Comparison

Birthday Countdown vs Big Day

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

Big Day

Features
Read full description

Big Day turns the dates you're excited about into bright, glanceable countdowns you can pin anywhere — your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy. Holidays, birthdays, trips, paydays, due dates, anniversaries — add a countdown, give it a colour and an icon, and watch the days tick down (or up) every time you glance at your phone. WHY BIG DAY • Start free — create your first countdown and pin it as a widget, no account needed. • Beautiful, brightly-coloured cards that look great on any screen. • The little details other countdown apps get wrong: it says "Today" at zero, handles "1 day" correctly, and uses your local time zone — never UTC. WIDGETS, EVERYWHERE • Home Screen widgets in small, medium, and large. • Lock Screen widgets — rectangular, circular, and inline. • StandBy support for your nightstand. • Configurable: pick exactly which countdown each widget shows. MAKE IT YOURS • Curated colour palette for every countdown. • Icon and emoji picker. • Widget styles: number, progress ring, progress bar, or photo background. • Adjustable text size and legibility. COUNT DOWN — OR UP • Countdowns to future dates, and "days since" counters for the past. • Repeating events — annual, monthly, or weekly. • Local reminders as your big day approaches, plus a day-of nudge. TEMPLATES & SHARING • Seasonal and holiday template gallery — browse and add in a tap. • Export a shareable countdown card for any event. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account, no sign-up, no tracking, no ads. • Your countdowns sync automatically through your own iCloud — free, login-less, and only you can see them. We never receive your data. BIG DAY PLUS Unlock the full colour library, photo-background widgets, shareable countdown cards, and unlimited countdowns with a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Your free countdown and widgets keep working either way. Questions or feedback? Email coraliadigital@icloud.com — we read everything. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://katinkia.github.io/big-day/privacy.html

Screenshots

Birthday Countdown4 screens
Big Day4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Birthday Countdown at every 6 days against Big Day's every 4 months. 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. Birthday Countdown sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Big Day sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Birthday Countdown ships an update every 6 days, Big Day every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Birthday Countdown versus Big Day: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBirthday CountdownBig Day
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (699 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings699 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnton PustovidkoCoral Rose Page

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.

Big Day

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
2 purchases

Big Day

Subscriptions1
  • Big Day Plus Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Big Day Plus Lifetime$7.99

Questions

Is Birthday Countdown free?
Birthday Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Big Day free?
Big Day is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Birthday Countdown or Big Day have ads?
Neither Birthday Countdown nor Big Day shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Birthday Countdown or Big Day?
Birthday Countdown ships an update every 6 days, and Big Day every 4 months. Most recently, Birthday Countdown was updated on November 9, 2026 and Big Day on November 5, 2026.

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