# Countdowns vs Next Big Day

The clearest difference is ads: Next Big Day at none against Countdowns's shown. Next Big Day also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Countdowns's advantage is ratings volume (9.3K vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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 and Next Big Day sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Next Big Day 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, Next Big Day every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdowns | Next Big Day |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-event-countdown/id917514700/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-big-day-event-countdown/id6759345908/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.3K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 54 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shayes Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/412539504) | [Gemsheer Chalil](https://appshunter.io/developer/1777244155) |

## 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


### Next Big Day

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-big-day-event-countdown/id6759345908)

Visualize your year with a unique dot matrix timeline and countdown to important events. Add tasks, notes, and photos to create rich memory journals. Share custom countdown images and sync with your Apple Calendar.

**Highlights:** Yearly dot matrix timeline visualization, Event countdowns for milestones, Home screen widgets, Event planning with tasks and notes, Rich memory journaling, Custom countdown image sharing, Apple Calendar sync

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Pro | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdowns free?

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

### Is Next Big Day free?

Next Big Day is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Countdowns or Next Big Day?

Next Big Day is rated higher. Countdowns averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Next Big Day averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Countdowns or Next Big Day have ads?

Countdowns shows ads; Next Big Day does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdowns or Next Big Day?

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, and Next Big Day every 2 weeks. Most recently, Countdowns was updated on September 24, 2026 and Next Big Day on September 13, 2026.

---

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