An email countdown timer is an animated image that shows the time left until a deadline: the end of a sale, a product launch, a webinar or the expiration of a coupon. It is one of the simplest ways to add real urgency to an email, because subscribers don't just read that the offer ends soon, they see the clock running.
Email clients don't run JavaScript, so the timer is delivered as an animated GIF. Every time a subscriber opens your email, our server generates a fresh image with the exact time remaining at that moment. That is why the timer stays accurate whether someone opens the email one minute or three days after you send it.
When to use a countdown timer in your emails
- Limited-time sales — Black Friday, Cyber Monday, seasonal and flash sales.
- Product launches — Build anticipation before a launch or a pre-order window opens.
- Webinars and events — Remind registrants how long until the event starts.
- Coupons that expire — Make a discount code feel urgent instead of generic.
- Abandoned cart and welcome flows — Give every subscriber a personal deadline with an evergreen timer.
- Trials and renewals — Show how long is left before a trial or an early-bird price ends.
Step by step: create and add a countdown to your email
- Open the timer generator. Go to EmailCountdownTimer.com. You can create your first timer right away, without an account.
- Choose the timer type. Most campaigns use a classic countdown to a date. Evergreen, static and dynamic timers are explained below.
- Set the end date, time and timezone. Pick the exact moment your offer ends and the timezone it refers to. The timer counts down to that moment for every subscriber, wherever they are.
- Pick the language and design. Choose the label language (or write your own labels), a template and the colors that match your email.
- Click "Get code". You get a short HTML snippet with the timer image, ready to copy.
- Paste it into your email and send a test. Add an HTML or code block in your email editor, paste the snippet and send yourself a test to check it on desktop and mobile.
Countdown timer types
Pick the type that matches how your deadline works:
Classic: countdown to a date
Everyone sees the time left until the same date and time. The best option for sales and launches with a fixed end.
Example: "Sale ends Friday, November 27 at 23:59 EST".
Evergreen: starts when the email is opened
Each subscriber gets their own deadline, which starts the first time they open the email. The embed code includes ?id={subscriber_id}: replace {subscriber_id} with your platform's merge tag for the subscriber ID or email, so every person keeps their own countdown across opens.
Example: "Your welcome discount expires 48 hours after you open this email".
Static countdown
Always counts down from the same duration you set, for example 15 minutes, every time the email is opened. Useful for "limited time" visuals that don't depend on a date.
Example: a 15-minute countdown in a flash offer email.
Dynamic: deadline from the URL
The deadline is calculated from parameters in the image URL: a date (with timezone offset) plus a duration in seconds. Fill them with merge tags to create personalized deadlines at scale, for example a trial that ends 7 days after signup.
Example: ?date=2026-11-01T10:00-05:00&duration=604800 ends 7 days after November 1, 10:00 (UTC-5).
How to add the timer in each email platform
The timer works with any email platform that lets you add HTML. This is where to paste the code in the most popular ones:
| Platform | Where to paste the code |
|---|---|
| Klaviyo | An HTML block, in campaigns or flows. |
| Mailchimp | A Code block in the email builder. |
| HubSpot | A Custom HTML module. |
| Brevo | An HTML block in the drag & drop editor. |
| ActiveCampaign | An HTML block (Custom HTML). |
| Any other platform | Any HTML or code block. If the editor only accepts images, check that it doesn't download and re-host them. |
Click a platform name to open its detailed step-by-step guide.
Does it work in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail?
Yes. Animated GIFs are supported by practically every email client. The only common exception is some older Outlook desktop versions for Windows:
| Email client | Countdown support |
|---|---|
| Gmail (web, iOS, Android) | Animated, updated on every open. |
| Apple Mail (Mac, iPhone, iPad) | Animated, updated on every open. |
| Outlook.com and the new Outlook | Animated, updated on every open. |
| Older Outlook desktop for Windows | Shows the first frame only: the correct time left, without animation. |
| Yahoo Mail, AOL, Samsung Email | Animated, updated on every open. |
Best practices
- Place the timer near the top of the email, close to your main call to action.
- Always mention the deadline in text too ("ends Friday at midnight EST"), for subscribers who have images turned off.
- Edit the image alt text in the snippet to something meaningful, like "Sale ends Friday".
- Use one real deadline per offer. Timers that reset or lie about the deadline hurt trust.
- Decide what happens when time runs out: show zeros, or on paid plans show a message like "This offer has ended" or hide the timer.
- Reuse the same timer in every email that shares a deadline, and create a new one for each new deadline.
Troubleshooting
The timer doesn't update.
You probably uploaded the image instead of pasting the code. Some platforms, like Klaviyo, download uploaded images and serve their own copy, which freezes the timer. Paste the HTML snippet in an HTML or code block instead.
The time left is wrong.
Check the timezone you selected when creating the timer. The countdown targets that exact moment in that timezone.
It isn't animated in Outlook.
Some Outlook desktop versions for Windows only show the first frame of GIFs. The time shown is still correct.
The evergreen timer restarts on every open.
The {subscriber_id} placeholder wasn't replaced. Use your platform's merge tag for the subscriber ID or email.
How much does it cost?
- Without an account: create a timer for free to try it (up to 3,000 views in total).
- Free account: up to 3 timers with unlimited views (fair use). Free timers include a small watermark.
- Paid plans: from $6/month, no watermark, custom fonts, label colors and expired message options, with 100,000 up to 25 million views per month. Timers never stop: over your monthly views they keep running with a watermark.
A "view" is counted every time the timer image is loaded, usually once per email open. Compare all plans on the pricing page.