Comparison

Highlights vs Countdown

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

Head to head
About

Highlights

Features
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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

About

Countdown

Features
Read full description

Countdown — Event Tracker helps you keep track of every important moment in your life. Whether it's a concert, a flight, a birthday or a sports event, Countdown gives you a clear view of how much time is left — down to the second. KEY FEATURES - Create events with a custom image from your photo library or an online gallery - Set an emoji instead of a photo for a more personal touch - Organize events with color-coded categories - Get reminded before your event — 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, at a custom time and when it happens - Add widgets to your home screen and track your events at a glance - Tap any event to see a live countdown, down to the second - Automatic separation between upcoming and past events - Clean, dark design built for iOS Countdown is free, simple, and built with privacy in mind. Your data stays on your device.

Screenshots

Highlights4 screens
Countdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Countdown at none against Highlights's 4. Highlights's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Highlights sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Countdown asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Highlights ships an update weekly, Countdown every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Highlights versus Countdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHighlightsCountdown
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSmartSilly Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.Antoine Coilliaux

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$1.991 Month
  • Annual Membership$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Membership$14.99
  • Premium$29.99
None

Countdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Countdown free?
Countdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Highlights or Countdown have ads?
Neither Highlights nor Countdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Highlights or Countdown?
Highlights ships an update weekly, and Countdown every 6 weeks. Most recently, Highlights was updated on September 18, 2026 and Countdown on July 20, 2026.

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