Useful Counters & Countdowns vs Bean Counter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Useful Counters & Countdowns
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Count anything, follow your habits and watch the days go by. Useful Counters keeps it simple: create the counters you need, give them an icon and a color, and read everything at a glance on a single screen. THREE TYPES OF COUNTERS • Simple button counter The simplest one. Tap to add, subtract or reset. Perfect for keeping the score of a game, counting leaflets handed out, people at the door or rows of stitches. • Daily button counter The same buttons, but every tap is stored with its date. You immediately see the total for the day, the week, the month and the year. Ideal for glasses of water, workouts, medication, remaining holidays or anything you want to follow over time. • Countdown Pick a date and a time and see the years, months, days, hours and minutes left before the event, or elapsed since it happened. It can repeat every week, month or year for birthdays and anniversaries, and be added to your calendar. GOALS, STATISTICS AND REMINDERS • Set a goal: at least 8 glasses of water a day, at most 3 coffees, per day, week or month • Follow your progress bar and your streak of days in a row • History charts by day, week or month, with the total, the average and your best period • A daily reminder when you have not counted yet, and a notification on the day of a countdown • Made a mistake? Undo right after a tap, or long-press a counter to type its value FAST AND CLEAR • Decimal values, custom increment step and number of decimals • Optional vibration and beep on each tap • Hide the buttons you do not use • Reorder your counters by dragging them • Screen reader friendly: every button says what it does • Available in more than 80 languages YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS • Everything is stored on your device, in a local database • Export and import your data as a JSON file and share it anywhere • Export to CSV to open your counters in a spreadsheet FULL VERSION SUBSCRIPTION • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel the subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of use: https://www.usefulcounters.com/eula Privacy policy: https://www.usefulcounters.com/privacy
Bean Counter
This utility app allows you to create and manage unlimited custom tally counters for various activities. It offers features like countdowns, goals, rounds, and even widget support for counting without opening the app. Data is automatically backed up and synced via iCloud.
- Unlimited custom tally counters
- Count up and down
- Set goals and limits
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
- iCloud sync
- Automatic daily backups
- Export to CSV
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A tally counter that never loses your count. No ads, no sign-up, no subscription, and as many counters as you want, free. Count laps in the pool, reps at the gym, rows of a sleeve, 33 beads of tasbih, resets on a shiny hunt, people through the door. Tap the big button. Bean Counter saves every tap the moment it happens, buzzes when you hit your number, and keeps a history you can check and fix later. BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO'VE LOST A COUNT BEFORE • Every tap is saved instantly and kept with its time • A backup goes to the Files app every day, automatically • Restoring a backup adds what's missing and never deletes anything • Deleted counters wait 30 days in Recently Deleted • The amount per tap lives in Edit, so a stray thumb can't change it mid-count • Tapped one too many? The button under the number goes the other way COUNT ANYTHING, YOUR WAY • Count and Count down: by 1 or any amount, decimals included • Goals: 8 glasses of water a day • Limits: no more than 3 coffees • Rounds: 33 beads, a decade of the rosary, an 8-row pattern repeat, sets at the gym, with a buzz at the end of each one • Shiny hunts: every reset and encounter, with a + on your Lock Screen and an option to keep the screen on while you play • Uses left: how many more shaves this blade has • Reminders on the days and at the time you choose • Folders, a note on any counter or count, and counts added to past days COUNT WITHOUT OPENING THE APP • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with a working + button • Control Center and the Action Button • Siri and Shortcuts: "Count Water in Bean Counter" YOUR COUNTS, YOURS • iCloud sync keeps your iPhone and iPad in step, free • History with a 30-day chart, free • Export to CSV any time, free • No account and no tracking: Bean Counter collects no data BEAN COUNTER PRO One purchase, yours to keep. Never a subscription, and Pro never locks your data: history, backups and export stay free. • Apple Watch app: count from your wrist, in step with your iPhone • Photo backgrounds: your own photo behind any counter, in the app and in widgets • Themes that restyle the whole app, or your own on a color wheel • Any counter color you like, and alternate app icons • Insights: week, month, year and all-time charts, averages, streaks and your best day • Sounds: a click on every count, and a chime at goals and at the end of each round • Folder sessions: save a folder's counts and start fresh in one tap Made by an independent developer. Ideas and questions are welcome on the support page. Available in 44 languages.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Bean Counter at none against Useful Counters & Countdowns's shown. Bean Counter also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Useful Counters & Countdowns's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Useful Counters & Countdowns sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and Bean Counter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Useful Counters & Countdowns ships an update fortnightly, Bean Counter weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Useful Counters & Countdowns | Bean Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexandre Thil | Andrew Hamilton |
In-app purchases
Useful Counters & Countdowns
- Useful Counters Full Version$1.991 Month
Bean Counter
- Bean Counter Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Useful Counters & Countdowns free?
Is Bean Counter free?
Do Useful Counters & Countdowns or Bean Counter have ads?
Which is updated more often, Useful Counters & Countdowns or Bean Counter?
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