Countdown Calendar vs Highlights
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdown Calendar
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TimeFeel makes time visible. Count down to the days you're waiting for — trips, birthdays, weddings, exams — or count up from the moments that changed everything, and see exactly where you stand at a glance. Countdown & Count-up Create a countdown for any event, or count up from any date. Switch between "time left" and "time passed" to see time the way you want. Repeating countdowns Birthdays, anniversaries and paydays roll over on their own. Repeat daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, or build a rule as flexible as Reminders — the second Tuesday of every month, the last day of the month — with an optional end date. Import from Calendar Pick the events you want from your calendar and turn them into countdowns in a tap. Nothing is added until you choose it. Holiday ideas Start from New Year, Christmas and other yearly dates without typing a thing. A live clock everywhere Countdown cards, widgets, the Lock Screen and Apple Watch tick in real time — days first, then hours, minutes and seconds. Open-ended timers No end date needed. Track how long something has been going — a habit, a journey, a chapter of your life — without setting a finish line. Progress at a glance Every countdown shows how much of its span has passed, as a ring or as a percentage of time done or left. Custom colors & photos Pick an accent color for each countdown. With Plus, use your own photo — it becomes a soft, blurred full-screen backdrop. Smart notifications Every countdown tells you when it ends. Add reminders a set number of days before or after, or when a percentage of the time has passed. Widgets on every screen Home Screen widgets in two sizes, plus Lock Screen widgets — a ring, or a line right under the clock. Your countdown is there before you unlock. Apple Watch The full app on your wrist, plus complications for your watch face — your next countdown sits right on the dial. Live Activities When a countdown enters its last stretch, it appears on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island — photo and all — and keeps ticking there until it's done. Find any countdown Search by name and group your countdowns by year or month. iCloud sync All your countdowns sync automatically across your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch via iCloud. Plus Unlock photo backgrounds, unlimited countdowns, advanced notifications and new app icons — monthly with a free first week, or a one-time purchase that's yours forever. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Highlights
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Highlights is a minimalist tool that brings together timing, recording, and smart reminders. It keeps only the essentials—clean design and a smooth experience—so you can easily record every important moment. Use cases: Love and wedding anniversaries, exam and certification countdowns, birthday and holiday reminders, retirement countdowns, habit building, baby growth tracking, yearly progress and school-year progress tracking... Core features: • Time cards: Supports countdowns, countups, and anniversaries, presenting the passage of time in the most intuitive way. • Smart reminders: Automatically remind you based on key event milestones, so you never miss an important moment. • Journal: Add multiple time entries for each event, turning scattered moments into a complete memory line. • Home screen widgets: Offers multiple sizes of minimalist widgets, so important events are visible at a glance without opening the app. • Personalization: Freely change card backgrounds to create a more atmospheric recording experience. • Cross-device sync: Supports iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with data automatically synced through your personal iCloud for a consistent experience. • Privacy protection: No separate data servers. Everything stays on your device and in your personal iCloud space. Terms of Service: https://smartsilly.com/highlights/ios/terms Privacy Policy: https://smartsilly.com/highlights/ios/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Countdown Calendar and Highlights are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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 Calendar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Highlights sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdown Calendar | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Serhii Surzhykov | SmartSilly Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. |
In-app purchases
Countdown Calendar
- Plus Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Plus Lifetime$14.99
Highlights
- Monthly Membership$1.991 Month
- Annual Membership$9.991 Year
- Lifetime Membership$14.99
- Premium$29.99
Questions
Is Countdown Calendar free?
Is Highlights free?
Do Countdown Calendar or Highlights have ads?
Which is updated more often, Countdown Calendar or Highlights?
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