Countdowns vs Countdown Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdowns
Track important life events with a simple interface. See upcoming and past events at a glance with a convenient widget. Syncs across all your devices via iCloud.
- Event countdowns
- Notification Center Widget
- Countdown in days/time
- Simple UI
- iCloud Sync
- No Advertisements
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*** Countdowns is free to download and try out with some limits. You can unlock the unlimited version via In-App Purchase. *** Countdowns keeps track of days left until or since important events in your life. The widget allows you to see all those events at a glance just one swipe away. * Notification Center Widget * Countdown in days and optionally time * Simple & clean user interface * Built for iOS 8 * Universal App (fully supports the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus) * iCloud Sync to all your devices (including your Mac) * No Adverts (forever)
Countdown Buddy
Create personalized countdown and count-up widgets for your home and lock screens. Visually track important dates like birthdays, vacations, or deadlines with custom designs, colors, and photos. Stay motivated and make waiting more exciting.
- Personalized countdown widgets
- Count-up widgets
- Home screen and lock screen support
- Customizable designs
- Background color options
- Photo integration
- Font selection
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EVERYTHING YOU ARE WAITING FOR - IN A WIDGET Design your own personalized countdown or count-up widgets for your home screen & lock screen. Countdown Widget is a super fun way to track the days until a momentous occasion such as: - Your birthday, or another special someone’s birthday - A long-awaited vacation - Back to school - Upcoming elections - A returning season of your favorite TV series - A favorite yearly tech event - A new video game is up for preorder Or any other future event! Countdown Widget makes waiting for something exciting even more thrilling by giving you a cool and colorful visual reminder on your home screen. Use it to count down to a big event, to mark the end of something less fun, or to keep track of work deadlines (weekend exclusion is now possible!) - it's a super fun way to stay on top of things! COUNT UP Create a count-up widget to mark a significant moment in time and track the duration since it occurred. CREATE A PERSONALIZED COUNTDOWN WIDGET Create a Widget with your custom design in a matter of seconds. You can choose from 11 Countdown styles (we are already working on more) and make them your own by adding your personal touch: - Change background colors. - Use photos from your phone Photo Library or from our preset gallery. - Choose from a curated list of fonts that go well with each specific style. - Each Widget you make will automatically be available in small or medium sizes. - Change the design anytime later. WE WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK As a small team, we are excited to have our first app on the App Store. We value your feedback and would love to hear from you if you have any questions, suggestions, or anything else you think we should know. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us at - hi@taptics.co. Note: The Free version of the app includes one countdown widget with the basic design.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Countdown Buddy at 4.6 against Countdowns's 3.4. Countdown Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (25K vs 62). Countdowns's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Countdowns sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Countdown Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Countdown Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Buddy has 25K ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Countdowns's written reviews are positive against 68% of Countdown Buddy's.
Countdowns ships an update every 3 months, Countdown Buddy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdowns | Countdown Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (62 ratings) | 4.6 (25K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.8% of reviews | 67.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 62 | 25K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 149 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Martin Stemmle | Taptics Ltd. |
Customer experience
Countdowns
Countdown Buddy
User reviews
Countdowns
From 62 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple, dependable, and uncluttered
- 🚀 Syncs well across devices with iCloud
- 💡 Useful widget in Notification Center
- 👍 Works as advertised
Room to improve
- 🐛 Widgets not displaying properly
- 🐛 Sync issues, unable to restore purchases
- 🐛 App not working after updates
- 💰 Paid version required for full functionality
Countdown Buddy
From 25K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app overall
- 👍 Customizable widgets and designs
- 🔒 No subscription, one-time purchase
- 📈 Helpful for tracking events and milestones
- 🎨 Visually appealing interface
Room to improve
- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for more
- 🐛 Widgets not updating properly
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
- 📊 Lack of advanced countdown options (e.g., weeks)
Bugs and requests
Countdowns
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on iOS 14
- Countdowns not syncing across devices
- Unable to set dates beyond 30 days in free version
- Paid version not recognized after updates
Requested features
4 requests- Integration with Apple Calendar app
- Dark mode support
- Ability to set countdowns in weeks/months, not just days
- Automatic deletion of past events
Countdown Buddy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Widgets disappearing or not working after updates
- Countdown timers not updating correctly
- Inability to add new widgets or countdowns
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to display multiple countdowns at once
- Implement automatic countdown reset/repeat functionality
- Allow custom countdown units (e.g., weeks, business days)
- Improve widget handling and update reliability
In-app purchases
Countdowns
- Unlock Unlimited$0.99
Countdown Buddy
- Countdown +$3.59
Questions
Is Countdowns free?
Is Countdown Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, Countdowns or Countdown Buddy?
Do Countdowns or Countdown Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Countdowns or Countdown Buddy?
Other comparisons
