So, your Shopify store is up and running. Congratulations! However, now comes the difficult part: how to attract, and maintain customers and, more importantly, how to encourage them to purchase? In a saturated market that is eCommerce, if you want to see an increase in sales, you will need to add some spice to the store. Adding a countdown timer to your Shopify store is one of the most efficient ways to skyrocket sales. Trust us, if there’s one thing that doesn’t change about eCommerce, it’s the fact that a countdown timer bar can boost your conversion rates. It can be used to offer limited-time promotions, as a sales countdown timer, to promote seasonal events such as Black Friday, and so on.
But why is it so effective? A countdown timer creates a sense of urgency and plays on FOMO encouraging customers to act on the offer. A countdown timer may help you increase interest in your forthcoming promotions, optimize ordering when deals are about to finish, or even drive spontaneous sales.
The problem is… Shopify does not include a built-in countdown timer, and with so many apps and widgets available, determining which is the best Shopify countdown timer for your purposes without trying them all is tough. It also requires time (and money). But don’t you worry – we have tested and reviewed some of the finest free countdown timers for Shopify and compiled them here. And you can focus on growing your business instead.
You want to add a simple countdown timer to your Shopify store, that will not break the site, will look beautiful on mobile devices and won’t slow down your store. Ideally, it should also leave no code behind if you choose to delete the app from your store.
Let’s review the best Shopify countdown bars that can boost your store’s conversion rates.
Essential Countdown Timer Bar
If you are looking for a customizable free countdown timer app to add to your Shopify store, check out the Essential Countdown Timer. While many other countdown timers have limited free features and can get quite expensive, especially for a startup business, Essential Countdown Timer is absolutely free! It has no restrictions or limitations, which makes it perfect for businesses of all sizes. You can add an infinite number of countdown timer bars to any page of your store, from the homepage to the product page to the add-to-cart page, and it works flawlessly with the latest Shopify themes.
It is fully adaptable to your store and enables you to create a unique countdown timer bar from scratch or use one of the 20+ existing countdown timer styles.
Strengths:
- Completely free
- Unlimited number of timers with no restrictions or watermarks
- Highly customizable
- Mobile-friendly
Plans and Pricing:
- The app is free to use
Ratings on Shopify.com: 5 stars (111 reviews)
Another great option is this visually appealing countdown timer for Shopify that is also really simple to set up and use. It offers an integrated calendar for scheduling promotions and pre-made templates for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other popular events.
Furthermore, a CTA button may be included in this countdown timer to boost the efficiency of your campaign.
But one of the nicest aspects of the CT countdown timer bar for Shopify that grabbed our attention is the thoughtfulness with which it is built – the CT countdown timer bar app allows you to select which pages to display the countdown bar on. For example, you might use a countdown timer on product page for item-specific promos, a collection page for brand-specific discounts, or even use a countdown timer bar for your home page for event-specific deals. So, you can work on urgency only when it is likely to increase sales.
Although the free version of the app only includes one hundred impressions, it is worth checking out.
Strengths:
- Hassle-free setup
- Ready-made templates for common cases like Black Friday or Cyber Monday
- A built-in calendar for scheduling
Plans and Pricing:
- Free plan (the number of impressions is limited to 100, however)
- Unlimited plan for $6.95 per month with unlimited features
Ratings on Shopify.com: 5 stars (5 reviews)
POWR CountdownTimer
This tool has proven to be useful and user-friendly too. Use the POWR auto-installer to install it in a single click and you are ready to go. The app provides several options for adding a countdown timer to your store page, such as installing a countdown cart timer on your cart page to ensure fewer abandoned carts, showing a discount countdown timer to each new visitor as well as repeat visitors, or using a countdown timer for counting backward from a predetermined number. Set up how many minutes, hours, days or even years are left on a unique bargain or event!
This countdown timer bar app also comes with texts in any language, customizable fonts, colors, backgrounds, and animations. Plus, a very useful feature for customers – is the possibility to copy and paste a coupon or discount code into a discount timer.
Strengths:
- Flexible sales popup and other display options
- Cart countdown timer
- Mobile responsiveness
Plans and Pricing:
- Free plan
- Starter plan for $5.49 per month or $59.28 per year
- Pro plan for $13.49 per month or $145.68 per year
- Business plan for $89.99 per month or $971.88 per year
Ratings on Shopify.com: 4.5 stars (695 reviews)
Countdown Timer Ultimate
Choose from 5 different countdown timers with 7 major designs and customizable fonts, set a display schedule or keep your countdown timer bar active at all times, and display the countdown timer on product pages specified by product tag, sale or out-of-stock status – all of these features are available if you decide to try Countdown Timer Ultimate.
When it comes to scheduling, the app provides a number of options, ranging from displaying the remaining offer time to a specific start and finish date to daily or weekly scheduling. One of the most useful features, however, is the ability to create a new unique countdown timer for each new individual user.
Strengths:
- Unique timers for individual users
- 3-day free trial
Plans and Pricing:
- Free plan
- Paid plan for $3.99 per month
Ratings on Shopify.com: 4.9 stars (212 reviews)
Sales Countdown Timer Bar 2.0
The next Shopify countdown timer bar on the list provides user-friendly timer customization options, making it perfect for any store.
Choose from a variety of countdown timer templates and fully customize each one to fit the needs of your Shopify store or the event you’re running there. You also have the option of making the countdown timer “sticky”, meaning that it follows the customer down the page (which is super handy).
The feature that immediately drew our attention was the ability to create a unique countdown timer for each potential customer that will not begin counting down until the individual has visited your business for the very first time! What else? It doesn’t slow down the store and provides free 24/7 live support – what’s more to ask?
In comparison to the other Shopify countdown timer apps we have mentioned so far, Sales Countdown Timer Bar provides the fewest customizing choices. However, it still offers basic customization such as colors, fonts, and animations, so if you want to keep it simple – give it a try.
Strengths:
- “Sticky” timer to follow site visitors when they are scrolling the page up and down
- Customizable announcement bar
- Shopify theme compatibility
Plans and Pricing:
- Free plan
- Unlimited plan for $8.95 per month
- Priority support plan for $17.95 per month
Ratings on Shopify.com: 4.6 stars (572 reviews)
Countdown Timer bar
It only takes one click to install this Shopify countdown bar.
There are several different types of countdown timers available to meet a range of needs, including, but not limited to the general countdown, periodic countdown, daily or weekly countdown, and visitor session based countdown.
The geo target, though, is one of the most noticeable features of this Shopify countdown app. What does it mean? The countdown timer will display specific specials based on the customer’s country!
But it isn’t all. You may even set the app up to display individual countdown timers to visitors who came to your website via social media platforms!
Emojis are supported in the bar’s messaging, which can add a fun twist to your countdown timer.
Strengths:
- Emoji customization
- Geo Targeting
- Auto scheduling
Plans and Pricing:
- Free plan
- Premium plan for $9.99 per month
Ratings on Shopify.com: 4.9 stars (1071 reviews)
AVA Trust Badges, Sales Pop‑up countdown timer
In general, AVADA provides a range of different services in addition to a wonderful free Shopify countdown timer bar, all of which are designed to increase your sales.
It supports more than nine free themes for the countdown timer, but the best part about this countdown timer app is that it automatically determines the ideal positioning to display the countdown timer!
Strength:
- Trust badges
- Sales notification and social proof
- Inactive tab
- Sticky Add-to-cart
- Content protection
Plans and Pricing:
- The app is free to use
Ratings on Shopify.com: 5 stars (1018 reviews)
Scarcity: Countdown Cart Timer
Scarcity provides high-conversion-rate countdown timer templates and presets that may be quickly added to your Shopify store. It is simple to install and modify, supports all carts and themes, and requires no coding. Text, color scheme, and settings may all be customized for your convenience, and it only takes a few seconds to do that.
It works with all Shopify themes and can be used on both desktop and mobile devices. And to keep things more dynamic, Scarcity countdown timer restarts when the store page is refreshed. Aside from customizing, you may also specify what happens once the timer expires, for example, the cart can auto-delete itself if not checked out.
Strengths:
- 7-day free trial
- Countdown timer for specific products
- Multiple timer types
- Timer does not reset when site visitors refresh the page
Plans and Pricing:
- Basic plan for $1.99 per month
- Pay-as-you-go plan for $1 per 400 unique impressions (the fee cannot exceed $5 per month)
Ratings on Shopify.com: 5 stars (55 reviews)
SMART Scarcity Countdown Timer
This incredible app allows you to create beautiful countdown timer bars and notify your customers in an easy-to-understand manner when the sale will end. Just as the name suggests, it plays on scarcity and helps you to enhance conversions.
This free Shopify countdown timer is easy to install, requires no coding, and is incredibly responsive on all devices. What else? To put it shortly, the app allows for personalized scheduling, custom colors, and fonts, as well as personalized greetings for customers!
Oh, and the SMART Scarcity evergreen countdown timer automatically refreshes anytime you need it to, whether it is just a few minutes or hours. This helps you to maintain continual scarcity while easily increasing your conversions.
Strengths:
- Click-and point interface
- Evergreen and regular timers
- Personalized scheduling and greetings for site visitors
Plans and Pricing:
- The app is free to use
Ratings on Shopify.com: 4.7 stars (58 reviews)
What Makes Timer Apps Effective?
It is common to utilize timer tools to make the most out of limited-time promotions, particularly during flash sales. A countdown for the Black Friday sale is another good example to catch the attention of potential buyers.
A countdown timer creates a sense of urgency and plays on the fear of missing out, encouraging customers to act on the offer. A countdown timer may help you increase interest in your forthcoming promotions, optimize ordering when deals are about to finish, or even drive spontaneous sales.
Finding the Right Timer App for Your Store
The problem with Shopify is that the platform does not include a built-in countdown timer. This shortcoming forces users to look for a third-party Shopify app as a solution to the problem.
Unfortunately, finding the right countdown timer app is not that easy. Some timer apps are strict customization-wise, allowing very little for users to modify.
Other apps are not compatible with different mobile devices and internet browsers or cause significant page loading delays.
Then there are instances where removing an app leaves the code on your website, leaving you with an unnecessary mess to deal with.
Finally, free app trials can be deceiving. As soon as you make a modification to a timer during a free trial period, you might end up getting billed because the change sometimes counts as a second timer.
As you can see, finding and picking the right countdown sales timer app for a Shopify store is not that simple. That’s why we have tested and reviewed the best available countdown timers for Shopify and compiled them in this table below.
Note that all reviewed tools are available on the Shopify app store.
COMPARISON TABLE
App name |
Pricing |
Rating |
Essential Countdown Timer |
Free |
⭐5 |
CT Countdown Timer bar |
$6.95/month |
⭐5 |
POWR CountdownTimer |
From $5.49/month or $59.28/year |
⭐4.5 |
Countdown Timer Ultimate |
$3.99/month. 3-day free trial |
⭐4.9 |
Sales Countdown Timer Bar 2.0 |
From $8.95/month |
⭐4.6 |
Countdown Timer Bar |
$9.99/month |
⭐4.9 |
AVA Trust Badges, Sales Pop‑Up |
Free |
⭐5 |
Scarcity: Countdown Cart Timer |
From $1.99/month. 7-day free trial |
⭐5 |
SMART Scarcity Countdown Timer |
Free |
⭐4.7 |
There are plenty of Shopify sales countdown timer options. You need to choose carefully if you want a solution that helps you increase your sales in a cost-effective way, without introducing a handful of other issues to your store. Essential countdown timer is the best option for most Shopify sellers out there.