World Time Buddy works, but it limits you to 4 zones on the free plan, runs ads on every page, and wants $4/month for the full version. If all you need is a quick timezone conversion, that is a lot of friction for a simple answer. Here are your options.
Free timezone converter. No account, no ads, no zone limit. Just results.
Open Timezone Converter| Feature | World Time Buddy | Every Time Zone | Savvy Time | WildandFree Converter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (limited) / $4/mo | Free | Free | Free |
| Account needed | Yes (for saved zones) | No | No | No |
| Ads | Yes (free tier) | No | Yes | No |
| Zones at once | 4 free / unlimited paid | All (visual timeline) | 4-5 | 2 + world clock (10 cities) |
| DST auto-detection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar integration | Yes (paid) | No | No | No |
| Visual timeline | Yes | Yes (their main feature) | Yes | No (number-based) |
| Mobile experience | OK (ads clutter) | Good | OK (ads clutter) | Clean (no ads) |
| Speed to answer | ~10 seconds | ~5 seconds | ~8 seconds | ~3 seconds |
| Data collection | Account data + analytics | Minimal analytics | Analytics + ads | None. Runs in your browser. |
Let's be fair. World Time Buddy is a good product for specific use cases:
If you do timezone work 10+ times a day and the $4/month saves you 5 minutes daily, it pays for itself. No argument there.
Most people searching for timezone converters fall into one of these categories. For all of them, a free tool does the job:
"What is 3 PM EST in PST?" You need an answer, not a platform. Open a converter, type the time, get the result. Done in 3 seconds. No account, no ads, no zone limit to worry about.
"What time is it in London right now?" Your phone has a world clock. Or open our converter, which shows a live world clock for 10 major cities. You do not need a $4/month subscription for this.
Your friend is in Tokyo. Is it too late to call? Check the world clock. If it is past 10 PM their time, text instead. This takes 2 seconds with any free tool.
"The invite says 2 PM ET. What time is that for me in Denver?" Subtract 2 hours. Or plug it into a converter. You do not need an account for this.
The best visual timeline tool. Shows all major timezones on a horizontal bar so you can see overlap at a glance. Completely free, no account, minimal ads. Weakness: it is display-only. You cannot type in a specific time and convert it. You read the current time off the chart. Good for "what time is it everywhere right now." Not great for "what will 3 PM EST be in Tokyo on Friday."
Clean interface, lets you compare 4-5 cities with a slider. Free with ads. The slider UI is nice for finding overlap windows. Weakness: the ads make mobile use annoying, and it loads slower than simpler converters. If you are on a laptop with an ad blocker, it is a solid choice.
A straightforward two-zone converter. Pick a source zone, a target zone, and it shows the conversion. Very simple, very fast. Weakness: it only does one pair at a time, and the design looks like it has not been updated since 2010. But it works.
Type "time in Tokyo" into Google and it shows the current time instantly. This is the fastest option for "what time is it there now?" But it does not convert a future time. "What will 3 PM EST be in Tokyo" requires a different tool.
iPhone Clock app > World Clock tab. Android has the same. Windows has "Add clocks for different time zones" in Settings. These work well for always-visible reference clocks but are clunky for converting specific times.
Being upfront about the trade-offs:
What it does well:
What it does not do:
If the "does not" list is a dealbreaker, World Time Buddy's paid plan or Every Time Zone might be better for your workflow. If the "does" list covers what you need, you just found a faster, cleaner, free alternative.
Try it yourself. Convert any time between 18+ zones in under 3 seconds.
Open Timezone ConverterWe put together a full Reddit roundup of timezone converter recommendations. The short version: Reddit leans toward simple browser tools for quick lookups, Every Time Zone for visual reference, and World Time Buddy only when calendar integration is a must. The consensus is that most people are overpaying for features they rarely use.
World Time Buddy is a good product aimed at teams that live in timezone math all day. But most people do not. If you need to convert a time 2-3 times a week, a free browser tool handles it without the signup, the ads, or the $48/year subscription.
For deeper reference material on specific timezone pairs, we have dedicated guides for EST to PST, EST to GMT, and a complete city-by-city time difference reference with 50+ pairs.