Comparison

Smart Choices vs Retirement Countdown+ Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Smart Choices

Encourage positive behavior in children with a customizable reward system. Track progress, sync across devices, and access rewards easily. Unlock premium features with a subscription for unlimited rewards and more.

Highlights
  • Customizable rewards
  • Multiple child support
  • Reward history tracking
  • iCloud sync
  • Apple Watch support
  • Siri integration
Features
Read full description

Reward and reinforce positive behavior in your children with Smart Choices! When your children make a smart choice, let them tap the button and watch for a potential reward. - Supports families with multiple children! - Fully customizable rewards! - Track reward history effortlessly! - Empower your children’s decision-making! --- Deep integration with popular iOS features: - iCloud Sync: Keep rewards and history up-to-date across all devices - Apple Watch support: Access rewards right from your wrist! - Shortcuts and Siri: Quick and easy reward access! --- Unlock all features with the Smarter Choices subscription: - Unlimited rewards - Multiple Children - Enable or disable specific rewards - Comprehensive reward history - Access to all future, exciting features - Support an independent developer --- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jakedgrant/SmartChoices/main/privacy_policy.md

About

Retirement Countdown+ Tracker

Features
Read full description

Retirement Countdown+ tells you how many days you really have left at work. Not calendar days: workdays, with your weekends, federal holidays and PTO and vacation days already taken off. THE NUMBER THAT MATTERS Most countdowns subtract one date from another and stop there. This one counts the days you still have to turn up, and the hours still to do. Set a last hour at work and it can show hours, minutes and seconds under the number. BUILT FOR SHIFT WORK Not everyone works Monday to Friday. Set any repeating pattern from 2 to 28 days, or start from a 9/80 schedule or four on, four off. A two-week preview shows which days you work, so you can check it before you trust the number. YOUR COUNTRY'S HOLIDAYS, BUILT IN Pick the United States and every federal holiday comes off, Juneteenth included, with weekend holidays moved to the day they are observed. It works out the dates for every year until you go, not just this one. Also built in: the United Kingdom (England and Wales), Canada, Australia, the days most of Europe shares, and a simple worldwide set. Or start from nothing and build your own list. Add your state holidays, floating holidays and company shutdown days yourself, then add the PTO and vacation days you have booked. All of it comes off the count. YOUR KEY RETIREMENT DATES Add your date of birth and the app lists the dates that matter on the way out: age 59½ (IRA and 401(k) withdrawals without the 10% early penalty), 62 (the earliest you can start Social Security), 65 (Medicare), your full Social Security retirement age, and when required minimum distributions begin. Dates only, from official sources. Not financial advice. NEW IN 2.0: A WIDGET Your countdown on your Home Screen in two sizes, and on your Lock Screen. It moves on at midnight even if you have not opened the app. SIX PAINTED THEMES Coast, Night Shift, Golf Course, Garden, Last Light and Quiet Library, each with its own painting and typeface. Or put your own photo behind the countdown. No paying per wallpaper. A REASON TO OPEN IT A new quote every morning, a check-in streak, milestones from one year out to the last full week, and your lasts: your last working Christmas, New Year and summer. Keep a bucket list of what retirement is actually for. WORTH SHARING Turn your countdown or the day's quote into a card and send it to whoever keeps asking when you are finishing. IT DOES NOT END AT ZERO On the day, fireworks in your theme's colors and a "You did it" card to share. After that it counts up, so you can see how long you have been free. ALSO INCLUDED - A morning reminder at 8am, if you want one - Backup and restore, so a new phone is not a fresh start - Your own date format WHAT IS FREE The calendar-day countdown, the widget and the morning reminder are free for good. Before you pay, the app shows your own workdays-left number. ONE PRICE. NO ADS. NO SUBSCRIPTION. One payment unlocks workday counting, your schedule, federal holidays and PTO, hours left at work, themes and your own photo, retirement dates, quotes, milestones, the bucket list, share cards and backup, for good. No banners, no video, nothing to pay to remove. Restore your unlock on a new phone with the same Apple Account.

Screenshots

Smart Choices4 screens
Retirement Countdown+ Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Retirement Countdown+ Tracker at every 2 days against Smart Choices's every 11 months. Retirement Countdown+ Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Choices sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Retirement Countdown+ Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart Choices ships an update every 11 months, Retirement Countdown+ Tracker every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Smart Choices versus Retirement Countdown+ Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart ChoicesRetirement Countdown+ Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJacob GrantWayne Nixon

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Smart Choices

Subscriptions2
  • All Access$2.991 Month
  • All Access7 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • All Access$19.99
1 purchases

Retirement Countdown+ Tracker

One-time1
  • Unlock the Full App$6.99

Questions

Is Smart Choices free?
Smart Choices is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retirement Countdown+ Tracker free?
Retirement Countdown+ Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Smart Choices or Retirement Countdown+ Tracker have ads?
Neither Smart Choices nor Retirement Countdown+ Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smart Choices or Retirement Countdown+ Tracker?
Smart Choices ships an update every 11 months, and Retirement Countdown+ Tracker every 2 days. Most recently, Smart Choices was updated on September 12, 2026 and Retirement Countdown+ Tracker on October 1, 2026.

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