Comparison

Photo Countdown Widget vs Countdown AR

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

Head to head
About

Photo Countdown Widget

Create unlimited, personalized countdown widgets for your most anticipated moments. Beautifully track events with custom photo backgrounds directly on your Home Screen. Enjoy all features for free with a clean, simple design.

Highlights
  • Unlimited event countdowns
  • Custom photo backgrounds
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Clean and simple design
  • Free to use
  • Event arrival messages
Features
Read full description

Every widget free — Home Screen, Lock Screen and StandBy. No ads, no account, nothing locked. Your photo, your countdown: count down to a wedding, a trip or a baby, or count the days since you quit, started a streak or saw your last concert. New widgets show your next event on their own and move on when its day has passed. They flip from "days until" to "days since" automatically. Your events and photos never leave your phone. Nothing to sync, nothing to lose in a sync. COUNTDOWN & COUNT SINCE • Count down the days to any future event • Count up from any date — perfect for sobriety, streaks and milestones • Show days, or weeks, months or years ("12 weeks, 3 days") • Switches automatically when the date passes, or lock it to always count down or always count since EVERY WIDGET, FREE • Small, medium, large and extra-large Home Screen widgets • Up Next: your next few events in one widget • Lock Screen widgets — circular, rectangular and inline • Your photo as the background — add up to 10 and the widget rotates through them • Color themes for events without a photo, including Birthday, Wedding, Trip and Holiday • Tap a widget to open its event MAKE IT YOURS • 10 ready-made looks, previewed live with your own photo • Frame your photo: drag and pinch until it fits every widget size • 8 fonts, any text color, 6 text positions and a readability slider • Photos stay visible on a Tinted or Clear Home Screen • Widgets follow the event's style, or pick a font and color for one widget alone REMINDERS & REPEATS • Repeat every year, month or week, or every few days, weeks, months or years — birthdays and anniversaries roll over on their own • Reminders on the day, or 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks or 1 month before, at the time you pick • Share any countdown as a square photo card SIMPLE & PRIVATE • Add an event in seconds — pick an occasion, a date and a photo • No account, no signup, no ads, no subscription • Your events stay on your device • In English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish Perfect for: • Vacations, birthdays, weddings, holidays • Sobriety tracking & addiction recovery • Fitness goals & streaks • Anniversaries & milestones • Baby due dates & retirement countdowns Free to use. If Photo Countdown earns a place on your Home Screen, the Support screen lets you leave an optional tip or a rating — that's what keeps it free. Nothing is ever locked.

About

Countdown AR

Visually track important events with customizable countdowns and count-ups. Create elegant cards and widgets for your home screen to keep key moments in view. Utilize AR features to place timers in your real-world environment.

Highlights
  • Customizable event cards
  • Home Screen widgets
  • AR countdown mode
  • Calendar and reminders import
  • Coin system for unlocking icons
  • Count up tracking for milestones
Features
Read full description

Countdown AR: Beautiful Event Timer, Count Up & Widgets Count down and count up to the moments that matter with a beautifully designed event tracker built for iOS. Track birthdays, vacations, weddings, retirement, due dates, holidays, fitness goals, anniversaries, and more. Your events appear as elegant cards in the app and matching Home Screen widgets, so your most important moments stay visually consistent and always in view. Create Stunning Countdowns & Count Ups in Seconds • Fast, intuitive event creation
• Large, clear display focused on days remaining or days passed
• Smart contrast text for perfect readability
• Events automatically sort by approaching date
• Swipe to delete any event with a single gesture
• Share countdowns and count ups with friends and family Free Features Countdown AR is usable for free: • Create and track up to 2 countdowns or count ups
• Customize countdown card colors
• Matching Home Screen widgets
• Count up tracking for goals, anniversaries, and milestones
• Automatic saving using SwiftData
• Share countdown and count up details
• Earn coins by using the app * Use Siri to create new countdowns. Coin System & Icon Museum Earn coins by: • Completing countdowns • Running AR countdowns • Opening the app regularly • Creating more than 4 countdowns (with occasional bonus rewards) Use coins to:
 • Unlock collectible app icons
• Permanently own unlocked icons
• Access limited-time icon designs when available Coins can be earned for free. Premium members receive bonus coin rewards. Premium Features Upgrade to Premium to unlock advanced tools and accelerate progress: Personalize your Home Screen with photo widget backgrounds for each countdown. Create unlimited countdowns and count ups with no limits. Calendar & Reminders Import • Import events directly from your iOS Calendar
• Turn Reminders into countdowns instantly AR Countdown Mode Place a live 3D countdown into your real-world environment using ARKit. • Capture AR photos and videos
• Share to social media or messages
• Perfect for New Year’s, launches, parties, and celebrations Premium Templates Retirement Countdown Template
Automatically generates:
• Days until retirement
• Percent of career completed
• Estimated commute miles remaining Expecting Journey (Pregnancy Tracker)
• Trimester progress
• Weekly baby development milestones
• Days until due date Bonus Coins Premium members earn extra coins from eligible activities. Future Premium Features Included All future advanced templates and tools are included at no additional cost. Perfect For • Birthday countdowns
• Wedding countdowns
• Vacation planning
• Retirement planning
• Pregnancy due dates
• Anniversary count ups
• Holiday & Christmas countdowns
• Fitness goals & habit tracking
• School, exams, or graduation
• Product launches & milestones
• “Days until” or “days since” any event Make Every Moment Count Whether you’re counting down to something exciting or measuring how far you’ve come, Countdown AR turns milestones into something beautiful, consistent, and personal. Terms of Use:
https://edhchoe-creator.github.io/Privacy-Policy/terms.html Privacy Policy:
https://edhchoe-creator.github.io/Privacy-Policy/privacy.html

Screenshots

Photo Countdown Widget4 screens
Countdown AR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Photo Countdown Widget at none against Countdown AR's 3. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Countdown AR sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 3 months. Photo Countdown Widget asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Photo Countdown Widget against 5.0 for Countdown AR. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photo Countdown Widget ships an update every 9 days, Countdown AR every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Photo Countdown Widget versus Countdown AR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoto Countdown WidgetCountdown AR
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings55
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShahriar AhmedEdward Choe

Customer experience

Photo Countdown Widget

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Countdown AR

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Photo Countdown Widget

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Countdown AR

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Quarterly)$0.993 Months
  • Premium (Yearly)$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime premium$3.99

Questions

Is Photo Countdown Widget free?
Photo Countdown Widget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Countdown AR free?
Countdown AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Photo Countdown Widget or Countdown AR?
Photo Countdown Widget and Countdown AR are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Photo Countdown Widget or Countdown AR have ads?
Neither Photo Countdown Widget nor Countdown AR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photo Countdown Widget or Countdown AR?
Photo Countdown Widget ships an update every 9 days, and Countdown AR every 6 days. Most recently, Photo Countdown Widget was updated on September 29, 2026 and Countdown AR on October 1, 2026.

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