A countdown timer for iPhone — free, with no app to download
This is a web page, not an app. Set any date and it counts down live in Safari on your iPhone — days, hours, minutes, and seconds — with nothing to install and nothing to pay for. Share the link and the same countdown opens on anyone's phone.
Days Until New Year's Eve
How to set up a countdown on your iPhone
About a minute in Safari, with no App Store and no account.
Set your date in Safari
Open the builder, pick the date, and choose a title and colors. No account and no App Store.
Save the link
Your countdown lives at its own link. In Safari, tap the Share button and choose Add Bookmark or Add to Favorites so it is one tap away.
Share it
Send the same link by Messages or WhatsApp. It opens on any iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or computer and shows the same countdown.
Is there a countdown widget for iPhone?
Not from a web page, and not from Apple. iPhone Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets only come from installed apps, and none of Apple's own widgets counts the days to a date you pick. The Clock app's timer is made for minutes and hours, not the weeks until a trip.
So if you need the number on your Lock Screen, a countdown app from the App Store is the honest answer. If one tap is close enough, a bookmarked countdown link gets you the live count with nothing to install, and it is the version you can send to everyone else.
Build your iPhone countdownA countdown app for iOS, without the App Store
Most people searching for a countdown app for iPhone want one thing: to see how long is left without doing the maths. An app is one way to get that. It is also one more download, one more subscription prompt, and a countdown only you can see.
A countdown in the browser skips all of that. It works on any iPhone that runs Safari, it never needs updating, and the link you make opens the same countdown on a friend's Android phone or the family iPad.
Countdown days on iPhone
The day count leads the clock, with hours, minutes, and seconds after it. For a birthday, a holiday, or a trip, leave the time off and it counts to the start of that day.
- Days until a vacation or a cruise, checked every morning
- A wedding, birthday, or baby due date shared in the family group chat
- Days left until retirement or the last day at a job
- An exam or a deadline you want in your pocket
- A trip or a visit to someone you have not seen in a while
- A countdown you send to friends so everyone sees the same number
Using a Mac or a PC too?
Nothing here is iPhone-only. The same countdown runs on a Mac, where you can add it to the Dock, and on a Windows PC or any desktop, where it can sit on a second monitor.
Countdown Timer for MacMore countdowns for your iPhone
Countdown templates for iPhone
Styles that read well on a phone screen, in dark mode or light.
Midnight
True black that looks right on an OLED iPhone screen in dark mode.
Light Mode
Clean and bright, readable outdoors in full sun.
Trip Ready
Ocean blue for the vacation count you check every morning.
Big Day
Soft blush for a wedding, a birthday, or a baby due date.
Last Day
Warm tones for retirement or the last day at a job.
iPhone countdown FAQ
Quick answers to the most common questions about countdowns on an iPhone.
Is there a free countdown timer for iPhone?
Yes. This one runs in Safari or Chrome on any iPhone, costs nothing, and has no signup, subscription, or in-app purchase. Set a date, open the link, and it counts down live.
Do I need to download a countdown app for iPhone?
No. There is nothing to get from the App Store and nothing to update. It is a web page, so it uses no storage on your phone, and the same countdown opens on any other device you send the link to.
Is there a countdown widget for iPhone?
Not from a web page. iPhone Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets only come from installed apps, and none of Apple's built-in widgets counts down the days to a date you choose. A saved countdown link is the closest thing without installing an app: one tap and you see the live count.
Can I put a countdown on my iPhone Lock Screen?
Not with this page. The Lock Screen only shows widgets from installed apps. If you want the number on the Lock Screen itself, you need a countdown app from the App Store; if one tap away is enough, a bookmarked countdown link does the job without one.
Can I add the countdown to my iPhone Home Screen?
Safari's Share menu has an Add to Home Screen option that works for any web page, so you can make a Home Screen shortcut to your countdown link. It opens the countdown in Safari when you tap it. It is a shortcut, not a widget, so the icon does not show the count itself.
How do I count down days on my iPhone?
Set your date here and the clock shows the days left first, then hours, minutes, and seconds. For a whole-day event like a birthday or a holiday, leave the time off and it counts to the start of that day.
Does it work on iPad too?
Yes. The same link opens on an iPad, a Mac, a Windows PC, or an Android phone, and everyone sees the same countdown ending at the same moment.
Does the countdown keep running if I close Safari?
The page stops ticking while it is closed, but nothing is lost. The countdown is set to a fixed moment, so when you open the link again it shows the right time left straight away.