# Countdown by Holiday Extras vs Vacation Countdown

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Countdown by Holiday Extras at none against Vacation Countdown's 2. Countdown by Holiday Extras also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (65 vs 3). Vacation Countdown's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Vacation Countdown sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Countdown by Holiday Extras asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Countdown by Holiday Extras against 4.7 for Vacation Countdown. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown by Holiday Extras has 65 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Countdown by Holiday Extras ships an update weekly, Vacation Countdown every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown by Holiday Extras | Vacation Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-by-holiday-extras/id915429488/reviews) | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vacation-countdown-vacaysoon/id6478069241/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **65** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 53.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 22 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Holiday Extras](https://appshunter.io/developer/783591491) | [Brenton Currie](https://appshunter.io/developer/336740441) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown by Holiday Extras

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-by-holiday-extras/id915429488)

Stay excited for your upcoming trips with a customizable countdown. Add your own photos, use smart packing lists, and share your anticipation with friends and family. Track multiple events and enjoy an ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Home screen widget, AI-powered packing checklist, Customizable backgrounds, Countdown to any event, Multiple countdown tracking, Suggested and recurring events

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🤩 Great for reminders
- 💖 Love the countdown feature
- 🌟 Accurate time tracking
- 🥰 Helpful for planning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 New layout disliked
- 👎 Old layout preferred
- 😠 Photos deleted after updates
- 😟 Past events lost
- 😩 App crashes after updates

**Reported bugs**

- App won't open after update
- App crashes on opening
- Widget not updating
- App deleted all trips
- App crashed and doesn't store new trips

**Requested features**

- Automatically add holidays (Christmas, Halloween, New Year's Eve/Day)
- Widgets update time remaining without opening app
- Add a checklist for holidays
- Option to revert to old layout
- Sync across devices


### Vacation Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vacation-countdown-vacaysoon/id6478069241)

Track upcoming trips with real-time countdowns and customizable features. Organize packing lists, set reminders, and sync across devices. Make waiting for your next adventure exciting and manageable.

**Highlights:** Live countdowns (years to seconds), Home and Lock Screen widgets, Daily push notifications, iCloud sync across devices, Vacation packing lists, Customizable backgrounds and colors, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown by Holiday Extras free?

Countdown by Holiday Extras is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Vacation Countdown free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown by Holiday Extras or Vacation Countdown?

Vacation Countdown is rated higher. Countdown by Holiday Extras averages 4.6 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Vacation Countdown averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Countdown by Holiday Extras or Vacation Countdown have ads?

Neither Countdown by Holiday Extras nor Vacation Countdown shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown by Holiday Extras or Vacation Countdown?

Countdown by Holiday Extras ships an update weekly, and Vacation Countdown every 2 months. Most recently, Countdown by Holiday Extras was updated on November 1, 2026 and Vacation Countdown on October 27, 2026.

---

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