Comparison

Countdown vs Markday

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

Head to head
About

Countdown

Features
Read full description

Track every important day in one place. Create an event, personalize it, add reminders, and see the time remaining from Home Screen or Lock Screen widgets. Premium includes unlimited events, every theme and photo option, advanced widget styles, alternate icons and an ad-free experience. The annual subscription includes a 7-day free trial for eligible users. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Markday

Features
Read full description

Mark the days that matter. Markday is a Lock Screen and Home Screen countdown widget that quietly counts the days until what matters most β€” birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, trips, exam dates, and personal milestones. Beautifully native to iOS. Quiet by design. No clutter. No urgency colors flashing at you. No endless calendar grid to scroll through. Just the day count, presented quietly. Add an event in seconds, pick a category and an icon, and watch the days count down on a Home Screen or Lock Screen widget that respects your wallpaper, your battery, and your attention. Why people choose Markday - Calm, modern design that feels at home on iOS 17 and later, on iPhone and iPad - Multi-event dashboard, sorted by what is closest, with custom group labels you create yourself - Quiet, human-written notifications you can set for one week, two weeks, three weeks, one month, two months, or six months ahead - Yearly auto-rollover for birthdays, anniversaries, and other recurring days, so the next year is always ready - Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets that update when the day changes, not when an ad refreshes - Optional iCloud sync to keep countdowns aligned across your iPhone and iPad - Light and dark mode with a manual override, full Dynamic Type, and VoiceOver from the first day - Available in English, Turkish, French, Spanish, German, and European Portuguese Privacy you can verify Markday collects no personal data. There are no analytics, no advertising trackers, no third-party servers, and no account to create. When iCloud sync is on, your countdowns sync only to your private CloudKit database β€” nobody at Markday can read them. The app works fully offline. If you opt in, Markday can read birthdays and selected events from your Calendar so you do not have to retype them, and it can also push your countdowns back into Calendar so they appear alongside the rest of your schedule. You stay in control of what comes in and what goes out. Markday Pro Most people will be happy on the standard tier. If you want more, Markday Pro unlocks: - Unlimited countdowns - Unlimited reminders per countdown, with multiple lead times (free tier includes 1) - Up to 15 custom group labels (free tier includes 1) - Calendar import from your existing events and birthdays - Calendar export to publish countdowns to Calendar - Future Pro features as they ship, included Designed for the day-to-day Built natively for iOS 17 and beyond with SwiftUI, SwiftData, and CloudKit. Widgets that update when the day changes, not when an ad refreshes. Mark the days. Forget the noise. Use of this app is subject to Apple's Standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement (EULA), available in the App Store under "License Agreement" and at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Countdown4 screens
Markday4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Markday at none against Countdown's shown. Countdown's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). 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. Countdown sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Markday sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown ships an update weekly, Markday every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Countdown versus Markday: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdownMarkday
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size52 MB14 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAtakan Cengiz KURTPinkod IT Solutions Ltd.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Countdown

Subscriptions2
  • Countdown Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Countdown Premium Yearly7 Days trial$11.991 Year
1 purchases

Markday

One-time1
  • Markday Pro β€” Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is Countdown free?
Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Markday free?
Markday is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Countdown or Markday have ads?
Countdown shows ads; Markday does not.
Which is updated more often, Countdown or Markday?
Countdown ships an update weekly, and Markday every 3 weeks. Most recently, Countdown was updated on September 28, 2026 and Markday on October 7, 2026.

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