ABOUT PIPTIM

Why we built a timer that floats above your work

PipTim is a free timer that runs in the browser. One thing sets it apart: a running timer can be popped out into a small window that stays above every other window on the desktop. This page explains who makes it, why, and the principles it is run on.

What PipTim is

PipTim has three time tools: a countdown timer, a focus cycle that alternates work and rest automatically, and a stopwatch that counts up from zero. All three open directly in the browser with nothing to install and no account to create.

The distinguishing feature is the PiP button. Press it and the timer leaves the browser as a small window that stays above whatever else is on screen: a document, a code editor, a video. In desktop Chrome and Edge the window is interactive, so you can start, pause and add a minute from inside it; on supported mobile browsers it appears as a window that shows the time. The PiP in the name is short for picture-in-picture.

Why it exists

There are already plenty of timers. But open a timer tab while coding and it disappears the moment you switch back to the editor. Twenty-five minutes of focus becomes forty; a five-minute break becomes twenty. The problem was never the lack of a timer. It was that the timer was covered up.

In 2023 Chrome shipped Document Picture-in-Picture, which floats an ordinary web document, not just a video, in a small always-on-top window. From then on a timer that stays on top became possible with nothing but a browser: no system utility to install, no second monitor. PipTim is a timer built on that capability. A comparison with the other ways of achieving the same thing is in a separate article.

How it is run

No install, no sign-upOpen the address and use it. There is no account to create and no app to install, and it works the same on a borrowed machine.
Nothing is stored on a serverThe duration you chose, the theme and the sound setting live only in your browser's local storage. The operator does not know who ran a timer for how long, and has no need to.
Accuracy before featuresThe countdown is computed from its end time so that time spent in another tab or a laptop dozing off does not push it out. Some limits are beyond a browser's control, and those are written down plainly on the help page rather than hidden.
It stays freeCosts are covered by advertising, placed only where it does not cover the timer.

Who makes it

PipTim is built and run by a single independent developer in South Korea. It is a personal project rather than a company, and it launched in September 2026. Feature requests and bug reports are read and answered by one person, so a reply can take a few days, but it will not be an automated one. Contact details are on the contact page.

The articles on the site cover the background knowledge that makes a timer useful. Well-known methods such as the Pomodoro Technique and the 20-20-20 rule are attributed to their sources, and where the evidence is weak the article says so. None of it is medical advice; decisions about your eyes or your health belong with a professional.

Technology

PipTim is a static website with no build step. The HTML, CSS and JavaScript files are uploaded as they are, with no framework and no runtime dependencies, which is why pages are light and open quickly.

Document Picture-in-PictureOpens an interactive floating window in desktop Chromium-based browsers.
Video PiP fallbackWhere Document PiP is unavailable, the timer is drawn to a canvas and shown through video picture-in-picture. Not interactive, but the time is visible.
End-time arithmeticInstead of subtracting a second per tick, the end time is stored and compared with the clock on every update. That is why the countdown stays correct in background tabs; the full explanation is in an article.
Screen wake lockWhere the browser supports it, the screen is asked to stay on while a timer is running.
Service workerAfter a first visit the core files are cached, so the site opens quickly on slow connections.

Ads and costs

Domain and hosting costs are covered by Google AdSense. Ads appear only in the area below the timer, never inside the PiP window or the settings dialog. If an ad ever gets in the way of reading the time, it is in the wrong place, and we would like to hear about it.

How advertising partners use cookies, and how to opt out of personalised ads, is set out in the privacy policy. Visitor numbers are measured with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which does not identify individuals.

Languages

Korean and English cover the whole site; Arabic covers the home page, the guide and a few common presets. Languages are not added by machine translation, because a language nobody can proofread means publishing sentences that may be wrong. The URL path determines the language: /en/ is English, /ar/ is Arabic, and everything else is Korean.