Free countdown timer for your website
Pick an end date and colors, then paste one block of code into your store or landing page. Free, no signup.
What this countdown timer does
This free countdown timer generator makes a timer you can put on any page of your website. You choose the date and time your offer ends, the colors and the message shown at the end, and the tool writes one block of HTML and JavaScript to paste into your store. The timer shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds left, ticks every second, and swaps the numbers for your message when it reaches zero.
The code runs on its own in the shopper's browser. It loads no files from PopupSnap or anyone else, adds no logo or link to your page, and keeps working if you never come back to this page.
The end time is fixed to your time zone, so a sale that ends at 11:59 PM New York time (UTC-5 in winter) ends at that moment for a shopper in Los Angeles or London too.
A countdown works when the deadline is real. Use it for an offer that really ends: a sale, a coupon, a shipping cutoff or a launch. A timer that restarts or an offer that never ends misleads shoppers; the US Federal Trade Commission named fake countdown timers as a deceptive design in its September 2022 report on dark patterns.
How to add a countdown timer to your website
Set the end date and time
Pick the moment your offer ends, for example the last minute of a Black Friday sale. Use the same date and time as the discount in your store.
Choose the look
Pick the background, number and label colors, the boxed or plain style, and the message shoppers see when time runs out. The preview updates as you go.
Copy the code and paste it
Click Copy code and paste it where the timer should appear on your site. The section below shows where that is on each platform.
Where to paste the code on each platform
The code needs a place that accepts HTML and JavaScript. Most store and site builders have one; a few limit it by plan.
| Platform | Where to paste it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | In the theme editor, add a Custom Liquid section or block where the timer should show, and paste the code. (Shopify: sections and blocks) | A custom Liquid block in the header shows on every page of the store (Shopify Help Center). |
| WordPress and WooCommerce (self-hosted) | Add a Custom HTML block to the page, product description or widget area, and paste the code. | Your account needs the right to post unfiltered HTML: administrators and editors have it on a single site, only the network's super admin on Multisite (WordPress roles). |
| WordPress.com | Add a Custom HTML block and paste the code. | Script tags work only on a paid plan with hosting features active (WordPress.com support). |
| Squarespace | Add a Code block and paste the code. | JavaScript in code blocks needs the Core, Plus or Advanced plan (Squarespace help). |
| Wix | Click Add Elements > Embed Code > Embed HTML, then Enter Code, paste the code and click Apply. (Wix: embedding a site or a widget) | Wix shows embedded code in a frame that doesn't resize itself, so drag the element wide and tall enough for the whole timer. |
| Landing page builders and plain HTML pages | Paste it into the builder's HTML or custom code element, or straight into the page's HTML. | For two timers on one page, create a separate code for each. |
Email is the exception: email apps block scripts, so this timer can't run in a newsletter (see the FAQ below).
What the free timer does and doesn't do
| Item | In the free timer | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Days, hours, minutes and seconds to a fixed end date | Yes | |
| Your colors, boxed or plain numbers, your end message | Yes | |
| Works without an account or an app | Yes | |
| Ends the discount in your store | No | Set the same end date on the discount itself. On Shopify, discount dates follow the store's time zone (flash sale guide), so create the timer with your computer in that same zone. |
| A timer that restarts for each visitor (evergreen) | No | Use a real deadline (see above). |
| Shows only on some products, pages or devices | No | Paste the code only on the pages that need it. |
| Starts on its own at a future date | No | Paste the code when the offer starts. |
| Timers in email | No | Email apps block scripts (see the FAQ below). |
| Clicks and sales tracking | No | Compare sales before and during the offer, or test with the A/B test calculator. |
When to use a countdown timer
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Show how long the sale has left on the home page and the product pages in the sale. Set the timer to the same end time as the discount, so both stop together.
Order-by dates for holiday delivery
Count down to the last day you can ship in time for a holiday. The deadline is real, and it answers the question December shoppers have: will it arrive in time?
Product launches and preorders
Count down to the moment a product goes on sale, and point shoppers to your email signup so they hear when it opens.
Flash sales and limited-time coupons
A 24- or 48-hour sale needs a visible end. Our flash sale guide plans one day by day.
Countdowns on product pages and in popups
The free timer is one block of code you place by hand. PopupSnap's Countdown Timer app adds countdowns to product pages or shows them in a popup, and can collect emails before the offer ends. It runs on Salla stores today. On another platform? Pick it and we'll show you what you can install.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can make as many timers as you like, with no account and no card. The code you copy shows no PopupSnap logo or link to your shoppers, and it keeps working after you leave this page. The tool runs in your browser, so we don't receive or store the dates, colors or message you enter.
Yes. In the Shopify theme editor, add a Custom Liquid section or block where you want the timer, paste the code and save. The code is plain HTML and JavaScript with no Liquid tags, so Shopify shows it as it is. To show the timer on every page, put the block in the header area.
No. Email apps block scripts, so a JavaScript timer never starts in an inbox. Mailchimp's guide to HTML email says the vast majority of email clients block scripts. Email countdowns are images instead: a server draws an animated GIF with the time left when the email is opened. This tool makes timers for web pages.
Yours. The tool reads your computer's time zone and writes it into the code, so the offer ends at the same moment for every shopper. If you set December 1 at 11:59 PM in New York, a shopper in Los Angeles sees the timer end at 8:59 PM their time. To use another zone, change your computer's time zone before you create the timer.
The numbers disappear and your end message takes their place, in the same box and colors. If you leave the message empty, the timer shows "This offer has ended." The timer doesn't change prices: end the discount in your store at the same time, and remove the code when you take the sale banner down.
It shouldn't. The code is about 2 KB of HTML and JavaScript inside your page. It loads no fonts, images or files from other servers, and it updates four numbers once a second. On a narrow phone screen, the units wrap onto a second line instead of shrinking.
No. This timer counts down to one fixed date for everyone. Timers that restart for each visitor, often called evergreen timers, show a deadline that isn't real, and the FTC listed fake countdown timers among deceptive designs in its 2022 dark patterns report. If you need a new deadline, create a new timer for the new offer.