Countdown Widget vs Xarra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdown Widget
Easily create and track important dates like birthdays and deadlines. Organize events in a timeline with filters for upcoming, past, and all items. Personalize events with icons and receive optional reminders.
- Create and edit countdown events
- Personalize events with icons
- Optional local reminders
- Home screen widgets
- Customizable widget styles and colors
- Upcoming, Past, and All filters
Read full descriptionHide full description
Countdown helps you stay focused on the dates that matter most. Create countdowns for birthdays, trips, deadlines, and milestones in seconds, then track everything in one clean timeline. Use Upcoming, Past, and All filters to quickly see what is next, what is done, and what still needs your attention. KEY FEATURES • Create and edit countdown events quickly • Set a date with optional time for precise countdowns • Personalize events with built-in icons • Turn on optional local reminders at event time • See event progress at a glance with clear indicators • Add Home Screen widgets in small and medium sizes • Choose active widget styles: Minimal and Days • Customize widget colors with solid backgrounds and light or dark text • Use a “Next Event” widget or pin a specific event Whether you are planning ahead or counting down to something exciting, Countdown keeps your important moments front and center. For in-app purchases and subscriptions, see https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Xarra
Listen to articles, documents, and web content with natural-sounding text-to-speech. Customize playback speed, voices, and reading fonts, with optional synced highlighting. This app prioritizes privacy, working offline without accounts or tracking.
- On-device text-to-speech
- Supports PDF, EPUB, Markdown, and more
- Web article sharing
- Adjustable playback speed and voices
- Customizable reading fonts
- Synced line and word highlighting
- Offline functionality
Read full descriptionHide full description
Xarra uses on-device text-to-speech with natural voices, so you can listen to pretty much any text, or read along with synced line and optional word highlighting, and stay focused. Featured in Create with Swift, Weekly Newsletter #101 (Indie App of the Week): "The app developed by Daniel is well integrated into the system. (...) Accessibility runs through the whole experience rather than sitting on top of it." Bring your content in: • Import PDF, EPUB, Markdown, DAISY, plain text, RTF, and more, or browse Project Gutenberg in the app. • Share web articles, blog posts, and documents from Safari and other apps. • Paste text or add a URL. Listen your way: • Optional word highlighting in background or underline styles. • Adjust playback speed and pick a voice for each language. • Choose reading fonts including OpenDyslexic, Atkinson Hyperlegible, and Lexend. Accessibility front and center: • VoiceOver-friendly navigation, Dynamic Type as a design principle, Bold Text, and Increase Contrast support, and more. • Respects your device assistive technology voice and speed settings. Private, lightweight, and offline-friendly: no account, no analytics, no tracking. Your documents stay on your device and sync through your private iCloud when enabled. Terms & Conditions for Xarra: https://accessibilityupto11.com/apps/xarra/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://accessibilityupto11.com/apps/xarra/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Xarra at none against Countdown Widget's shown. Xarra also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Countdown Widget's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Countdown Widget sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Xarra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Countdown Widget ships an update every 4 weeks, Xarra every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdown Widget | Xarra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Craig Osborne | Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats |
Customer experience
Countdown Widget
Xarra
In-app purchases
Countdown Widget
- Countdown Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- Countdown Pro Yearly7 Days trial$6.991 Year
Xarra
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Lifetime Access$29.99









