CountingDownTo for WordPress

What it does

• A Countdown block. In the block editor, add the Countdown block. Then create a new countdown (it opens countingdownto.com in a new tab, and the block picks the countdown up when you finish), choose one from your connected account, or paste a countdown link.
• A shortcode for classic themes and page builders: [countingdownto slug="your-slug"]. You can use url instead of slug, and set height, aspect_ratio and label (the frame title read by screen readers).
• A bar on every page. Optionally, show one countdown in a fixed bar across the top or bottom of every page of your site. Turn it on under Settings, CountingDownTo.
• Edits show everywhere. Designs are edited on countingdownto.com. When you save a change there, your WordPress pages show it without you editing them; visitors may need to reload the page to see it. The same countdown also works on other websites and as a page you can share.
• Free, with a small badge. Free countdowns show a small CountingDownTo badge. Paid plans remove it: $28 per month or $195 per year, in US dollars, as on our pricing page.
• Connecting your account lets you choose your countdowns from a list in the block editor. It needs your WordPress site to use https. Pasting a countdown link works on any site.
• At zero a countdown can show a message. A countdown that does not repeat can also hide itself or its buttons. A redirect at zero does not work inside WordPress: the countdown runs in a frame that cannot move your page to another address. The redirect does work when visitors open the countdown's own page on countingdownto.com.

How to install it

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins, Add New, and search for CountingDownTo. Or download it from its WordPress.org page.
2. Install and activate it.
3. Optional: open Settings, CountingDownTo, and click Connect your account.
4. Add the Countdown block to a post or page, or paste the shortcode into classic content.

Visitors do not need an account. The plugin adds no tracking scripts. The plugin's page lists exactly what each part sends to countingdownto.com.

Screenshots

How it compares with other WordPress countdowns

Many WordPress sites already have a free countdown block, and several are lighter than ours. Below we show where ours is better, where it is level, and where another option is the better choice. Checked on 4 November 2026.

WordPress countdown plugins

Page builders and hosted widgets

If your site uses Elementor Pro or Divi, you already have a countdown. Elfsight is a hosted widget, like ours. We did not test these three on a WordPress site. On our website embeds comparison, Elfsight's public demo followed the device clock when it was wrong.

When another option is the better choice

• Choose Kadence Blocks if you already use it and need a fixed-date countdown with no branding. It added 13.5 KB to the page in our test. Kadence Blocks on WordPress.org, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose HurryTimer if you need a redirect at zero, or timers on WooCommerce product pages, in a free plugin. HurryTimer on WordPress.org, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose Countdown Block if you want the lightest countdown we measured (8.4 KB) and no paid version. Countdown Block on WordPress.org, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose Countdown Timer Block if you prefer a one-time payment: its Pro version is $29.99 for one site. bplugins.com pricing, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose Elementor Pro if you already pay for it. Its countdown has an evergreen timer and can redirect at zero. Elementor help, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose Divi if you already use it. Its Countdown Timer module is built in. Elegant Themes help, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ
• Choose Elfsight if you already use its other widgets and want them in one account. elfsight.com countdown page, checked 4 Nov 2026 from NZ

How we tested

• On 4 November 2026 we installed each plugin from WordPress.org on a WordPress 7.1.4 site on our own machine, and made one post per plugin with one countdown. We set each countdown to the same date and time, except Countdown Block, where the date stayed at its default, so it showed zeros. A post with no countdown was the baseline.
• For setup, we added each block in the block editor and noted what it showed. HurryTimer was not in the clock or page weight tests.
• For page weight, each post was loaded once in a new Chromium browser with an empty cache and no cookies, in a 1280 by 900 window. We counted everything loaded in the 6 seconds after the page loaded, including inside frames, and subtracted the baseline post. Layout shift was measured on the post itself, not inside a countdown's own frame. One run each, so small differences are rough.
• For the clock test, we replaced the browser's clock in the page and in every frame with one 1 day fast, then one 20 minutes slow, read the countdown 6 seconds after loading, and compared it with a run with the correct clock.
• These are lab results from one machine. The order of the results is more useful than the exact figures.