Comparison

Paperlock vs Countdown Widgets

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

Head to head
About

Paperlock

Read full description

Paperlock is a locked drawer for the papers that matter. Your iPhone can already scan a page. Paperlock is where the scan goes afterwards, when it is something you would not leave lying around: a passport, a lease, a tax return, a medical record. LOCKED AND ENCRYPTED β€’ Locks as soon as you leave it. Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode opens it again. β€’ Every scan, PDF, name and note is encrypted with AES-256 before it is stored. β€’ The key stays in your iPhone's Keychain, on this device only. YOUR PAPERS β€’ Scan paper with the camera. Several pages become one PDF. β€’ Import PDFs you already have. β€’ Give each document a name and a note, and search through both. β€’ Open a PDF, or share a copy when you choose. BACK UP ON YOUR TERMS β€’ A backup is one encrypted file with its own password. β€’ You decide where it goes. Paperlock does not upload it. β€’ A vault password opens your documents on a new iPhone. PRIVATE BY DESIGN β€’ No account, no cloud, no server, no analytics, no ads. β€’ The app makes no network requests at all. GOOD TO KNOW β€’ There is no password reset. Nobody else holds your key, so nobody can recover it for you. β€’ There is no sync. Your documents are on one phone, and a backup file is how you move them. Paperlock was called Secure Document Vault. If you have it, this update keeps your documents and encrypts them the first time you open it.

About

Countdown Widgets

Features
Read full description

CountPal helps you create countdowns for all the important moments in your life and track exactly how much time is left until the event. Whether it’s a birthday, vacation, wedding, exam, deadline, or any special occasion, you can easily add events and see the remaining time in days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Add beautiful countdown widgets to your iOS Home Screen and personalize them with AI-generated backgrounds that create unique artwork for each event. Customize countdown styles, choose different time units, and make every upcoming moment look great directly on your screen. Using the power of Apple Intelligence, CountPal can also generate short motivational lines for your widgets, making each countdown feel more meaningful and inspiring as the big moment approaches. Privacy policy: https://digitalhole.github.io/DHPrivacy.html Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Paperlock4 screens
Countdown Widgets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Paperlock at none against Countdown Widgets's shown. Countdown Widgets's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 13 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paperlock ships an update every 13 months, Countdown Widgets every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Paperlock versus Countdown Widgets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperlockCountdown Widgets
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 10 days β€” better
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS18.517.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size1 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn LarsonDigital Hole Pvt. Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

Paperlock

No in-app purchases

None

Countdown Widgets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Paperlock free?
Paperlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Countdown Widgets free?
Countdown Widgets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Paperlock or Countdown Widgets have ads?
Countdown Widgets shows ads; Paperlock does not.
Which is updated more often, Paperlock or Countdown Widgets?
Paperlock ships an update every 13 months, and Countdown Widgets every 10 days. Most recently, Paperlock was updated on October 24, 2026 and Countdown Widgets on October 15, 2026.

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