NextTime vs Stagetimer
Both are browser-based stage timers you control remotely and share by link. Here is where they differ, stated plainly, with Stagetimer's details taken from their own pricing page.
What Stagetimer is
A fair look at what it does well.
Stagetimer is a polished, browser-based stage timer that has earned its place in a lot of production kits. Like NextTime, it runs in the browser: you control timers from one device and share links that other screens open, with messages, warning colors, and an OBS-friendly view. Around that core it has built a serious professional feature set (CSV import, a full API with official Companion and Stream Deck modules, offline desktop apps, audience Q&A, scheduled auto-start, and custom display branding), sold as single-event licenses and annual plans, with connection caps that set how many screens each room can run.
The core difference
The architecture is similar. The metering is not.
Both products put one clock on many screens, and both do it from a browser. The difference shows up as the screens add up. Stagetimer meters connections per room and prices by the meter; NextTime treats a display like a web page. If a screen can open a link, it can show your timer, on every plan. Here is the full picture, feature by feature:
| Stagetimer | NextTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, single event | A paid single-event licence | $15 for 30 days |
| Price, per year | Annual plans, tiered by cap | $129 |
| Display connections, free plan | Capped per room | Yes Unlimited |
| Display connections, paid plans | Capped per room, rising with the plan | Yes Unlimited |
| Free plan timers | Capped per room | Yes Unlimited segments, up to 10 minutes each |
| Rundown with cascading times and per-segment locks | Partial Linked timers with auto-recalculated timings | Yes |
| Messages to displays | Yes | Yes |
| Warning colors | Yes | Yes |
| OBS browser-source view | Yes | Yes Transparent variant |
| Password-protected display links | Partial Paid plans | Yes Every plan |
| CSV import | Yes Paid | No |
| API, Companion, Stream Deck | Yes Full API + official Companion module, paid | Partial Control links, no full API |
| Offline desktop app | Yes | No |
| Audience Q&A | Yes | No |
| Scheduled auto-start | Yes | No |
| Custom branding on display | Yes Paid | No |
Pricing, plainly
$15 an event and $129 a year, under Stagetimer on both, and no monthly plan on either side.
If you are on Stagetimer's free plan
The connected-device allowance is capped per room, so a console and a couple of screens can use it up. NextTime never counts screens.
Switching from Stagetimer
No import: retype the rundown in a few minutes, then rehearse on both.
Why buyers choose NextTime
Two problems, one console.
The short version
- Unlimited display links on every plan, including Free. Adding a screen is opening a link, never upgrading a plan.
- Lower pricing on both the single event and the year, at $15 and $129, with no connection cap attached to either.
- A rundown that cascades and locks does the schedule arithmetic for you.
- Password-protect any display link, on every plan.
- Transparent OBS overlay, with unlimited sources on the free plan.
Where Stagetimer wins
Need CSV import, a full API, offline desktop apps, audience Q&A, scheduled auto-start, or your logo on the display? Buy Stagetimer. It has these today; NextTime does not.
The fastest way to decide: run one rehearsal on each.
Compare more: vs CueTimer, vs Irisdown Countdown Timer, vs Physical timers, Best stage timer apps. Or see it all on the NextTime homepage.
Stop counting screens
Free to start, with unlimited display links on every plan. Your first event can be running in two minutes.
NextTime vs Stagetimer FAQ
Is NextTime a free Stagetimer alternative?
For many events, yes. NextTime's Free plan has unlimited display links and the full console; the limit is 10 minutes per segment. Stagetimer's free plan allows longer timers but caps both timers and connected devices per room.
Can I add more screens on the free plan?
On NextTime, yes. Display links are unlimited on every plan, including Free. On Stagetimer's free plan the connected-device count is capped per room, so a console plus a couple of screens can use the allowance up and the next screen needs a paid plan.
How do the prices compare?
Both sell a paid single-event licence and an annual plan, and neither sells a monthly plan. NextTime is $15 for an event and $129 for the year, and it is the lower price on both. The bigger difference is what the money buys: Stagetimer's annual tiers are priced by how many devices a room may connect at once, so the cap follows you up the ladder, where every NextTime plan is uncapped. Check their pricing page for the current figures.
Where does Stagetimer win?
Credit where due: Stagetimer is mature software with capabilities NextTime does not have. If your workflow depends on importing rundowns from CSV, a full automation API with an official Companion module, running fully offline on show machines, taking audience questions on the display, starting timers on a wall-clock schedule, or putting your client's logo on the screen, Stagetimer is the right choice today, at its price.
What does switching from Stagetimer involve?
There is no import. You rebuild your rundown in NextTime, which for a typical event is a few minutes of typing segment names and durations. Display links, warning thresholds, and messages are set up fresh. Run one rehearsal on both before you commit.
Can NextTime import my Stagetimer CSV?
No. NextTime does not have CSV import today. Rundowns are built in the app, which takes a few minutes for a typical event.
Does NextTime have an API or Stream Deck support?
NextTime has control links: plain web links for play, pause, next, previous, time nudges, and jump-to-segment that you can bind to a Stream Deck, Bitfocus Companion, vMix, or OBS button. No plugin, no API key. It does not have a full read/write API; if deep automation drives your show, Stagetimer's API and official Companion module are the better fit today.
Which is better for streaming overlays?
Both work as OBS browser sources. NextTime includes a transparent overlay variant and unlimited simultaneous sources on the free plan; Stagetimer's free plan counts each connection against its per-room cap.
Does either have a monthly plan?
No. Both sell single-event licences and annual plans, and neither sells a monthly plan. NextTime's are $15 and $129.