Best Free Online Timers in 2026: 10 Compared

Written by Om Vaghani · Published May 18, 2026 · Last updated October 17, 2026 · 7 min read

Disclosure: this comparison is written by Om Vaghani, the founder of ClockAura. ClockAura is one of the ten timers below, so read our verdicts with that in mind. Nobody paid to be included, and no site here pays us. Last checked on 17 October 2026.

Search for "online timer" and you get hundreds of sites that look alike. This page compares ten free ones you are likely to meet, says what each is good at, and links to each so you can try them yourself. Where we state a fact about another site, it is something you can check on that site today; where it is our opinion, we say so.

How we compared them

On 17 October 2026 we opened each site in a desktop browser and noted:

• Account: can you start a timer without signing up or installing anything?
• Timer types: countdown, Pomodoro, interval (Tabata/HIIT), stopwatch, classroom tools.
• Where it runs: in the browser, or mainly as a phone or desktop app.
• Anything that stopped us: a broken link, a redirect, a paywall on a basic feature.

We did not run lab tests of accuracy or battery use on other sites, so this page makes no claims about them. Ads, speed and features change often; check the current version of any site before you rely on it.

1. ClockAura (our own site)

ClockAura is a free set of browser timers: a countdown timer, a Pomodoro timer, a stopwatch with laps, an interval timer and Tabata timer, a world clock covering about 60 countries, ambient noise, a full-screen Classroom Mode and an embed widget. There is no account.

What we can show rather than claim:

• Speed: Google PageSpeed Insights gave the home page 100 (mobile) and 99 (desktop) for performance on 17 October 2026.
• Pomodoro: it switches between work and break by itself and plays a chime; you press Start for each new session.
• Background tabs: the countdown is based on the clock time when you pressed Start, so it stays right when you switch tabs, and the remaining time shows in the tab title.

Limits: your saved presets and history belong to one browser and do not sync between devices. The site is free because it may show Google AdSense ads, which only load if you choose "Accept all" in the cookie banner.

Best for: people who want several kinds of timer in one place without an account.

2. Online-Stopwatch.com

One of the oldest timer sites, with a large set of classroom timers (race timers, bomb countdowns and other themed displays) and a full-screen option. It is a long-time favourite with teachers.

Best for: classrooms that want playful, themed countdowns for younger children.

3. Toggl Track

Toggl is mainly a time-tracking service. It has offered a Pomodoro mode inside Toggl Track, which needs a Toggl account. The standalone Pomodoro page we linked before (toggl.com/track/pomodoro-timer/) returned "not found" on 17 October 2026, so check toggl.com for the current offer.

Best for: people who already track their hours in Toggl.

4. TomatoTimer

A minimal, one-purpose Pomodoro timer. On 17 October 2026 the old address, tomato-timer.com, redirected to a TomatoTimer page on Toptal.

Best for: people who want a plain 25/5 Pomodoro and nothing else.

5. Pomofocus

Pomofocus is a Pomodoro timer with a task list. Its site lists reports and other extras under a paid Premium plan; the basic timer is free.

Best for: Pomodoro users who want tasks next to the timer. In our opinion its task list is better developed than ClockAura's.

6. Forest

Forest turns focus time into a game: a virtual tree grows while you stay off your phone. It is mainly a phone app, with a browser extension.

Best for: people who are motivated by streaks and game rewards.

7. e.ggtimer

e.ggtimer starts a countdown straight from the address bar (for example e.ggtimer.com/3minutes). It also has Pomodoro and Tabata pages, which we wrongly said it lacked in an earlier version of this article.

Best for: starting a quick timer by typing the length into the address bar.

8. Google's built-in timer

Type "set timer for 5 minutes" into Google Search and a timer with an alarm appears on the results page. There is nothing to open or install.

Best for: a one-off timer when you are already on Google.

9. timeanddate.com timer

timeanddate.com's timer lets you name a timer, pick a sound and test it before you start, alongside the site's large set of calendars and world-time pages.

Best for: people who already use timeanddate.com for dates and time zones.

10. Be Focused

A Pomodoro app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, rather than a website.

Best for: Apple users who prefer a native app to a browser tab.

Quick comparison

Checked on 17 October 2026. "Runs in the browser" means you can start a timer in a web page without installing anything. "Not checked" means we could not confirm it on the day.

What to look for in any timer

Five questions worth answering before you bookmark one:

1. Does it start in a couple of seconds? If not, you will reach for your phone instead.
2. Does the alarm still sound when the tab is in the background? Test it once before you rely on it.
3. Is it readable from across a room? Matters for classrooms, gyms and stand-ups.
4. Can you turn the sound down or off? A loud beep is not always welcome.
5. What does it store about you? Read the privacy page, especially for a timer you use at school. Ours is the ClockAura privacy policy.

Use-case picks

Our suggestions, including other sites where they fit better:

• Pomodoro with a task list: Pomofocus, or the ClockAura Pomodoro timer if you want other tools on the same site.
• Themed classroom countdowns for young children: Online-Stopwatch.com. For a plain, large countdown on a projector: ClockAura Classroom Mode.
• A quick timer from the address bar: e.ggtimer, or ClockAura's /t/5m style links.
• HIIT and Tabata: the ClockAura interval timer or e.ggtimer's Tabata page.
• Focus by staying off your phone: Forest.

For the Pomodoro method itself, see the ClockAura Pomodoro timer page, which explains the 25/5 rhythm and when to change it. The method comes from Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro Technique.

Frequently asked questions

Which free online timer is best? It depends on the job: the use-case picks above are our honest suggestions. We built ClockAura to cover many kinds of timer in one place, but for a Pomodoro task list or themed classroom countdowns, another site may suit you better.

Does an online timer keep running if I switch tabs? Usually, yes, but browsers slow down background tabs, so a timer that counts ticks can drift. Test the alarm once with the tab in the background before you rely on it.

Can I use an online timer in a classroom? Yes. Use full screen on the projector and check the sound level before the lesson. ClockAura Classroom Mode and Online-Stopwatch.com's classroom timers are both made for this.

Do I need to install an app? No for most of the sites above. Forest and Be Focused are app-first; the others run in a browser tab.