# Countdowns vs Upcoming

The clearest difference is rating: Countdowns at 4.7 against Upcoming's 3.8. Countdowns also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 50%) and ratings volume (9.3K vs 10). Upcoming's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdowns sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Upcoming asks for nothing beyond the download.

Countdowns holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdowns has 9.3K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Countdowns's written reviews are positive against 50% of Upcoming's.

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, Upcoming every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdowns | Upcoming |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-event-countdown/id917514700/reviews)** | [3.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upcoming-event-countdown/id1306662750/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.3K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **78.3% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 54 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shayes Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/412539504) | [Benjamin Pust](https://appshunter.io/developer/1065846531) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdowns

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-event-countdown/id917514700)

Track upcoming events or past milestones with customizable countdowns and count-ups. Visualize your time with beautiful widgets and sync across all your Apple devices. Organize events with lists and receive custom notifications.

**Highlights:** Customizable countdown and count-up timers, Gorgeous, colorful widgets, Unlimited number of timers, Repeating timers, Calendar event import, iCloud sync, Custom notifications

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Countdowns Premium | $0.99 | per month |
| Countdowns Premium | $7.99 | per year |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Unlock | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate and reliable countdowns
- 💡 Customizable countdown settings
- 🔒 Syncs across devices via iCloud
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widget not always updating automatically
- 💰 Paid subscription required for some features
- 🐛 Occasional bugs or glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with user tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Countdowns not displaying correctly
- Sync issues between devices
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Allow reordering of countdowns
- Improve recurring event handling
- Add more customization options
- Provide full-screen countdown view
- Implement more notification options


### Upcoming

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upcoming-event-countdown/id1306662750)

Easily track and share important dates with customizable countdowns. Set reminders, import events from your calendar, and share visually appealing countdowns with anyone via universal links.

**Highlights:** Universal link sharing, Customizable countdown display, Smart calendar integration, Powerful sharing options, Recurring events management, Smart reminders and notifications, Birthday import from contacts

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdowns free?

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

### Is Upcoming free?

Upcoming is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Countdowns or Upcoming?

Countdowns is rated higher. Countdowns averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Upcoming averages 3.8 from 10 ratings.

### Do Countdowns or Upcoming have ads?

Countdowns shows ads; Upcoming does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdowns or Upcoming?

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, and Upcoming every 2 weeks. Most recently, Countdowns was updated on September 24, 2026 and Upcoming on September 23, 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.*