Comparison

Birthday Countdown vs em | echo

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

Head to head
About

Birthday Countdown

Never miss a special occasion with this birthday reminder and countdown app. Easily import contacts, track upcoming events, and receive personalized alerts. It offers gift suggestions and instant ways to send greetings, all within a privacy-focused design.

Highlights
  • Effortless birthday tracking
  • Countdown timer to events
  • Import birthdays from contacts
  • Personalized birthday profiles
  • Gift suggestions
  • Instant birthday wishes
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Never miss a special day again. CandlesUp is your all-in-one birthday reminder, countdown widget, and calendar tracker. Import birthdays from contacts or calendars and get smart reminders with birthday wishes. Key Features - Effortless Tracking – Manually add birthdays or import them directly from your contacts. - Countdown Timer – See the exact time left until upcoming birthdays. - Personalized Experience – Set up your own birthday profile and track your countdown. - Rich Details – View age, Western & Chinese zodiac signs, and more. - Quick Actions – Manage contacts, notifications, and calendar views with a single tap. - Insights - Get to know you friends and their bday analytics - iCloud Sync – Keep your birthdays, photos and notes up to date on all your iPhones and iPads. Just sign in to iCloud. Celebrate with Ease - Gift Suggestions – Get region-specific gift ideas tailored to your location. - Instant Birthday Wishes – Send greetings via WhatsApp, Messages, Email, or calls. - Calendar Integration – Add birthdays with automatic yearly recurrence. - Custom Alerts – Set personalized reminders so you never miss a special day. Privacy-Focused - Private by Design – Your birthdays, names and contacts stay on your device and, with iCloud sync, in your own private iCloud – never on our servers. - No Ads, No Selling – Only anonymous usage analytics and crash reports help us improve the app. - Full Control – Easily manage your data through a simple interface. Thoughtfully Designed - Modern Interface – Elegant animations and smooth navigation. - Dark Mode Support – Comfortable viewing in any lighting condition. - Accessibility – Designed to work seamlessly for all users. Download CandlesUp today and make every birthday unforgettable. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

em | echo

Read full description

Configures EM4425 Tags Supports V10, V11, V12, V13, V16 NFC Tags

Screenshots

Birthday Countdown4 screens
em | echo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: em | echo at none against Birthday Countdown's 6. em | echo also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Birthday Countdown's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads 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. Birthday Countdown sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. em | echo asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Birthday Countdown ships an update every 6 days, em | echo every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Birthday Countdown versus em | echo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBirthday Countdownem | echo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (702 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings702 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnton PustovidkoVamsi Rajulapudi

Bugs and requests

Birthday Countdown

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Bug preventing interaction without premium purchase
  • Cannot exit premium page
  • Friend's zodiac sign is incorrect
  • Bug preventing birthday change initially

Requested features

12 requests
  • Allow adding children with gift wish lists
  • Save gift ideas per person
  • AI text generation for birthday messages
  • Ability to set more than five notifications per birthday
  • See zodiac sign without premium
Show 7 more
  • Include phone number from contacts automatically
  • See other people's birthday time to the second
  • Add a function to include phone number from contacts
  • AI to type out a text that you could send that person on their birthday
  • Save gift ideas to each person
  • Set a minimum of five notifications per birthday
  • See stuff like my zodiac sign, etc.

em | echo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Birthday Countdown

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Unlimited Yearly$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Unlimited Access$29.99
  • Unlimited Access$59.99
None

em | echo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Birthday Countdown free?
Birthday Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is em | echo free?
em | echo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Birthday Countdown or em | echo have ads?
Neither Birthday Countdown nor em | echo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Birthday Countdown or em | echo?
Birthday Countdown ships an update every 6 days, and em | echo every 2 months. Most recently, Birthday Countdown was updated on November 14, 2026 and em | echo on November 5, 2026.

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