If a badge under your timer doesn't bother you, CountdownMail costs nothing at any volume and you can stop reading here. This page is for the moment the badge, or the template, stops fitting your emails, and you want to know what each tool charges from there.
What "free and unlimited" means at CountdownMail
CountdownMail's pricing table lists the Free plan with "Unlimited views". The other timers we've looked at limit their free plans: Sendtric adds a watermark above 10,000 views a month, BrandTimer allows 20,000 and MailTimers 100,000.
The cost is the badge. CountdownMail's FAQ says free timers include a small "Powered by CountdownMail" badge and that you upgrade to remove it. The same pricing table also lists "Branding removed" in the Free column, so the page contradicts itself. Send yourself a test before you rely on either version.
A badge isn't automatically a problem. In a plain newsletter it reads like a footnote. In a launch email your designer spent a week on, it is someone else's logo next to your offer.
The price at your volume
A view is one open of an email with the timer in it, so count your list size times the timer emails you send in a month, plus repeat opens. Here is what each tool charges, paid monthly, once you want the badge or logo gone:
| Views a month | CountdownMail | BrandTimer |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | $7 (Starter) | $12 (Pro) |
| 100,000 | $7 (Starter) | $12 (Pro) |
| 500,000 | $19 (Boost) | $12 (Pro) |
| 1,000,000 | $39 (Growth) | $39 (Business, 2,000,000 views) |
| 3,000,000 | $69 (Pro) | $99 (Agency, 10,000,000 views) |
| 10,000,000 | $199 (Enterprise) | $99 (Agency) |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from CountdownMail pricing and BrandTimer pricing, checked October 26, 2026. Paid yearly, CountdownMail gives two months free and BrandTimer charges $10, $30 and $80 a month.
The table cuts both ways. Under 100,000 views CountdownMail is $5 a month cheaper. Between roughly 100,000 and 500,000 views, where many growing stores sit in a sale month, BrandTimer is cheaper. Both keep a timer running when you go over: CountdownMail adds the extra views to your next bill, and BrandTimer emails you and only asks you to move up after two months over the limit.
Templates you adjust vs templates you edit
CountdownMail starts you on one of 30 templates and lists what you can change: colors, fonts, sizes, backgrounds, separators, spacing, labels and borders. You can also upload your own font as a TrueType file. For most emails that is enough to get close.
"Close" is where it ends, though. If the layout you want isn't one of the 30, settings won't get you there.
In BrandTimer, the template at the top of this page is the whole thing. The digits go wherever the data-slot elements are, and the rest is ordinary HTML and CSS that you can rewrite. A few things that are simple in code:
- Put the labels above the digits, or drop the seconds.
- Add your logo or a product photo inside the timer image.
- Show a different line in the last hours with
data-show-under="24h". - Pick one of 8 ready animations for the digits, or none.
You don't have to write any of it. Paste your site's address and BrandTimer applies your colors and fonts, or describe the change in a sentence and the AI edits the code. The code stays visible so your designer can check it.
Timer types side by side
| CountdownMail | BrandTimer | |
|---|---|---|
| One date for everyone | Yes | Yes, every plan |
| From first open (evergreen) | Yes | Pro and up |
| Date per contact | Dynamic timer | Pro and up, merge tag written for your platform |
| Repeating deadline | Not listed | Business and up |
| Link that changes after the deadline | Dynamic links | Business and up |
| Message after the deadline | Custom expiration image | Every plan, written in the template |
| Apple Mail | Not mentioned on its pages | End-date card on Business |
| API | Yes, priced per 1,000 calls | No public API yet |
CountdownMail's pricing page shows the same feature list on every plan card, so this table doesn't say which of its plans each feature needs.
When to stay with CountdownMail
- The badge is fine for your emails. Nothing else is free at unlimited views.
- You send under 100,000 views a month and want the badge gone for $7.
- One of its 30 templates fits after a few settings.
- You build timers through an API.
Move to BrandTimer when the timer has to match a designed email, when you're between 100,000 and 500,000 views a month, or when you need repeating deadlines or the Apple Mail card.
Questions about CountdownMail
Is CountdownMail free?
Yes. The free plan lists unlimited views. Its FAQ says free timers carry a "Powered by CountdownMail" badge, and paid plans from $7 a month remove it.
What is a dynamic countdown timer?
Tools use the name for slightly different things. Usually it means the end date isn't fixed in the timer: it comes from each recipient, through a merge tag in the image address, or from the moment the email was sent.
Can I upload my own font?
In CountdownMail, yes, as a TrueType file. BrandTimer uses any Google Font and the font your website loads, but not uploaded font files.
What happens if I go over my views?
At CountdownMail the timer keeps working and the extra views go on your next bill. At BrandTimer the timer keeps working too; you get an email, and a request to upgrade only after two months over the limit.
The short version
CountdownMail is the cheapest way to put a timer in an email: free at any volume with a badge, $7 without. BrandTimer costs more below 100,000 views and less from there to 500,000, and it gives you the template's code and a restyle from your site. The deciding question is whether a template you adjust looks right in your email.
Sources: CountdownMail pricing; CountdownMail home page and FAQ. Checked October 26, 2026.
By the BrandTimer team. BrandTimer makes email countdown timers, so this comparison is ours; CountdownMail's side comes from its own pages. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.