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March 30, 2026
The best countdown widget for Notion is Blocs – a free embeddable timer that lives directly inside your Notion page. Paste one URL, resize the embed, and your countdown is live. No app installs, no complex database setup. Built for students, project managers, and anyone with a deadline worth watching.
Notion is a document and database tool. It stores dates well – you can add a date property to any database row – but it won't display a live, ticking countdown on your page. Date properties are static labels, not real-time timers.
The workarounds people try usually involve formulas that calculate days remaining, but those only update when you manually refresh the page and don't show hours or minutes. For anything time-sensitive – a product launch, an exam, a travel departure – a proper countdown widget is the only clean solution.
Blocs uses Notion's built-in embed block to place a live widget directly on your page. Here's how to set it up:
The embed URL for the Blocs countdown timer is:
https://blocs.me/countdown
That's it. No account required for the free version.
Open the Notion page where you want the countdown to appear. Type /embed and select the "Embed" block option from the menu.
Paste https://blocs.me/countdown into the embed URL field and click "Embed link". The countdown widget will appear inline on your page.
Drag the bottom edge of the embed block to adjust the height. For the countdown timer, a compact height works well – around 200px gives a clean, readable display. You can place it in a two-column layout alongside your notes or task list.
The $17 price is a one-time payment, not a subscription. You pay once and get lifetime access to every Pro feature.
| Feature | Free | Pro ($17 one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Live countdown display | Yes | Yes |
| Custom target date/time | No | Yes |
| Theme customization | No | Yes |
| No Blocs branding | No | Yes |
| Cloud sync | No | Yes |
| Access to all widgets | No | Yes |
| Sign-up required | No | Yes |
A countdown widget earns its place in your Notion workspace when you have something specific to track:
Notion's formula field can calculate the number of days between today and a target date, and many templates use this approach. The problem is that formulas in Notion are static within a session – they only recalculate on page refresh and can't display hours, minutes, or seconds.
An embedded countdown widget updates in real time. You can see the seconds tick down, which matters for deadline awareness and focus sessions. It's also visible at a glance without having to open a database view or interpret a formula result.
For a broader look at what you can embed in Notion, see the full guide to free Notion widgets.
The basic countdown widget is free and requires no sign-up. Pro features – including custom target dates, theme options, and cloud sync – require a one-time $17 payment for lifetime access.
No. Notion's embed block is available on all plans, including the free tier. You can embed the Blocs countdown widget on any Notion page regardless of your plan.
Yes, with Blocs Pro. The free version runs a default countdown timer. Upgrading to Pro (one-time $17) lets you set any target date and time you choose.
With Blocs Pro and cloud sync enabled, your countdown settings persist across sessions and devices. On the free tier, settings may reset when the session ends.
Yes. If you publish your Notion page publicly, the embedded countdown widget will be visible to anyone who views the page. Pro removes the Blocs branding for a cleaner look on shared pages.
Blocs offers a full suite of embeddable widgets: a Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, progress bar, clock, calendar, weather widget, and more. All use the same embed method.
The free version is ready to use right now. Copy the embed URL, drop it into a Notion embed block, and your countdown is live in under a minute.
Try the free Notion countdown widget or see what's included in Pro.