# Strides vs Countdown & Count Up Timer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Countdown & Count Up Timer at none against Strides's 9. Countdown & Count Up Timer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Strides's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (81% vs 63%). On price, rating, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Strides sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Countdown & Count Up Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Strides against 4.7 for Countdown & Count Up Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Strides has 19K ratings behind it against 2.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Strides's written reviews are positive against 63% of Countdown & Count Up Timer's.

Strides ships an update fortnightly, Countdown & Count Up Timer weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Strides | Countdown & Count Up Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strides-habit-tracker-plus-goals/id672401817/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-and-count-up-timer/id919998681/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 2.3K |
| Positive reviews | **81.0% of reviews** | 63.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 147 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goals LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/507975203) | [Yoji Shimobayashi](https://appshunter.io/developer/919998680) |

## What reviewers say

### Strides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strides-habit-tracker-plus-goals/id672401817)

Organize your life by tracking habits, routines, and goals in one place. Utilize over 150 templates or create your own, with progress reports, charts, and reminders to keep you motivated and on task.

**Highlights:** Track good or bad habits, SMART goal setting, 150+ customizable templates, Progress reports and charts, Unlimited reminders, Integration with Apple Health

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Strides Plus | $4.99 | per month |
| Strides Plus | $7.99 | per month |
| Strides Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Strides Plus | $29.99 | per year |
| Strides Plus | $39.99 | per year |
| Strides Plus | $39.99 | per year |
| Strides Plus | $39.99 | one-time |
| Strides Plus | $99.99 | one-time |
| Strides Plus | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Flexible and customizable
- 📊 Detailed progress tracking
- 🔄 Helpful for building habits
- 🎯 Effective for achieving goals
- 🤖 Seamless integration with Apple Watch

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Limited free version features
- 🐛 Syncing and notification issues
- 🕰️ Lack of time-tracking capabilities
- 🗂️ Difficulty organizing multiple habits

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes after iOS 14.8 update
- Incorrect data logging and display issues
- Notification bugs showing outdated information

**Requested features**

- Allow more than 3 habits in free version
- Add time tracking and time-based goals
- Improve syncing and notification reliability
- Introduce more customization and organization options
- Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription


### Countdown & Count Up Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-and-count-up-timer/id919998681)

Easily track important dates with customizable countdowns and count-ups. Never miss an anniversary, event, or milestone with home screen widgets and timely notifications. Personalize your tracking with custom backgrounds and text.

**Highlights:** Unlimited event tracking, Home and lock screen widgets, Customizable notifications, iCloud backup and restore, Precise moment tracking, Custom backgrounds and text, Social sharing

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Unlimited counters
- 💡 Customizable backgrounds
- ⭐ Great app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widget issues
- 📢 Intrusive ads
- 🔄 Inconsistent updates
- 🔍 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Countdown display issues after updates
- App crashes when trying to access settings
- Widget functionality not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to exclude weekends from countdowns
- Option to pause/resume countdowns
- Customizable notification settings for each event
- Sync across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Strides free?

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

### Is Countdown & Count Up Timer free?

Countdown & Count Up Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Strides or Countdown & Count Up Timer?

Strides is rated higher. Strides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Countdown & Count Up Timer averages 4.7 from 2.3K ratings.

### Do Strides or Countdown & Count Up Timer have ads?

Countdown & Count Up Timer shows ads; Strides does not.

### Which is updated more often, Strides or Countdown & Count Up Timer?

Strides ships an update fortnightly, and Countdown & Count Up Timer weekly. Most recently, Strides was updated on November 8, 2026 and Countdown & Count Up Timer 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.*