# Countdown vs Countdown Widget Maker

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Countdown Widget Maker at 5.6K against Countdown's 162. Countdown Widget Maker also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). Countdown's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Countdown Widget Maker sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Countdown against 4.7 for Countdown Widget Maker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown Widget Maker has 5.6K ratings behind it against 162, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Countdown's written reviews are positive against 79% of Countdown Widget Maker's.

Countdown ships an update fortnightly, Countdown Widget Maker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown | Countdown Widget Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (162 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-upcoming-events/id964477476/reviews) | **[4.7 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-maker/id1189515875/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 162 | **5.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **78.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 61 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rob Sammons](https://appshunter.io/developer/659065077) | [Tien Long Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/932711659) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-upcoming-events/id964477476)

Easily track upcoming events, holidays, and important dates with custom photos and notifications. View your countdowns on your Apple Watch, Mac, or Lock Screen widgets. Share events and enjoy a private, ad-free experience with optional Pro features.

**Highlights:** Add, modify, and view countdowns, Customizable photos from library or web, Siri integration for easy access, Apple Watch and Mac support, Widgets for home and lock screens, Shareable countdown images, Customizable event notifications

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Countdown Pro | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🖼️ Customizable background images
- ✨ Clean and elegant design
- 🚀 Fast and reliable performance
- 💰 Good value for one-time purchase

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 App became paid/premium required
- 🖼️ Widget customization limitations
- ⏳ Date selector can be cumbersome
- 📸 Photo cropping/zooming issues
- 🚫 Limited free features

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Cannot add more than two countdowns
- 🐛 Widget colors "washing out"
- 🐛 Incorrect countdowns
- 🐛 Countdown data disappeared
- 🐛 Keyboard shows up and won't go away

**Requested features**

- Recurring event option
- Ability to crop images
- Import calendar events
- Integration with Google/iCloud calendars
- Option to show more than one goal in a large widget


### Countdown Widget Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-maker/id1189515875)

Customize and track important life events directly on your home and lock screens. This app offers various widget styles and timer functionalities to help you manage and share countdowns for birthdays, holidays, and more.

**Highlights:** Home screen widgets, Lock screen widgets, StandBy widgets, Customizable widget styles, Timer and count up functionality, Event reminders, Photo and emoji customization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Three months subscription | $3.99 | per 3 months |
| Monthly subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| One year subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| Baby arrivals countdown widget | $0.99 | one-time |
| Christmas countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Neon style | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wedding countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Birthday countdown | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pro version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime upgrade | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Countdown widget
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and fonts
- 💡 Helpful for tracking important dates
- 🎉 Fun and exciting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paywall for many features
- 🔒 Limited free options
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤔 Confusing subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not displaying correctly
- Countdown units not working as expected
- Purchased features not unlocking properly

**Requested features**

- More free widget and theme options
- Ability to display countdown in different units (weeks, months, etc.)
- Notification/reminder system for countdown events
- Sorting and organizing multiple countdowns


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Is Countdown Widget Maker free?

Countdown Widget Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Countdown or Countdown Widget Maker?

Countdown Widget Maker is rated higher. Countdown averages 4.6 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while Countdown Widget Maker averages 4.7 from 5.6K ratings.

### Do Countdown or Countdown Widget Maker have ads?

Neither Countdown nor Countdown Widget Maker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown or Countdown Widget Maker?

Countdown ships an update fortnightly, and Countdown Widget Maker every 2 months. Most recently, Countdown was updated on September 19, 2026 and Countdown Widget Maker on September 25, 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.*