# Countdowns vs Big Days

The clearest difference is update cadence: Countdowns at every 4 weeks against Big Days's every 4 months. Countdowns also leads on ratings volume (9.3K vs 590). Big Days's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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 Big Days sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Countdowns against 4.6 for Big Days. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdowns has 9.3K ratings behind it against 590, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Countdowns's written reviews are positive against 91% of Big Days's.

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, Big Days every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdowns | Big Days |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdowns-event-countdown/id917514700/reviews)** | [4.6 (590 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-days-event-countdown/id940109775/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.3K** | 590 |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | **91.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shayes Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/412539504) | [astrovicApps](https://appshunter.io/developer/522189685) |

## 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


### Big Days

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-days-event-countdown/id940109775)

Easily track important dates with a stylish and lightweight countdown app. Set reminders for appointments, anniversaries, birthdays, and more. Customize with your own photos or find free images online, and receive notifications for upcoming events.

**Highlights:** Countdown to events, Track days elapsed, Customizable event images, Online image search (Pixabay), Event notifications/alarms, Favorite event display, Share events

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widget Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Big Days Pro | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds
- 📅 Helpful for tracking events
- 🎉 Exciting countdown feature
- 📷 Option to add images

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free events
- 💰 Paywall for more features
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 📤 Difficulty transferring data to new devices

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Images disappearing from events
- Constant ads interrupting usage

**Requested features**

- Unlimited free events
- Recurring event option
- Customizable countdown styles
- Ability to reorder events
- Sync across multiple devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdowns free?

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

### Is Big Days free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdowns or Big Days?

Countdowns is rated higher. Countdowns averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Big Days averages 4.6 from 590 ratings.

### Do Countdowns or Big Days have ads?

Both Countdowns and Big Days show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdowns or Big Days?

Countdowns ships an update every 4 weeks, and Big Days every 4 months. Most recently, Countdowns was updated on September 24, 2026 and Big Days on September 22, 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.*