# TimeCount Alternative: How Countdown X Compares for Your Important Dates

> TimeCount is a photo-first countdown app with a large fan base. We put it next to Countdown X and looked at pricing, widgets, privacy and devices to help you decide which one belongs on your iPhone.

- Author: [Artem Grabowski](https://countdownx.app/authors/artem-grabowski), Founder & iOS Developer
- Published: 2026-10-13
- Canonical URL: https://countdownx.app/blog/timecount-alternative
- App: [Countdown X - Widget & Counter](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757264819)

[TimeCount](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timecount-countdown-widget/id1497946231) by App Forgeron is one of the most-rated countdown apps on the App Store, with more than 24,000 ratings. Its signature is imagery: every event gets a full-screen photo, either your own or a cover picked to match the occasion, and you swipe through your upcoming moments like a photo album.

[Countdown X](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757264819?pt=128028811&ct=blog_alt_timecount&mt=8) takes a different route. Instead of photos, it puts the passing of time itself front and center: each event is a grid of dots that fills in as the day approaches, on a clean interface that looks right at home on iOS 27. Full disclosure: Countdown X is our app. We've tried to stick to what you can check for yourself in each app and on the App Store, and we point out where TimeCount is the stronger pick.

![Countdown X events screen on iPhone with four countdowns, each shown as a dot grid with days left or a percentage](https://countdownx.app/_astro/countdown-x-events-progress-grid.p0U0mXZa.png)

## The Short Version

Both apps count down to birthdays, trips and anniversaries, with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, repeating events and reminders.

**Choose TimeCount** if photos are the heart of your countdowns and you like browsing your events as full-screen images.

**Choose Countdown X** if you want:

- No ads and fewer paywalls, with every widget free and a cheaper Premium on every plan.
- Free iCloud backup and sync between iPhone and iPad, with no extra account to create.
- Progress you can see at a glance, as a filling dot grid or a percentage.
- An app that looks and works like Apple's own, made just for iPhone and iPad.

Both are free to download, so you can try them side by side.

## Feature Comparison

Details come from each app's App Store page and the developers' own help pages, checked in October 2026. Features and prices change, so treat the App Store as the final word.

| | TimeCount | Countdown X |
|---|---|---|
| Devices on the App Store | iPhone | iPhone and iPad |
| Price to download | Free | Free |
| Premium plans | Monthly, yearly or Lifetime | Monthly, yearly or Lifetime, cheaper on every plan |
| Made for | iPhone and Android, one app for both | iPhone and iPad only |
| Look and feel | Photo-driven, full-screen event images | Looks like Apple's own apps, with colors and style templates |
| Your own photos on events | Yes | No |
| Home Screen widgets | Yes, some free and some Premium only | Yes, all free |
| Lock Screen widgets | Yes | Yes, free (circular, rectangular, inline) |
| Widget shows | Next event, a random event or a chosen event | A chosen event with a progress grid |
| Progress as a percentage | No | Yes, with a custom start date (Premium) |
| Repeating events | Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly | Daily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly, yearly (Premium) |
| Notifications | Reminders before your events | Reminders set per event (Premium) |
| Import from Calendar | Yes | Yes (Premium) |
| Import from Reminders | No | Yes (Premium) |
| Ads | Yes, removed with Premium | No ads, for everyone |
| iCloud backup | No | Yes, free for everyone |
| Sync across devices | Premium only, with a Google account sign-in | Free for everyone, through your iCloud, no sign-in |
| iPad app | No iPad app listed | Yes |
| Hide event names | No | Yes, blurred titles (Premium) |
| Spotlight search | No | Yes, find any countdown from Spotlight |

## Pricing and Paywalls

Both apps are free to download and sell a Premium upgrade in the same three forms: monthly, yearly or a one-time Lifetime purchase. The difference is the price. In the US, TimeCount Premium costs $3.99 per month, $19.99 per year or $44.99 for Lifetime. Countdown X Premium costs $2.99 per month, $14.99 per year or $29.99 for Lifetime. That's 25% less on the monthly and yearly plans, and a third less if you pay once and never think about it again.

| Premium plan (US) | TimeCount | Countdown X | You save with Countdown X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $3.99 | $2.99 | $1.00 per month |
| Yearly | $19.99 | $14.99 | $5.00 per year |
| Lifetime | $44.99 | $29.99 | $15.00 once |

Several recent reviews on TimeCount's App Store page also say that things they used to get for free now sit behind Premium. Before you rely on any app for dates that matter to you, it's worth checking exactly what the free tier covers today.

It's also worth knowing how an app asks you to pay. TimeCount leans heavily on upgrade offers: Premium prompts and paywalls show up often as you use the app, and some reviewers describe a countdown widget suddenly becoming blurred on their Home Screen until they paid. If you only want to glance at a date now and then, that can wear thin quickly.

The free version of TimeCount also shows ads, and the only way to remove them is to buy Premium. Countdown X doesn't show ads at all, whether you pay or not.

Widgets are a good example. Some of TimeCount's Home Screen widgets are free, but others are locked until you upgrade, so the widget gallery doubles as a sales pitch. In Countdown X, every Home Screen and Lock Screen widget is free for everyone, in every size. Premium adds more events and features, not access to the widgets themselves.

Countdown X has a clearly defined free tier: one event with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, iCloud backup and sync, no ads and no time limit. When you want more, you see what Premium includes and decide for yourself. Every plan unlocks the same features, and Lifetime unlocks them for good: unlimited events, reminders, repeating events, and Calendar and Reminders import.

## Photos vs. Progress: Two Ways to Look at a Date

TimeCount is built to make an event *feel* exciting. A beach for your vacation, a cake for a birthday, a photo of the two of you for an anniversary. If that emotional pull is what keeps you opening the app, it does the job well.

Countdown X is built to make an event *easy to read*. Each countdown is a block of dots, and every dot that lights up is a slice of the wait you've already gotten through. Glance at a widget and you know straight away whether you're just getting started or almost there, without doing any math. You can show the time left in days, or switch to a percentage and pick your own start date, something TimeCount doesn't offer. That works well for things that don't need a photo at all, like a semester, a notice period, a training plan, or [the year itself](/blog/how-to-create-year-progress-countdown-iphone).

![Countdown X Lock Screen widgets on iPhone showing year progress as days left and a percentage](https://countdownx.app/_astro/countdown-x-lock-screen-progress-widget.C0V-WtFE.png)

Both apps put countdowns on the Home Screen and Lock Screen, though with TimeCount only some Home Screen widgets are free and the rest need Premium. TimeCount does have a nice option here: a widget can rotate automatically to your next event or show a random one. In Countdown X you choose which event each widget shows, and tapping a widget opens that event directly in the app. Our guides walk through setting up [Home Screen](/blog/home-screen-widgets-countdown-app) and [Lock Screen](/blog/lock-screen-widgets-countdown-app) widgets.

## Made for iPhone vs. Made for Every Phone

TimeCount is one app designed to work on both iPhone and Android phones (App Forgeron also publishes setup guides for Android and Samsung). That makes sense for the developer, but it means the app has its own look and doesn't always behave like the rest of your iPhone.

Countdown X is made only for iPhone and iPad. It looks and works like the apps that come with your iPhone, such as Calendar and Reminders: the same buttons, menus, swipes and dark mode, so there's nothing new to learn. It also gets new iPhone features quickly. Countdown X was updated for iOS 27 soon after it came out, and you can now search for your countdowns with Spotlight or tap a widget to open its event. Swipe down on your Home Screen, type the name of an event, and you can jump straight to its countdown. TimeCount's events don't appear in Spotlight.

## iPad Users, Take Note

On the App Store, TimeCount is labeled "Only for iPhone." Countdown X is a universal app with a layout designed for both iPhone and iPad. Your events sync between the two through your own iCloud account, free for everyone. You don't need to sign up for anything new; add a date on your phone and it appears on your tablet.

TimeCount works differently. It doesn't back up to iCloud at all. To keep your events safe and move them between devices, you need Premium and a TimeCount account created with Google sign-in, so your countdowns live on the developer's servers, tied to your Google account. With Countdown X, your iCloud is the only account involved, and the data stays with Apple and you.

## Privacy

App Store privacy labels let you compare this without taking anyone's word for it. On TimeCount's listing, the developer states that User Content may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies, and that identifiers and usage data may also be collected. Countdown X keeps your events on your device and in your personal iCloud, with no third-party tracking, no selling of data and no account to create.

There's an on-screen kind of privacy too. Countdown X Premium can blur event titles, so an interview date or a surprise party stays hidden from anyone glancing at your Lock Screen. TimeCount has no way to hide event names, so whatever you call an event is what everyone around you sees on your widgets.

## Building Your List of Dates

Both apps make it simple to create an event: give it a name, pick a date, and choose whether it repeats. In Countdown X, the same screen lets you set an all-day or timed event, a repeat schedule, a reminder and a color, and you see a live preview of the countdown as you go.

![Countdown X new event screen with name, date, yearly repeat, reminder and color options](https://countdownx.app/_astro/countdown-x-new-birthday-event.iGTy4ADh.png)

The real time saver comes when your dates already exist somewhere else. Countdown X Premium can import events from the iOS Calendar and tasks from Reminders, so birthdays, flights and deadlines you've already entered turn into countdowns without being typed in again. TimeCount can import from Calendar too, but not from Reminders, so anything you keep as a to-do with a due date has to be typed in again.

## What TimeCount Does Better

Here's where we think TimeCount comes out ahead:

- **Photos and atmosphere.** Full-screen images, automatic theme covers and smooth animations make each event feel like an occasion. Countdown X uses colors and style templates and doesn't support photo backgrounds.
- **Hands-off widgets.** A widget that switches to your next upcoming event, or surprises you with a random one, means less setup when you're tracking a lot of dates.
- **A long track record.** TimeCount has been on the App Store for years and has collected tens of thousands of ratings. Countdown X launched in January 2026.
- **Today View.** TimeCount's guides also cover adding its widget to Today View, the widget screen you get by swiping right from the Home Screen.

## Making the Move

If you decide to give Countdown X a try, you don't have to delete TimeCount first. Install [Countdown X](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757264819?pt=128028811&ct=blog_alt_timecount&mt=8), start with the event you care about most, and put it on your Lock Screen for a week. If your dates are already in Calendar, Premium can import them all at once. If not, adding a handful by hand takes a couple of minutes. Set birthdays and anniversaries to repeat every year so you never have to recreate them; our [birthday countdown widget guide](/blog/birthday-countdown-iphone-widget) shows the whole setup.

## FAQ

**Is TimeCount free?**

TimeCount is free to download, with an optional Premium upgrade: $3.99 per month, $19.99 per year or $44.99 as a one-time Lifetime purchase in the US. Some recent reviews mention features moving from the free version to Premium, so check what's free before you start.

**Is TimeCount made just for iPhone?**

No. TimeCount is designed as one app for both iPhone and Android, with its own look. Countdown X is made only for iPhone and iPad and looks and works like Apple's own apps.

**Does TimeCount have ads?**

Yes. The free version of TimeCount shows ads, and removing them requires Premium. Countdown X has no ads, including in the free version.

**Does TimeCount back up to iCloud?**

No. TimeCount doesn't use iCloud. Syncing your events requires Premium and an account created with Google sign-in. Countdown X backs up and syncs through your own iCloud for free, with no extra account.

**Is there a cheaper alternative to TimeCount?**

Yes. Countdown X is free with one event and its widgets, and Countdown X Premium is cheaper on every plan: $2.99 per month, $14.99 per year or $29.99 once for Lifetime in the US, compared with $3.99, $19.99 and $44.99 for TimeCount.

**Can I use TimeCount on iPad?**

TimeCount's App Store page labels it as an iPhone app. It doesn't back up to iCloud, and syncing your events requires Premium plus a Google account sign-in. Countdown X is made for both iPhone and iPad and syncs your countdowns between them with iCloud for free.

**Can Countdown X use my own photos like TimeCount?**

No. Countdown X personalizes events with colors and style templates rather than photos, and shows each countdown as a progress grid.

**Will my TimeCount events transfer to Countdown X?**

There's no direct transfer between the two apps. You can add your events manually, or with Premium, import them from the iOS Calendar and Reminders apps if they're stored there.

## Final Thoughts

TimeCount is a good fit if you want your countdowns to look like a photo album. If you'd rather have an app made just for iPhone and iPad, with no ads, pay less for Premium without constant upgrade prompts, get free iCloud backup and sync between your devices without creating an account, and prefer widgets that show how far along you are at a glance, [Countdown X](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757264819?pt=128028811&ct=blog_alt_timecount&mt=8) is a TimeCount alternative worth installing. It's free to try.