Countdown vs Countdown Widget with Emoji
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdown
Easily track important dates and events with a beautifully designed countdown timer and calendar. Set unlimited countdowns, customize with icons and colors, and receive basic reminders. Share your upcoming events with friends and family.
- Unlimited event countdowns
- Count up or down to events
- Customizable icons and colors
- Add notes to events
- Basic notifications and reminders
- Event sharing
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Event Countdown is the beautifully simple countdown, calendar and widget app for the important days in your life. Counting down since 2015, rated 4.7 stars from over 130,000 ratings worldwide. The original Event Countdown app, used by over a million people every month. Start straight away with unlimited countdowns. No account or sign-up needed. Count down to the days that matter: Birthday, Holiday, Party, Christmas, Halloween, Wedding, Anniversary, Baby Due Date, Graduation, New Home, Match Day, Concert, Film Release, Retirement, Bucket List and many more. NEW: CALENDAR VIEW See every event on a beautiful month grid, with your events colour-coded below. Swipe between months, tap a day, open any countdown. LIVE COUNTDOWN WIDGETS A Home Screen widget that ticks every second, plus Next Event, multi-event, Lock Screen and StandBy widgets. LIVE ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN Live Activities show your next event on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as the moment approaches. MAKE IT YOURS, SHARE THE EXCITEMENT Hundreds of icons, every colour, repeats that show ages on birthdays. Then turn any countdown into a shareable video. Free version: - Unlimited event countdowns, all in one place - Next Event widget on your Home Screen - Count up or down in years, days, hours, minutes and seconds - Colour code events • choose from 450 icons - Share events with friends and family - Notes, notifications, and search Premium version: - Calendar View (NEW) - The full widget collection: Live Countdown, Lock Screen, StandBy, multi-event and choose-your-event widgets - Live Activities on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island - Ad free • Calendars • Detailed notifications - Sync events across all your Apple devices - Repeat events (with ages on birthdays and anniversaries) - 450 colour icons Event Countdown Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-off lifetime purchase. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of Use - https://www.root38.com/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy - https://www.root38.com/privacy-policy/
Countdown Widget with Emoji
Track upcoming events with a personalized countdown. Choose a date, assign a representative emoji, and see how much time remains until your special occasion. Features include customizable widgets and calendar integration.
- Event countdowns
- Emoji representation
- Customizable widgets
- Calendar import
- Dark Mode support
- Apple Watch app
- iCloud sync
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SjdkfsjdklfCount down to the moments that matter, with the emoji that captures them perfectly. Pick a date. Set an emoji. Watch your countdown on your Home Screen, Lock Screen, StandBy display, and Apple Watch. No other countdown app lets you express every event with emoji. From birthdays to vacations to weddings, every countdown looks like the moment it represents. A COUNTDOWN FOR EVERY OCCASION Events & Birthdays Track days until birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers, and the personal milestones that matter most. Set a birthday once and it reschedules automatically every year. Holidays & Seasons Count down to Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year’s, and every seasonal moment in between. Holiday countdowns roll over automatically year after year. Weddings & Anniversaries From save the date to the big day, watch your wedding countdown tick down day by day. Couples use Emoji Countdown to share progress, plan ahead, and savor the anticipation. Vacations & Trips Counting days until your next holiday, whether it’s a beach trip, a summer break, or a long weekend? Pair the trip with an emoji and feel the excitement build every time you glance at your phone. Retirement & Life Milestones Counting down to retirement, your last day of work, a house move, or a new chapter? Big life changes deserve their own widget. Pin them to your Home Screen and reclaim a little anticipation. Daily Reminders Use Emoji Countdown as a visual reminder for deadlines, fitness goals, exam dates, and weekly recurring events. Your countdown list works like a calendar, only easier to glance at and harder to forget. FEATURES • Free Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets so you can see every countdown at a glance, no subscription required • Apple Watch app for checking countdowns from your wrist • Calendar import: one tap pulls birthdays, holidays, and deadlines straight from your iOS Calendar • Any emoji, any color, so every countdown matches the moment it represents • Widget customization with colors, gradients, blur effects, borders, and themes so every widget looks exactly the way you want • Repeating events: set a birthday or holiday once and it rolls over automatically each year • Dark Mode support • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch • No ads, no clutter, just your countdowns FAQ Is Emoji Countdown free? Yes. Free to download, and the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets are included. Can I make a wedding, birthday, or holiday countdown? Yes. Emoji Countdown works for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Christmas, Halloween, vacations, retirement, and anything else worth waiting for. Does it work on Apple Watch? Yes. The native Apple Watch app lets you check every countdown from your wrist. Can I add countdowns to my Home Screen and Lock Screen? Yes. Add a widget to your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or StandBy display and your countdown stays visible at a glance. Can I import events from my calendar? Yes. One tap pulls birthdays, holidays, and deadlines straight from your iOS Calendar. Will my countdowns sync across my devices? Yes. iCloud keeps everything in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Can I customize how the widget looks? Yes. Pick any emoji and any color, then choose from gradients, blur effects, borders, and themes to make every widget look exactly the way you want. Do birthdays and holidays repeat every year? Yes. Set a recurring event once and Emoji Countdown rolls it over automatically each year. Privacy policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/42970297
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Countdown Widget with Emoji at none against Countdown's shown. Countdown's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (24K vs 336). On price, rating, 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. Countdown sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Countdown Widget with Emoji sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. 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 Countdown against 4.6 for Countdown Widget with Emoji. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 24K ratings behind it against 336, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Countdown's written reviews are positive against 59% of Countdown Widget with Emoji's.
Countdown ships an update weekly, Countdown Widget with Emoji every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdown | Countdown Widget with Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (24K ratings) — better | 4.6 (336 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.9% of reviews — better | 59.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | 336 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 197 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ROOT38 LIMITED | Lasmit TLB Ltd |
Customer experience
Countdown
Countdown Widget with Emoji
User reviews
Countdown
From 24K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable colors and icons
- 🕰️ Helpful for tracking upcoming events
- 💻 Works well on multiple devices
- 🧠 Assists with time management and organization
Room to improve
- 🔒 Premium features locked behind paywall
- 💸 Aggressive promotion of premium version
- 🔔 Lack of customizable notifications
- 🗓️ Missing calendar view and repeat event options
- 🐛 Issues with past event tracking and data loss after updates
Countdown Widget with Emoji
From 336 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Great for organizing events
- 🤩 Widgets look amazing
- 💯 Simple and useful
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💖 Makes counting down fun
Room to improve
- 💸 Requires payment for features
- 😩 Nagging for reviews
- ❌ Not working on Apple Watch
- ⚠️ Deceptive marketing
- 🔒 Repeating events locked behind paywall
Bugs and requests
Countdown
Reported bugs
3 issues- Premium subscription issues after updates
- Inconsistent font sizing and layout
- Countdown accuracy problems for distant events
Requested features
5 requests- Calendar view integration
- Repeat/recurring event options
- More customization for notifications
- Ability to view past event details
- Improved handling of long-term countdowns
Countdown Widget with Emoji
Reported bugs
25 issues- Glitchy emoji selection
- Contact form not sending
- Doesn't work on Apple Watch SE 2
- Icon selection not appearing until re-opened
- Widgets not supported (claimed)
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- All dates disappeared
- Error messages with calendar sync
- Bug fix for iOS 17 calendar permission API changes
- Adding dates is difficult, keeps popping back
- Crashes when adding new entry
- Emojis not being transferred
- Widget data incorrect
- Cannot open on Apple Watch
- New dates not showing on Apple Watch app
- Cannot add new reminder
- Cannot add event from calendar
- Widget doesn't always update with system settings
- Widget stopped showing anything after countdown ended
- Widget is a blank box
- App not working anymore since update
- Edger not complying with dark/light mode switch
- Cannot remove added dates once they have passed
- Title not showing on widget
- Cannot set time for events
- App persists in flipping to September when trying to select January
Requested features
13 requests- Ability to hide menu bar
- Menu bar visually aligns with events
- Insert own photos instead of Apple icons
- Section for past events
- Make more features free
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Add Russian language support
- Ability to add recurring dates
- Notifications when countdown is completed
- Allow choosing past dates to show days since
- Type emoji directly to choose
- Option to add a title to events
- Ability to pay for pro once instead of subscription
- Create a small widget for a specific countdown
In-app purchases
Countdown
- Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
- Premium 3 Months7 Days trial$5.993 Months
- Premium1 Year trial$9.991 Year
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Premium Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Premium Yearly (50% Off)1 Year trial$9.991 Year
- Lifetime Premium$49.99
Countdown Widget with Emoji
- Pro Club - Monthly$0.991 Month
- Pro Club - Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year
- Lifetime - No subscription$14.99
Questions
Is Countdown free?
Is Countdown Widget with Emoji free?
Which has better reviews, Countdown or Countdown Widget with Emoji?
Do Countdown or Countdown Widget with Emoji have ads?
Which is updated more often, Countdown or Countdown Widget with Emoji?
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