CalDown vs SmartPomo Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CalDown
This app transforms your calendar into a real-time timeline, showing your current and upcoming events with live countdowns. It offers customizable widgets for your home and lock screens, and a companion app for Apple Watch, all designed for clarity and focus.
- Real-time event timeline
- Live countdowns and progress bars
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
- Apple Watch companion app
- Event notes and checklists
- Hide specific event occurrences
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CalDown – Focus. Clarity. Time Awareness. What is happening now? What comes next? How much time is left? CalDown turns Apple Calendar events into a focused timeline across iPhone, iPad, widgets and Apple Watch. Choose your calendars and see your day without the clutter. Designed for clarity, not complexity. A TIMELINE BUILT AROUND NOW • Follow your current event with a live countdown and progress bar • Keep all-day, upcoming and recently ended events in view • Look ahead by 3, 5 or 7 days • See gaps between events and timed reminders • Create and edit events with the familiar Apple Calendar editor • Hide one event occurrence without deleting or changing it in Apple Calendar • Restore hidden events from a list organized by day; past-day occurrences are cleared automatically APPLE REMINDERS — BETA, WITH PRO • Show dated tasks from selected reminder lists alongside your events • Keep overdue tasks in Today and future timed tasks in the timeline • Complete tasks on iPhone or iPad with a checkmark and a gentle fade • Review dated tasks completed today in Done Tasks • Open Apple Reminders to create, edit or reopen tasks Undated tasks are not shown. Reminders do not occupy time or change event countdowns, and are not included in widgets or complications. WIDGETS THAT MAKE TIME TANGIBLE • See your current or next timed event on the Home Screen or Lock Screen • Preview following events in compact, combined and large layouts • Use calendar colors, countdowns and progress indicators • Hide the highlighted event directly from supported widgets Widgets and complications use your selected Upcoming range. Updates are scheduled by the system and may be delayed. APPLE WATCH — WITH PRO • View calendar events already available on your Watch, even without your iPhone nearby • Follow the iPhone’s calendar selection or keep a separate Watch selection • Expand event and reminder details in the timeline • See compact gaps and overlap durations between events • Prioritize the soonest-ending current event in the Watch timeline and complications • Collapse All Day and Reminders, with your preference remembered • Choose circular, corner, inline and rectangular complications • Use Corner Countdown for remaining time alongside a progress bar Complete reminders through your paired iPhone: offline requests stay pending with an hourglass until the iPhone confirms the save. Both devices need reminder access and the same reminder account. Some accounts cannot identify tasks reliably across devices. NOTES AND CHECKLISTS • Keep notes and actionable steps with individual calendar events • Store checklist items as readable Markdown checkbox lines in event notes • Add notes or checklist items from Watch without replacing existing content Watch additions and checklist changes require the paired iPhone to save and confirm them. Your calendar account manages synchronization. REMAINING TIME COLORS Choose warning and urgent colors, optionally with a separate start color. Preview each calendar for contrast and adjust colors and thresholds on iPhone. Apply them to the timeline, widgets and Watch independently. Tinted displays use system colors. Visual cues only — no alerts. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Ask about Current, Next or Today’s schedule. Hide an occurrence, restore the last hidden event, or open Today and Upcoming. Use the returned text in your own shortcuts. YOUR DATA, YOUR RULES • No CalDown account, ads, subscriptions or analytics • On-device calendar and reminder processing, with no external CalDown server • Hidden-event preferences sync only with the paired Apple Watch, not through iCloud or between multiple iPhones • Optional technical diagnostic reports that you review and choose to share START SIMPLE. UNLOCK MORE WITH PRO. Use one calendar at a time and basic widgets without Pro. A single one-time purchase unlocks multiple calendars, additional widget layouts, Apple Watch and Apple Reminders integration. Your time. Your focus. CalDown.
SmartPomo Timer
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Customizable 25/5/15 min timers Clean, distraction-free UI Smart break reminders Progress stats & streak tracking Works offline, zero ads Perfect for students, developers, writers & remote workers. Build focus, reduce stress, achieve more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SmartPomo Timer at Free against CalDown's $9.99. SmartPomo Timer also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). CalDown's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months). On 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
SmartPomo Timer is free to download; CalDown costs $9.99 up front. CalDown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SmartPomo Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CalDown ships an update every 5 days, SmartPomo Timer every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CalDown | SmartPomo Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Valentin Haberling | Ozkan Gungor |
In-app purchases
CalDown
- Unlock CalDown Pro$9.99
SmartPomo Timer
- Deep Work Timer Premium$2.99









