Free countdown timers for email
UrgencyKit's free plan renders the same live countdown images as the paid tiers: a single image URL you paste into any email, re-rendered with the current time remaining on every open. You design on your own background with 170+ fonts, set a custom expired state, and can even personalize the deadline per recipient. Free means free — no trial clock, no card on file.
What the free plan includes
- 3 countdown campaigns — each with its own deadline, design, and embed URL.
- 5,000 image loads per month — a load is one render of your timer when an email is opened.
- The full designer — custom background images, 170+ fonts, stacked tiles or inline layouts, shadows, and positioning. Free isn't a stripped-down editor.
- Custom expired states — an alternate image, a message, or nothing once the deadline passes.
- Per-recipient deadlines — the
?end=merge-tag personalization works on free, so even evergreen countdowns cost nothing to try.
The honest catches
- A small watermark. Free timers carry a translucent
urgencykit.comlabel in the bottom-right corner of the image. It doesn't cover your countdown. Paid plans (from $9/month) remove it. - Animated seconds are paid. The second-by-second animated GIF mode is a paid feature — free timers are crisp static images showing days, hours, and minutes.
- The REST API is paid. Free campaigns are created in the dashboard.
- Over the load limit, the timer goes blank — never wrong. Opens beyond 5,000 in a month receive a transparent image, so your email never shows a stale countdown. Usage resets monthly.
Is 5,000 loads a month enough?
A load is counted when a recipient's email client requests the timer image — roughly, one load per open of an email containing it. For a list of a couple of thousand subscribers with typical open rates, that covers several campaigns a month; re-opens count too, since each one re-renders the live time. If your sends are bigger, the Starter plan's 100,000 loads at $9/month is the next step — see pricing.
Free in your email platform
A free timer is the same live image URL as a paid one, so every platform guide applies as-is. Looking for a free countdown timer for Klaviyo? The free plan works in Klaviyo campaigns and flows exactly like the paid tiers — likewise Mailchimp, Kit (ConvertKit), Brevo, HubSpot, and beehiiv. And because the timer is a plain image, it displays in Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, and essentially every client.
Frequently asked questions
Is UrgencyKit free?
Yes — the free plan is free forever, with 3 campaigns, 5,000 loads a month, the full designer, and per-recipient personalization. No credit card required.
Does the free timer have a watermark?
Yes — a small translucent urgencykit.com label in the bottom-right corner. Paid plans
remove it.
What happens if I go over 5,000 loads?
Opens beyond the limit get a transparent image instead of the countdown — never a wrong time — until usage resets the next month or you upgrade.
Does the free plan work with my email platform?
Yes. It's the same image URL as paid plans, so it works in Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit, Brevo, HubSpot, beehiiv, and anywhere else images render.