalog their squishy toy collection. Users can photograph each toy, assign it a name, rate its squishiness, and add descriptive tags. It prioritizes privacy with automatic face blurring and local storage, with optional iCloud backup.

**Highlights:** Photograph squishy toys, Rate squishiness and other attributes, Tag toys by type, color, sound, and smell, Organize collection with favorites, Search and filter toy collection, Share with friends (opt-in), Trade offers between friends (opt-in)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown Star free?

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

### Is Squishiverse free?

Squishiverse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Squishiverse is rated higher. Countdown Star averages 4.8 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Squishiverse averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Countdown Star or Squishiverse have ads?

Countdown Star shows ads; Squishiverse does not.

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

Countdown Star ships an update fortnightly, and Squishiverse every 3 weeks. Most recently, Countdown Star was updated on November 6, 2026 and Squishiverse on November 6, 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.*