# Message Diary vs anyCountdown

The clearest difference is rating: Message Diary at 4.5 against anyCountdown's 1.0. Message Diary also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Message Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and anyCountdown sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Message Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Message Diary ships an update every 3 days, anyCountdown fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Message Diary | anyCountdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/message-diary-remind/id6769179581/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anycountdown-christmas-widget/id6772236024/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 42 MB | 696 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [David Parker](https://appshunter.io/developer/821839348) | [Tu Hoang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1078138581) |

## What reviewers say

### Message Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/message-diary-remind/id6769179581)

This app helps you save, organize, and revisit meaningful text messages and quotes. It provides daily inspiration through a home screen widget and serves as a digital diary for encouragement during challenging times.

**Highlights:** Save meaningful text messages, Organize with custom categories and tags, Rediscover forgotten memories, Home screen widget for daily inspiration, Secure and private storage, Focuses on preserving impactful words

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro | $39.99 | one-time |


### anyCountdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anycountdown-christmas-widget/id6772236024)

This widget app helps you visualize important upcoming dates with customizable designs. Track events like weddings, birthdays, and holidays directly on your Home and Lock Screens. It offers a variety of themes and personalization options, with an option to count up after an event occurs.

**Highlights:** Customizable Home and Lock Screen widgets, Over 30 hand-crafted widget styles, Count-up mode for past events, Personalize with own photos, fonts, and colors, No sign-in required, iCloud sync across Apple devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $2.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Message Diary free?

Message Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is anyCountdown free?

anyCountdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Message Diary or anyCountdown?

Message Diary is rated higher. Message Diary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while anyCountdown averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Message Diary or anyCountdown have ads?

Neither Message Diary nor anyCountdown shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Message Diary or anyCountdown?

Message Diary ships an update every 3 days, and anyCountdown fortnightly. Most recently, Message Diary was updated on September 22, 2026 and anyCountdown on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*