Comparison

HiDay vs Countdown Widget

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

Head to head
About

HiDay

Read full description

HiDay opens each day with a fresh greeting and keeps your voice or text entries together with the weather of the moment — privately, with no developer servers anywhere in the loop. ▷ A different greeting, every day · Weather is captured with each entry (powered by Apple WeatherKit on iPhone, iPad, and Mac for accurate local data) · Add your own background photos — applied instantly. Tap a thumbnail to switch, long-press to delete · Soft card tone keeps your text readable even over rich photo backgrounds ▷ Security is the default Every entry lives only in an encrypted on-device database (SQLCipher · AES-256). No developer server exists; no accounts, no logins, no telemetry, no ad SDKs. ▷ Sync only through your own iCloud (optional) Sync between iOS, iPadOS and macOS via your own iCloud Private Database. With one option on, the body itself is encrypted again before it leaves the device — only ciphertext reaches the cloud. ▷ App lock Lock the app behind Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint, or your device PIN. The app re-authenticates every time it comes back from background. ▷ Photo backgrounds + glass UI 7 bundled landscape photos rotate each launch. You can add your own. A frosted glass card floats over the photo for a hand-set, paper-like feel. ▷ Pro (1-month free trial) Bring your own Gemini key (BYOK) and unlock Old Friend mode (a one-line check-in informed by your past entries), AI insights, AI voice, and random recall stories. The first month is free for everyone; after that it is $4.99 / year. ▷ Your data is yours Delete the app and everything goes with it — entries, metadata, BYOK keys. Manual JSON export / import is built in so you can leave with your own data at any time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Countdown Widget

Track important dates and countdowns with customizable themes and widgets. Get timely reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant events. Organize your days into personalized books and utilize lunar calendar support.

Highlights
  • Countdown and anniversary tracking
  • Customizable themes and palettes
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Lunar calendar support
  • Regional holiday rules
  • Day books for organization
  • Privacy-focused local data storage
Features
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Remember every day that matters — and get reminded before it arrives Countdowns and anniversaries, both in one place. A friend's birthday, the day you got together, the day you brought the cat home, the day you got the keys to your own place, the day your baby took their first steps, the exam coming up. Write them all down. Get reminded on the day, or however many days early you like. Enter it once — the app builds both the countdown and the anniversary The home screen answers "how long until", the Memories page answers "how far you've come". Add "Together" and the home screen counts down to your 2nd anniversary, while Memories shows "1 year 3 months so far". Add a birthday and the home screen counts down to turning 18, while Memories shows "17 years 9 months so far". Seven themes, pick the one you like Seven palettes — cards, buttons, filter chips and page background all change together, not just an accent color. For backgrounds, use the built-in patterns, a solid color, or your own photo. Day books Sort your days into books: family, love, work, travel… pick the color and icon yourself. The lunar calendar, done properly Lunar birthdays and traditional festivals land correctly year after year, leap months included. Born on the 30th of the last lunar month? In years without a 30th, you'll be reminded on New Year's Eve. Real holiday rules for 20 regions Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Czechia, Brazil — using each region's real make-up-day logic, with a badge telling you whether that day is actually off. Widgets in several styles Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets recalculate at midnight, so the number you glance at is the right one. Several sizes and styles. Also • Turn any day into a shareable card, in several styles • Retirement countdown, with a progress bar • Pick your own units — days, weeks, months, years, or any combination • Choose how many days ahead to be reminded, and at what time • Anniversaries and milestones (100 days, 520, 1000…) • A trash can, so a mis-tap isn't the end • Lock the app with Face ID Privacy first Everything runs on your device. Your days, photos and settings stay local. Turn on iCloud sync and the data goes into your own private iCloud database. No third-party analytics, no ad tracking. In-app purchases • Pro Lifetime unlock • Pro monthly subscription (1 month) • Pro yearly subscription (1 year) Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://apps.foamzou.com/sweet-dates/privacy/

Screenshots

HiDay3 screens
Countdown Widget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Countdown Widget at weekly against HiDay's every 3 weeks. HiDay's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. HiDay sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year and Countdown Widget sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HiDay ships an update every 3 weeks, Countdown Widget weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
HiDay versus Countdown Widget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHiDayCountdown Widget
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developersong ho seong锋 邹

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HiDay

Subscriptions1
  • HiDay Pro — Yearly$4.991 Year
3 purchases

Countdown Widget

Subscriptions2
  • Daytrove Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Daytrove Pro Annual$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Daytrove Pro LifetimeFree

Questions

Is HiDay free?
HiDay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Countdown Widget free?
Countdown Widget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HiDay or Countdown Widget have ads?
Neither HiDay nor Countdown Widget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HiDay or Countdown Widget?
HiDay ships an update every 3 weeks, and Countdown Widget weekly. Most recently, HiDay was updated on October 7, 2026 and Countdown Widget on October 1, 2026.

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