# Countdown vs CountdownerSMS

Countdown and CountdownerSMS both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of CountdownerSMS's written reviews are positive against 70% of Countdown's. Countdown's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (162 vs 4). 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 CountdownerSMS sells 7 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 — 4.6 for Countdown against 4.5 for CountdownerSMS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 162 ratings behind it against 4, 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 100% of CountdownerSMS's.

Countdown ships an update fortnightly, CountdownerSMS every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown | CountdownerSMS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (162 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-upcoming-events/id964477476/reviews)** | [4.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdownersms/id6753716974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **162** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 61 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rob Sammons](https://appshunter.io/developer/659065077) | [Braden Aron Mc Corkle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673607393) |

## 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


### CountdownerSMS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdownersms/id6753716974)

Create dynamic countdowns for any event and share them directly within iMessage conversations. Choose from a variety of themes and animated effects to make waiting more exciting for everyone involved.

**Highlights:** Live countdown creation for any date, Share timers directly via iMessage, 51 free and premium themes, Animated ambient effects, Confetti celebration on completion, Built-in Theme Shop

**Features:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Patriotic Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Summer Days Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Weather Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Celestial Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Luxe Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bloom Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| All Packs Unlock | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Is CountdownerSMS free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown or CountdownerSMS?

Countdown is rated higher. Countdown averages 4.6 out of 5 from 162 ratings, while CountdownerSMS averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.

### Do Countdown or CountdownerSMS have ads?

Neither Countdown nor CountdownerSMS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown or CountdownerSMS?

Countdown ships an update fortnightly, and CountdownerSMS every 4 months. Most recently, Countdown was updated on October 15, 2026 and CountdownerSMS on October 13, 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.*