Countdown vs TimerLync
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdown
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.
- 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
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Countdown is an easy way to keep track of upcoming events, holidays and important dates. Features: • View Countdowns - Add, modify and view countdowns • Past Countdowns - See countdowns from the past including how many days since • Custom Photos - Choose from your photo library or directly from the Web using Flickr • Add to Siri - Easily retrieve any countdown on any device • Apple Watch - View all of your countdowns on your wrist • Widgets - Add widgets to view up to 3 countdowns at once • Lock Screen Widgets - See the next widget directly on the Lock Screen (iOS 16 or later only) • Share - Countdowns can be shared as an image to any social media platform • Notifications - Receive notifications before the countdown with custom settings for how many days before • Full OS Support - Dark Mode, Drag & Drop, Split Screen, VoiceOver and much more • Privacy - No data is ever stored outside of your device and with no tracking or analytics • Pay Once - No ads or subscriptions, just regular free updates with Countdown Pro Countdown Pro unlocks the ability to add more than one countdown, archived countdowns, full widget support, app icons and much more for one low cost in app purchase. Available for iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch. Also available for Mac included with your purchase.
TimerLync
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One countdown. Every device. One alarm. TimerLync keeps a countdown in sync across every device in the room. Set the time once, and every phone, iPad, and Apple Watch shows the same remaining seconds — then alarms at the same instant. WHY IT STAYS IN SYNC Devices agree on a single end time using network time, then count down locally. Even if Wi-Fi drops or a device goes to sleep, the alarm still fires on schedule — it's scheduled ahead of time, not pushed at the last second. FAIR STARTS A 3·2·1 lead-in lands at the same instant on every screen, so whoever taps Start doesn't get a head start. BUILT FOR GROUPS • Create a room, share a code or QR — no account, no sign-in • The host starts; pause, +1:00 and reset can be opened to everyone • Co-hosts and host hand-off when you need to step away • Ready check: wait until everyone confirms before starting • Works nearby over Bluetooth/Wi-Fi, or across networks when you're apart FOR TALKS AND EVENTS • Stage View: a full-screen, big-digit display for the podium • Host messages: send "Please wrap up" to every screen in the room • When it ends: hold at 00:00, count the overtime, flash, or show the clock, set once for the whole room • Strong Alarm: rings even in Silent mode or Focus (iOS 26 or later) MORE THAN A TIMER • Sequences: Talk 10 min → Q&A 5 min, switching automatically on every device • Group Pomodoro: focus and break cycles the whole team shares • History: look back on what you actually ran • Live Activity and Dynamic Island — glance without unlocking • Apple Watch companion with its own alarm, even away from your phone • Lock Screen widget and Siri: "Start a countdown in TimerLync" SOLO WORKS TOO No room needed. Quick Timer is a plain countdown with the same reliable alarm. TimerLync Pro (one-time in-app purchase) unlocks rooms of up to 8 devices and CSV export of session history. Rooms of 2 devices and joining any room stay available to everyone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TimerLync at none against Countdown's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Countdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TimerLync asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdown | TimerLync |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (162 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 162 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rob Sammons | JUKI JUNG |
Bugs and requests
Countdown
Reported bugs
9 issues- 🐛 Cannot add more than two countdowns
- 🐛 Widget colors "washing out"
- 🐛 Incorrect countdowns
- 🐛 Countdown data disappeared
- 🐛 Keyboard shows up and won't go away
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- 🐛 Cannot add new photo from Camera Roll when editing
- 🐛 Photos too zoomed in and blurry
- 🐛 Widget not showing minutes/seconds
- 🐛 Event title shows, but no countdown
Requested features
13 requests- 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
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- Pop-up alerts at event start
- Pin to menu bar or screen
- Use past countdowns to see days passed
- Option to display time or just days
- Year ticker
- Jump ahead by years in date selector
- Show full pictures within the app
- Support for Apple Watch
TimerLync
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Countdown
- Countdown Pro$1.99
TimerLync
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Countdown free?
Is TimerLync free?
Do Countdown or TimerLync have ads?
Which is updated more often, Countdown or TimerLync?
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