Best Countdown Widgets for iPhone Home Screen (2026)

Updated October 20, 2026 · 6 min read

A countdown widget is one of the simplest, most useful things you can put on a Home Screen. The trip you keep checking, the deadline you keep pretending isn't coming, the date you're excited about: turning it into a number you see many times a day changes how you plan. Here's what to look for, what your iPhone already does, a couple of apps worth comparing, and how Left's Ahead feature handles countdowns.

What to look for in a countdown widget

Home Screen sizes

iPhone Home Screen widgets come in small, medium and large sizes. A small widget fits one date and a number. A medium or large one has room for a photo, a progress bar or several dates at once. If you track more than one date, look for a list widget so your countdowns don't take over a whole Home Screen page.

Lock Screen widgets

The Lock Screen has circular, rectangular and inline widget slots. A countdown there means you see the number every time you pick up your phone, without unlocking it.

Live Activities

Live Activities put a live countdown on the Lock Screen and, on iPhones that have one, in the Dynamic Island. They suit the final stretch before a date: the hours before a flight, an exam or a launch. Some apps keep them behind a paid plan.

Recurring dates

Birthdays, anniversaries and renewals come back every year or month. A countdown that repeats saves you from recreating it each time.

Calendar import

If the date already lives in Apple Calendar, importing it is faster than typing it again and avoids getting the time wrong.

Photos, styles and units

A photo of the beach you're flying to makes a countdown feel personal. Units matter too: a date six months away reads better in weeks or months, the last day before it in hours.

Sharing

Some dates belong to more than one person. Sharing ranges from sending an image or a link to a countdown your friends keep in their own app.

Price model

Most countdown apps are free to download with in-app purchases. Check what the free version includes (how many countdowns, which widgets, whether Live Activities are part of it) and whether the upgrade is a subscription or a one-time purchase.

What your iPhone already does

Before installing anything, it helps to know what Apple's own apps cover.

• Calendar widget. Shows today's schedule and your upcoming events. It tells you what's next, but it doesn't show a running number of days until a date weeks or months away.
• Clock app timers. Count down minutes and hours for cooking, workouts or naps. They're not date countdowns: you can't point a timer at a date next month.
• Reminders. A due date with an alert reminds you on the day, but there's no count on your Home Screen in the meantime.

If you want "23 days" on your Home Screen or Lock Screen, you need a third-party app. For a quick one-off answer, the date countdown calculator and the days until birthday tool work in your browser.

Third-party countdown apps worth comparing

These summaries come only from each app's own App Store page, checked 20 October 2026. Features and plans change, so confirm on the page before you buy.

Countdown Widget & Photos

By Costhap, free with in-app purchases, requires iOS 26 or later. Its App Store page (checked 20 October 2026) says the free version includes Home Screen, Lock Screen and Extra Large widgets, Live Activities in the Dynamic Island, and importing events from Calendar. Premium is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription and adds unlimited events and more photo backgrounds. Its release notes say friends and family can view a shared countdown without having the app.

DayDrop: Countdown Widget

By Hirak Banerjee, free with in-app purchases, listed for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its App Store page (checked 20 October 2026) lists Home Screen widgets in several sizes, a multi-event widget, Lock Screen and StandBy placements, recurring events (annual, monthly, weekly or biweekly) and importing birthdays from Contacts. Premium unlocks Live Activities and the Dynamic Island, AI photo backgrounds, iCloud sync and all widget placements.

How Left handles countdowns: Ahead

Left is a time awareness app for iPhone (iOS 26 or later). Countdowns live in Ahead, next to year and life progress in Time Left and habits and streaks in Since. Every countdown is an Ahead date.

Creating a date

1. Open Ahead and tap Add a date ahead (or +).
2. Search the templates, type a name, choose New date, or pick From calendar to import an event you already have.
3. Set Starts and, for something that lasts a while, Until.
4. Choose a Repeat: Never, Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly or Yearly. Yearly is the one for birthdays and anniversaries.
5. Under More options, use Show as... to count in hours, days, weeks, months or years, and pick a symbol, a color and a background photo from your library or Unsplash.
6. Turn on Get a reminder to be notified 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week, 2 days or 1 day before, at a time you choose.

Four countdown widgets

• Ahead (small, medium, large): one date with its photo, details, percentage or a grid of symbols. It also works on the Lock Screen as a circular or rectangular widget.
• Ahead Bars (small, medium, large): progress toward one date as bars.
• Ahead Circle (small, medium, large): progress toward one date as a circle.
• Time Ahead list (medium, large): up to 3 dates (medium) or 7 (large), each in its own unit.

The same widgets show up in StandBy as standard widgets. The countdown widget page has more examples.

Live Activities

In a date's reminders section there are two toggles. Get ready for the start shows a Live Activity before the date begins, and Get the final countdown shows one before it ends. They appear on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and stay for 4 hours unless you dismiss them.

Counting down with friends

With Left Premium you can turn a date into a Joint Ahead date: invite friends, and once they accept, the countdown appears in their Ahead too. See the Joint Ahead guide for the steps.

Free and Premium

The free plan includes all the widgets and 2 Ahead dates. That count includes every date you've ever created, so deleting one doesn't free a slot. Left Premium unlocks unlimited dates and Joint Ahead dates, as a subscription or a lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you buy.

Get the countdown widget

Questions

Does iPhone have a built-in countdown widget?

Not for dates. The Calendar widget shows upcoming events and the Clock app's timers count down minutes and hours, but neither shows a running "days until" number for a date weeks away. For that you need a third-party app such as Left.

Can a countdown widget go on the iPhone Lock Screen?

Yes, if the app supports Lock Screen widgets. In Left, the Ahead widget works on the Lock Screen as a circular or rectangular widget, and Live Activities can show a countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.

How do I make a countdown repeat every year?

In Left, set Repeat to Yearly when you create or edit the Ahead date. It suits birthdays and anniversaries, so you don't have to set the same countdown up again each year.

How many countdowns can I make for free in Left?

Two. The free plan includes 2 Ahead dates, and deleting one doesn't free a slot. Left Premium unlocks unlimited dates.