How to add Subathon Timer to OBS
Set a starting time, and let follows, subs and gifted subs add minutes automatically as they come in. The Subathon Timer widget keeps the countdown live on your overlay, and mods can add or remove time directly from chat: perfect for subathons and marathon streams.
Takes about 2 minutes
Step by step
- 1
Sign in and create the widget
Open the Streamities dashboard, choose Subathon Timer, and create one. Style it now or leave the defaults — the overlay URL works either way and picks up changes as you make them.
- 2
Copy the overlay URL
Every widget has its own unique URL. Copy it from the widget's page in the dashboard: it is the only thing you need in OBS, and it stays valid, so this is a one-time step.
- 3
Add a Browser Source in OBS
In your scene, add Sources → Browser, give it a name, and paste the URL into the URL field. Streamlabs and XSplit have the same source type under the same name.
- 4
Set the size to 700 × 260
Type 700 into Width and 260 into Height. Size the source rather than scaling it afterwards — a stretched Browser Source renders soft text, because OBS is upscaling a finished image.
- 5
Uncheck "Shutdown source when not visible"
With that option on, OBS destroys the page whenever the scene isn't active and the live connection goes with it, which looks exactly like a widget that stopped updating. Leave it off, drag Subathon Timer into place, and you're done.
Recommended Browser Source settings
A starting point for Subathon Timer, not a rule — every overlay fits itself to the box you give it. Set the width and height here, then position the source in your scene without resizing it.
- Width
- 700
- Height
- 260
- Where to put it
- A corner of your layout, where it stays visible without covering gameplay.
Leave the source's transform at 100%. Scaling a Browser Source afterwards upscales a rendered image, which is what makes overlay text look soft.
Good to know
Grows automatically
Set how much time each follow, sub tier, or gifted sub adds: the countdown updates the instant they happen.
Mods can add time from chat
No dashboard trip needed mid-stream, moderators can extend (or cut) the clock with a chat command.
Custom zero message
Show your own text once the countdown hits zero, so the overlay always reads right even after time runs out.
If it doesn't show up
The source is blank or black+
Refresh the source (right-click → Refresh) and check that the URL was pasted in full. A source that is black on first load and fine after a refresh is usually hardware acceleration — enable it under Settings → Advanced in OBS.
It worked, then stopped updating+
Almost always "Shutdown source when not visible". With it on, OBS kills the page whenever you switch scenes and the live connection goes with it. Turn it off in the source properties.
The text looks blurry+
The source is being scaled. Reset the transform (right-click → Transform → Reset Transform) and set the width and height in the source properties instead — 700 × 260 is the size to start from.
It's the wrong size in my scene+
Change Width and Height in the source properties rather than dragging the corner handles. Dragging scales the rendered image; the properties change what gets rendered.
Subathon Timer: common questions
Is Subathon Timer free?+
Yes. Every plan includes one Subathon Timer widget, live updates and the default look included. Creator+ adds unlimited widgets of every type, plus full styling, animations and the premium templates.
What Browser Source size should I use for Subathon Timer?+
Start at 700 × 260 pixels, set in the source properties rather than by scaling the source in your scene — the widget fits itself to whatever box it is given.
Does Subathon Timer work with Streamlabs and XSplit?+
Yes. Subathon Timer is a normal web page, so it works in any streaming software with a browser or web overlay source — OBS Studio, Streamlabs, XSplit and the rest.
How long does Subathon Timer take to set up?+
A couple of minutes. Create it in the dashboard, copy its URL, paste it into a source. Styling can happen later, live, without touching OBS again.
Do I need to install a plugin?+
No. There is nothing to download and no plugin to keep updated — Subathon Timer is one URL, and it updates itself on our side.