Comparison

Countdown App vs Big Day

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

Head to head
About

Countdown App

Features
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Countdown is a minimal app for counting down to a date or up from one (anniversaries, deadlines, launches, trips, or anything you want to measure in time). Free β€’ Up to 3 countdowns or count-ups β€’ Home Screen widget (pick one countdown for your widget) β€’ Display options from days only to days, hours, and minutes Countdown+ (one-time purchase) β€’ Unlimited countdowns and count-ups β€’ Multiple Home Screen widgets: different countdown for each widget β€’ Lock Screen widgets for a quick glance β€’ Accent themes for the app and widgets β€’ No subscriptions, pay once and keep forever Privacy-friendly by design: your events live locally on your iPhone.

About

Big Day

Features
Read full description

Count down to what matters. See it on your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Apple Watch. Countdown turns any date into a live countdown you can actually see β€” no opening an app, no digging through a calendar. Your next trip, your wedding, your exam, your due date. Always one glance away. FREE, AND ACTUALLY FREE No ads. Not on the free tier, not ever. No banners, no video walls, no "watch this to unlock." WIDGETS THAT DO MORE β€’ Home Screen widgets in every size β€” small, medium, large, and inline β€’ Lock Screen widgets so you see it without unlocking β€’ Live Activities β€” watch the final hours tick down in real time on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island β€’ Interactive widgets β€” mark events done or snooze right from the Home Screen β€’ Apple Watch complication showing your next event COUNT DOWN β€” OR COUNT UP Days until your holiday. Or days since you quit smoking, since the baby arrived, since you started. Both directions, same app. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE β€’ Recurring events that reset themselves β€” birthdays, anniversaries, rent, monthly deadlines β€’ Weekday-only counting for work deadlines (17 working days, not 24 calendar days) β€’ Multiple alerts per event β€” a week out, a day out, an hour out β€’ Categories with colors and icons β€” travel, family, work, health β€’ Custom photo backgrounds from your library or our gallery β€’ Choose exactly what shows: years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds β€’ Share a countdown to iMessage in one tap YOUR APPLE WATCH, INCLUDED Your countdowns sync to your Watch automatically β€” no iCloud account needed, no subscription, on the free tier. COUNTDOWN PRO β€” ONE PAYMENT, NOT A SUBSCRIPTION Unlimited events, iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad, unlimited custom backgrounds, and all widget styles. Pay once. Keep it forever. Free tier includes 5 events, all widget sizes, Apple Watch sync, and zero ads. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your events stay on your device and in your own iCloud. No accounts, no servers, no tracking. EULA: Apple’s Standard License Agreement applies.

Screenshots

Countdown App4 screens
Big Day4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Big Day at every 2 weeks against Countdown App's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 App sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Big Day sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown App ships an update every 2 months, Big Day every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Countdown App versus Big Day: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdown AppBig Day
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS18.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size3 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert MaedaDamien Asseya

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Countdown App

One-time1
  • Countdown Premium$3.99
1 purchases

Big Day

One-time1
  • Countdown Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Countdown App free?
Countdown App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Big Day free?
Big Day is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Countdown App or Big Day have ads?
Neither Countdown App nor Big Day shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Countdown App or Big Day?
Countdown App ships an update every 2 months, and Big Day every 2 weeks. Most recently, Countdown App was updated on September 23, 2026 and Big Day on October 5, 2026.

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