WorldTimeBuddy Alternatives (2025): 9 Better Ways to Plan Overlapping Hours
Looking for WorldTimeBuddy alternatives? Compare 9 options and see why Timezoners' live, shareable overlap boards help distributed teams schedule across US/EU/APAC without spreadsheets. —
Remote teams don't need another tab full of clocks they need clarity. If you're here, you've probably tried WorldTimeBuddy (WTB). It's fine for quick checks, but teams eventually need saved teammates, working-hour context, and shareable overlap that doesn't fall apart at DST. Here are nine alternatives with frank pros/cons and why Timezoners is the one most distributed teams stick with.
TL;DR If you coordinate with the same people each week, Timezoners gives you a live, shareable overlap board with working windows and no-meeting blocks. The rest are decent for one-off conversions or stopgaps, but you'll still be "thinking in cities" rather than collaborating as a team.
Why teams outgrow WorldTimeBuddy
- People ≠ cities: You care about Henry, Priya, and Mei not just NYC, Bengaluru, and Sydney.
- No shared context: Rebuilding cities/sliders for every meeting invites mistakes.
- DST roulette: Offset guesswork breaks twice a year.
- No single source of truth: Screenshots get stale; links don't preserve team rules.
1) Timezoners best for recurring team overlap (live, linkable boards)
What it is: A shared, real-time overlap board for your team. Add teammates, set working windows and "no-meeting" blocks, and instantly see sane meeting windows. Share the board link (viewable without accounts).
Why teams pick it over WTB and others
- Overlap you can actually use: Live "green zone" that updates as teammates edit hours.
- Team-first, not city-first: Save people, reorder them, and plan with actual availability.
- Shareable by default: Copy a link; guests don't need to sign up to view.
- DST- and travel-safe: Stores locations, not fragile offsets.
- Privacy-first: No calendar access required to get value.
Great for: Distributed product squads, sales pods, agencies, and customer teams coordinating across US/EU/APAC every week.
Heads-up: Timezoners is intentionally focused on overlap planning (not a full calendar). Keep your invites in Google/Outlook; use Timezoners to pick the right time fast.
2) timeanddate.com Meeting Planner best one-off multi-city picks
Good at: Large location database, dependable DST rules, quick ad-hoc windows.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- No persistent team concept; you'll rebuild cities each time.
- Grids are informative but not collaborative; no living board to pin in Slack.
- Busy, utilitarian UI; harder for non-ops folks to parse quickly.
Use when: You need a one-time window across 3–10 cities and won't revisit the group.
3) Google Calendar (multi-time zone features) best "already in your calendar"
Good at: Dual time zones, per-event TZ, world clock sidebar.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- No overlap grid for multiple teammates; you're still guessing.
- Scheduling assistant helps internally but breaks for external guests and mixed orgs.
- Easy to miss DST shifts across many regions.
Use when: You live in Google Calendar and need fewer slip-ups, not a team overlap view.
4) Slack + Calendar Bots best for teams that live in Slack
Good at: Nudges where conversations happen; reminders in local mornings.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- No visual shared overlap; messages scroll away and get stale.
- Setup and app sprawl; still requires a separate tool to actually pick a sane window.
Use when: You want time-aware etiquette, but still pair with a Timezoners board.
5) SavvyTime quick overlap for external shares
Good at: Simple overlap view, easy link sharing for prospects or customers.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- Limited teammate persistence; you'll reconfigure groups.
- Still city-centric; working windows and no-meeting rules aren't a first-class concept.
Use when: You need a familiar, lightweight visual for one-off external scheduling.
6) Every Time Zone ultra-simple slider checks
Good at: Instant mental model of "ahead/behind."
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- No people/working-hours context; not designed for teams.
- Easy to misread when juggling >3 locations or DST shifts.
Use when: You just need a sanity check before you open your real planner.
7) timeanddate.com World Clock Meeting Planner (advanced) large groups
Good at: Handling many locations and exporting printable summaries.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- Heavy UI and manual setup; not something your team keeps open daily.
- No ongoing, live source of truth for recurring cadences.
Use when: Webinars or public events need a shareable table, not a team board.
8) Native World Clocks & Widgets (iOS/Android/macOS/Windows)
Good at: Personal guardrails (menu bar, lock screen, desktop).
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- Great for 1:1 context, useless for group overlap.
- No sharing or team persistence.
Use when: You want ambient awareness, not a planning surface.
9) Browser add-ons & mini-tools (e.g., FoxClocks)
Good at: Converting times without leaving the page.
Where it falls short vs. Timezoners
- UI clutter; no shared team logic or rules.
- Still manual and error-prone around DST.
Use when: You're in the browser all day and need quick lookups only.
Quick comparison
Tool / Approach | Team Overlap Grid | Save Teammates & Hours | Shareable Board | Best For |
---|---|---|---|---|
Timezoners | ✅ Live | ✅ People & rules | ✅ No-login view | Recurring team cadence |
timeanddate Meeting Planner | ✅ | ➖ Rebuild each time | ✅ Link/table | One-off multi-city picks |
Google Calendar features | ➖ | ➖ | Event invites only | Calendar-native workflows |
Slack + Bots | ➖ | ✅ (indirect) | Channel messages | Time-aware etiquette |
SavvyTime | ✅ | ➖ | ✅ | External shares |
Every Time Zone | ➖ | ➖ | ➖ | Quick slider checks |
timeanddate (advanced) | ✅ | ➖ | ✅ Exports | Large groups/webinars |
Native World Clocks | ➖ | ➖ | ➖ | Personal context |
Browser add-ons | ➖ | ➖ | ➖ | In-browser lookups |
Practical recipes (copy-paste)
Weekly standup (US/EU/APAC)
- Add teammates to a Timezoners board with preferred hours.
- Mark a 30–60 min "green zone" everyone can make.
- Pin the board link in Slack so newcomers instantly see the rule of engagement.
Customer call across three continents
- Use Timezoners to find two humane options; share the link.
- Paste local-time labels in the email: "Wed 09:00 PT / 12:00 ET / 18:00 CET / 21:30 IST".
Protect deep work
- Add no-meeting blocks (e.g., Tue/Thu mornings).
- Reference the board in your team's "How we work" doc so expectations are explicit.
FAQs
-
Is WorldTimeBuddy still good?
Yes for quick comparisons. Teams outgrow it when they need saved people, working windows, and a shareable, living source of truth. -
What about Outlook/Teams users?
Use Outlook's time-zone fields and Teams' assistant for basic checks; keep a Timezoners board pinned for cross-org cadence. -
How do we avoid DST chaos?
Stop memorizing offsets. Use tools (like Timezoners) that store locations and refresh overlap before launches or travel.
Finally
If you're coordinating with the same people every week, stop thinking in cities. Think in teammates. A live Timezoners board makes overlap obvious, respectful, and repeatable without spreadsheets or calendar spelunking.