# Countdowns vs Ahead

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Countdowns at 9.3K against Ahead's 2. Ahead's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdowns sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Ahead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ahead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdowns has 9.3K ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Ahead's.

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, Ahead every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdowns | Ahead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-event-countdown/id917514700/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ahead-countdown-calendar/id1639892784/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.3K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shayes Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/412539504) | [Alex Malek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639892786) |

## 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


### Ahead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ahead-countdown-calendar/id1639892784)

Easily track important life events with this user-friendly calendar countdown application. View upcoming events as home screen widgets, receive timely notifications, and share your countdowns with others. Sync events across devices and enjoy a dark mode option.

**Highlights:** Home screen widgets, Event notifications, Cross-device sync, Event sharing, Dark mode

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Subscription | $3.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Unlock | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdowns free?

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

### Is Ahead free?

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

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

Ahead is rated higher. Countdowns averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Ahead averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Countdowns or Ahead have ads?

Both Countdowns and Ahead show ads.

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

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, and Ahead every 3 weeks. Most recently, Countdowns was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ahead on June 10, 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.*