# Countdown vs Important Dates

The clearest difference is ads: Important Dates at none against Countdown's shown. Important Dates also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Countdown's advantage is ratings volume (24K vs 39) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Countdown sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Important Dates sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Important Dates holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Countdown has 24K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Countdown's written reviews are positive against 100% of Important Dates's.

Countdown ships an update weekly, Important Dates every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Countdown | Important Dates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-event-countdown/id983258067/reviews) | **[4.9 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/important-dates-countdown/id1625185222/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 39 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 200 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ROOT38 LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1206411222) | [Roman Kotov](https://appshunter.io/developer/912021271) |

## What reviewers say

### Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-event-countdown/id983258067)

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.

**Highlights:** Unlimited event countdowns, Count up or down to events, Customizable icons and colors, Add notes to events, Basic notifications and reminders, Event sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium 3 Months | $5.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly (50% Off) | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable colors and icons
- 🕰️ Helpful for tracking upcoming events
- 💻 Works well on multiple devices
- 🧠 Assists with time management and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 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

**Reported bugs**

- Premium subscription issues after updates
- Inconsistent font sizing and layout
- Countdown accuracy problems for distant events

**Requested features**

- Calendar view integration
- Repeat/recurring event options
- More customization for notifications
- Ability to view past event details
- Improved handling of long-term countdowns


### Important Dates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/important-dates-countdown/id1625185222)

Easily track upcoming events or past milestones with this intuitive day counter. Organize events with custom folders, set personalized reminders, and view countdowns directly on your home screen. Make every moment count by staying on top of what matters most.

**Highlights:** Unlimited event tracking, Custom event organization with folders, Personalized reminders and notifications, Home screen widgets for instant updates, Track days remaining and days elapsed, Unique automatically generated backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support the project | $1.99 | one-time |
| Support the project | $9.99 | one-time |
| Support the project | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Countdown free?

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

### Is Important Dates free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Countdown or Important Dates?

Important Dates is rated higher. Countdown averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Important Dates averages 4.9 from 39 ratings.

### Do Countdown or Important Dates have ads?

Countdown shows ads; Important Dates does not.

### Which is updated more often, Countdown or Important Dates?

Countdown ships an update weekly, and Important Dates every 2 weeks. Most recently, Countdown was updated on September 25, 2026 and Important Dates on September 22, 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.*