Comparison

Countdown vs Highlights

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Countdown

Visually track important life events like trips and birthdays with real-time countdowns. Personalize each event with photos and receive smart reminders. Enjoy immersive full-screen views and access on widgets and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Photo-based countdowns
  • Real-time tracking (years to seconds)
  • Full-screen immersive view
  • Home & Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch app & complications
  • Smart event reminders
  • Celebration animations
Features
Read full description

Never miss a moment. Countdowns helps you track life’s most important events - from trips and birthdays to everything in between. With a sleek liquid glass design, every countdown feels personal and alive. • Photo-Based Countdowns Add a photo to each event and make every countdown visual and meaningful. • Real-Time Tracking See time in years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds - updated live. • Full-Screen View Tap any event for a clean, immersive display with everything in one place. • Widgets & Apple Watch Keep countdowns close with: - Home & Lock Screen widgets - Apple Watch app & complications • Smart Reminders Get notified before events so you never miss them. • Celebrations Enjoy a rewarding finish when your countdown ends. Perfect For Trips • Birthdays • Holidays • Anniversaries • Life Events Make every moment count.

About

Highlights

Features
Read full description

Highlights is a minimalist tool that brings together timing, recording, and smart reminders. It keeps only the essentials—clean design and a smooth experience—so you can easily record every important moment. Use cases: Love and wedding anniversaries, exam and certification countdowns, birthday and holiday reminders, retirement countdowns, habit building, baby growth tracking, yearly progress and school-year progress tracking... Core features: • Time cards: Supports countdowns, countups, and anniversaries, presenting the passage of time in the most intuitive way. • Smart reminders: Automatically remind you based on key event milestones, so you never miss an important moment. • Journal: Add multiple time entries for each event, turning scattered moments into a complete memory line. • Home screen widgets: Offers multiple sizes of minimalist widgets, so important events are visible at a glance without opening the app. • Personalization: Freely change card backgrounds to create a more atmospheric recording experience. • Cross-device sync: Supports iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with data automatically synced through your personal iCloud for a consistent experience. • Privacy protection: No separate data servers. Everything stays on your device and in your personal iCloud space. Terms of Service: https://smartsilly.com/highlights/ios/terms Privacy Policy: https://smartsilly.com/highlights/ios/privacy

Screenshots

Countdown4 screens
Highlights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Highlights at none against Countdown's shown. Highlights also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Highlights sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown ships an update every 3 months, Highlights weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 5 level
Countdown versus Highlights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdownHighlights
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRounded Peak Studios LLCSmartSilly Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Countdown

One-time1
  • Countdown Pro$3.99
4 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$1.991 Month
  • Annual Membership$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Membership$14.99
  • Premium$29.99

Questions

Is Countdown free?
Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Countdown or Highlights have ads?
Countdown shows ads; Highlights does not.
Which is updated more often, Countdown or Highlights?
Countdown ships an update every 3 months, and Highlights weekly. Most recently, Countdown was updated on October 1, 2026 and Highlights on October 6, 2026.

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