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Flip clock online
Paste the link into a Notion page and choose Create embed.
A flip clock shows the time on split-flap digits that turn over as the time changes, the way station boards and old bedside clocks did. The clock above is running now, in this page, with nothing to install and no account to make. Switch between two looks, press full screen to fill the display, or copy the embed link to put the same clock in a Notion page.
What a flip clock actually is
The original flip clocks were mechanical. Each digit was a stack of hinged plastic leaves printed with half a number on the front and half on the back. A small motor turned the stack one leaf per minute, and the leaf falling forward is what produced the flap sound and the split line across the middle of every digit. Airports and railway stations used much larger versions of the same idea for departure boards.
Almost nothing made today works that way. What you get now, including the clock on this page, is a drawing of that mechanism. The split line, the rounded card, and the turn on the minute are all reproduced because that is the part people remember. The tradeoff is honest enough: you get the look without a motor that wears out, and you can change its color, which no mechanical one could do.
What people use one for
The common thread is wanting to see the time without reading it. A flip clock is large, high contrast, and static for a full minute, so it registers from across a room in a way a phone lock screen does not.
- ✦A second monitor or an old tablet parked on a desk as a dedicated clock.
- ✦Study and focus sessions, where checking a phone tends to turn into something else.
- ✦Streaming and recording, where a clock on screen is a cleaner reference than a taskbar.
- ✦Video calls, as a shared timer that everyone in frame can read.
- ✦A shelf or kitchen display, using an old phone that would otherwise be in a drawer.
How to use it
The clock starts on its own. It reads the time from your device, so it matches your system clock and your time zone without asking for a location.
Blue and pink are the two styles. The small dot in the top corner of the clock switches it between light and dark on its own, without changing the rest of the page.
Full screen hides the browser and scales the digits to the window. Press Escape to come back. On an old phone or tablet, this plus the screen lock disabled is the whole setup.
Flip clock, digital, or analog
All three tell you the time. They differ in how quickly you can read them and how much attention they ask for.
Easiest to read at distance
Big digits, strong contrast, and a change once a minute. It reads well from across a room and does not pull your eye between changes.
Most precise
The same numbers without the card and split line. Most show seconds, and that constant movement is more distracting on a screen you sit beside all day.
Best sense of elapsed time
Hands show how much of an hour is gone at a glance, which digits cannot. Slower to read an exact time, and harder to read at small sizes.
What it does not do
- ✦It shows hours and minutes. There is no seconds display.
- ✦There is no timer, countdown, or stopwatch on this page. It tells the time and nothing else.
- ✦It follows your device clock, so if your computer has the wrong time or time zone, so will this.
- ✦It runs while the page is open. It cannot notify you or run in the background.
- ✦The digits turn with a short animation rather than a real hinged flip, and it is silent.
Put this clock in a Notion page
This is the same clock you can put in Notion. Use the copy embed link button above, paste the link into a Notion page, and pick Create embed. It resizes to whatever block you give it and follows your Notion light or dark theme.
The widget pages below have more detail on each style, and the same link.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. You do not need an account, and there is no limit on how long you leave it open.
Does it show seconds?
No. It shows hours and minutes, and the digits turn once a minute. If you need to watch seconds pass, a stopwatch suits that better than a flip clock.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The digits scale to the size of the window, so it works on a phone as well as a monitor. An old phone in full screen makes a good shelf clock.
Will it keep running if I leave the tab open?
Yes. It reads your device clock every second rather than counting up from when it loaded, so it stays correct even after the tab has been in the background for hours.
Can I change it to a 24 hour clock?
It already uses your device setting. Change the time format in your operating system and this clock follows it.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the clock keeps running without a connection, because the time comes from your device rather than a server. Reloading needs a connection.
Can I use it in Notion?
Yes. Both styles are Notion widgets as well. Copy the embed link from either widget page and paste it into a Notion page.