A free, open-source stage timer for live production. Big, clear countdown on any screen — stage, projector, OBS, or a phone in your hand. Runs on macOS and Windows, with a Serbian / English interface.
👉 Download for macOS or Windows — free, no sign-up
- 🟢 Countdown, stopwatch & clock — plus "count down to an exact time" (e.g. end the block at 2:30 PM)
- 🎨 Clean output screen — just the time; you pick the background and digit colors
- 🔴 Color warnings — white → yellow → red as the end approaches; counts past zero into the negative with a flash
- 🖥️ Any screen — send the output to a second monitor / projector in fullscreen with one click
- 📺 OBS / NDI / vMix — built-in network output; add it as a Browser Source (transparent background for overlays)
- 📱 Phone remote — start the timer and send messages to the speaker from your hand, over Wi-Fi
- 🔗 Share with anyone — a QR code to scan on-site, or a one-click public link that works from any network
- 🗒️ Rundown — a run of segments with durations, notes, colors and planned clock times
- 🎭 Backstage view — a crew/guest screen with NOW / NEXT, the full schedule and live clock times
- ⏰ Over / Under — see at a glance whether the show will finish ahead or behind schedule
- 📍 NOW / NEXT on the stage screen — presenters always see what's current and what's next
- 💬 Messages to the speaker + ✍️ on-screen text ("BREAK", "WELCOME")
- 🌍 Serbian / English interface, ⌨️ keyboard shortcuts, ⚡ low latency (no lag, no drift)
The control window — your cockpit: transport, modes, colors, rundown and the network/OBS links:
The Backstage view — NOW, NEXT, the schedule and an over/under indicator, on any screen or phone:
ProTimer doesn't try to beat the big tools at everything — it aims to be the simplest free one that just works for the core job.
| ProTimer | StageTimer | Ontime | CueTimer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free → $210–980 | Free (cloud paid) | $50+/yr |
| Open-source | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Runs locally, no account | ✅ | desktop tier | ✅ | ✅ |
| Transparent OBS overlay | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Phone remote · QR · public link | ✅ | ✅ | partial | ✅ |
| Rundown + backstage view | ✅ basic | ✅ | ✅ advanced | ✅ |
| OSC / HTTP / Companion API | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Serbian interface | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Honest take: if you need deep integrations (OSC, Companion, vMix/Qlab) or multi-operator collaboration, Ontime and StageTimer are more mature — they're great tools. ProTimer wins when you want something free, simple, no-account and bilingual that you open and use in seconds.
Grab the latest build from the Releases page:
| System | File | How |
|---|---|---|
| 🍎 macOS (Apple Silicon) | ProTimer-*-arm64.dmg |
Open → drag to Applications. First launch: right-click → Open. |
| 🪟 Windows | ProTimer Setup *.exe |
Run the installer. SmartScreen: More info → Run anyway. |
| 🪟 Windows (no install) | ProTimer-*-portable.exe |
Just double-click — nothing gets installed. |
The app isn't paid-signed (that costs money), hence the "right-click → Open" / "Run anyway" the first time. It's completely safe — the source is right here, open.
- Open ProTimer — you immediately get two windows: Control (for you) and Screen (clean time).
- Type a duration (e.g.
5:00) or click the5mbutton, then START (orSpace). - Drag the Screen window onto your projector — or pick a monitor at the top and click "Send to screen" for fullscreen.
- Done. Use the
±buttons to add/remove time live while the timer runs.
- Countdown — the main mode. Enter a duration (
10= minutes,10:30= MM:SS,1:00:00= HH:MM:SS). - Stopwatch — counts up from zero.
- Clock — shows the current time of day.
- "End at" — enter a time (e.g. 20:30) and it counts down to that moment.
At the top, pick a monitor and click "Send to screen" — on a second monitor it goes fullscreen automatically. Plug in a projector mid-show? The output jumps to it. On the output window, double-click = fullscreen, Esc = back.
The "Network → OBS · Phone" panel shows a URL (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:7878).
- In OBS, add a Browser Source and paste that URL.
- Enable "Transparent background" in ProTimer → the timer becomes a clean overlay over your video.
- For NDI: run that browser source through OBS and enable OBS NDI output (DistroAV plugin).
Open the same URL on any computer/TV on the network as a confidence monitor.
The same panel has a Remote URL (…:7878/remote). Open it in your phone's browser (same Wi-Fi). You get big buttons: Start/Pause, Reset, ±time, GO next, blackout, quick durations, and messages to the speaker. (The main ProTimer must stay open on the computer.)
- Colors: pick the background and digit color. "Warning colors" turn yellow/red near the end (you can turn them off).
- Transparent background: makes the screen see-through — for OBS overlays, and the desktop output window itself becomes a frameless floating overlay you can drag onto anything.
- On-screen text: type a message (e.g.
BREAK) — it sits above the time, or enable "Text only" to replace the time entirely. - Message to speaker: a short line at the bottom of the screen, with an optional flash.
Build your run on the right: each item has a name, duration, an optional note and a color. Set a Start time for the show and ProTimer fills in the planned clock times for every item. Click an item to load it; GO (N) jumps to and starts the next one. Optional auto-advance. The Over / Under badge shows whether you'll finish ahead or behind your planned end.
Turn on "NOW / NEXT on screen" to show the current and next item under the timer on the stage screen.
Next to every link in the network panel there's a QR button — show it and people scan it with their phone to watch the timer (same Wi-Fi). Need someone off your network (a remote client, another venue)? Click Share online and ProTimer gives you a public https:// link that works from anywhere. (First-time visitors to a public link may see a one-time “Click to continue” page.)
The network panel has a Backstage URL. Open it on any screen, laptop or phone and everyone sees the same picture: the current item with its live timer, what's next, the full schedule with clock times, and the planned vs projected finish with the over/under indicator. Ideal for a green room, a stage manager, or a lobby screen.
Switch between SR / EN with the toggle next to the logo, top-left. The choice is remembered and also applies to the phone remote.
| Key | Action | Key | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Space |
Start / pause | B |
Blackout | |
R |
Reset | F |
Fullscreen | |
N |
Next cue | M |
Message (Enter sends) | |
↑ / ↓ |
± 1 minute | C |
Clear message | |
← / → |
± 10 seconds | Esc |
Exit fullscreen |
You need Node.js.
git clone https://github.com/srdjankotarlic/protimer.git
cd protimer
npm install
npm start # run the app
npm run smoke # automated test (windows + network + remote)
npm run dist:mac # build the macOS .dmg
npm run dist:win # build the Windows installer + portableClean stack, almost no dependencies: Electron + plain HTML/CSS/JS + a Node http server (SSE), with qrcode and localtunnel for the share features. All the logic lives in controller.html (control), output.html (screen/OBS), backstage.html (crew schedule), remote.html (phone), and main.js (windows + server).
Ideas on the list (feedback very welcome — open an issue to vote or suggest):
- Signed / notarized builds (no “unidentified developer” warning)
- Import a rundown from Excel / Google Sheets / CSV
- Groups/blocks in the rundown (e.g. Morning Sessions, Lunch)
- OSC / HTTP control API + Bitfocus Companion module
- More languages
- Multiple independent timers
Being honest about where it's at:
- Unsigned builds. macOS shows “unidentified developer” (right-click → Open) and Windows shows SmartScreen (More info → Run anyway) on first launch. Code signing is on the roadmap.
- Network sharing needs the same Wi-Fi — unless you use the optional Share online link, which is beta (a tunnel; may show a one-time “continue” page, and reliability depends on the tunnel service). For shows, the LAN + QR path is the dependable one.
- Remote control is link-based. Anyone with the exact
…/remote?t=…link can control the timer — share it deliberately. - Single operator — no real-time multi-user collaboration (see Ontime/StageTimer if you need that).
- Builds: macOS (Apple Silicon) and Windows (x64). No Intel-mac or Linux builds yet.
Issues and pull requests are welcome — bug reports, feature ideas, translations, docs.
- Open an issue (there are templates for bugs and features).
- For code: fork,
npm install, make your change, runnpm run smoke, open a PR. - Keep it simple — the whole point of ProTimer is that it stays small and obvious.
If you use ProTimer on a show, a ⭐ or a quick note about what worked (or didn't) genuinely helps.
ProTimer is created and maintained by Srdjan Kotarlic — built from real live-production needs.
- GitHub: @srdjankotarlic
- LinkedIn: Srdjan Kotarlic
If it helps your show, a ⭐ on the repo means a lot. Issues and ideas are welcome.
© 2026 Srdjan Kotarlic. Released under the MIT License — free to use, modify and share, with attribution.