As a motion designer, there is one thing I am always looking for on the web it is how to animate Numbers Counting Up in After Effects. Whether is to show a number of likes, counting down until a launch or specific time, or an infographic, counters are very popular. I can never seem to remember the exact codes by heart, so I always have to go look through my past projects or on the web and find the After Effects expression.
So instead of wasting time watching YouTube tutorials and going to multiple websites to find different After Effects counting expressions, I have decided to create my own set of counter / timer resource where anyone can grab the free After Effects counter templates they need and use them. This hopefully will help you and have more time available to design great counters rather than looking everywhere for After Effects script expressions 🙂
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Here we go below you will find super simple After Effects counters and timer templates.
After Effects Numbers Preset Effect
Let’s start by the easiest counting option. On the Effects & Presets windows, type “Numbers”
and drag it to your text layer or solid. Then you have multiple type of counters such as:
- Number
- Timecode
- Time
- Numerical Date
- Short Date
- Long Date
- Hexadecimal

Download the example numbers presets above here
Simple After Effects Counter
Here is an easy and straight-forward counter with animated numbers counting up, one expression only
with different options such as:
- Number and Decimals
- Add comma
- Add dollar sign
- begin count number
- end count number
- Duration

Download the above After effects counter here
After Effects Counter with comma or period.
Here are 2 counter examples with number counting up with comma or dot/period. The counter is connected to the slider control effect. It can be adjusted easily- no need to edit the expression.

Download the After Effect Counter with comma and dot here
After Effects counter with word at the end
With all the social media and infographics popularity, this “like” counter is probably the most useful with numbers counting up with the word “like”. You can change the word “like” to virtually anything you want on the expression. This counter also has a slider control.

Download the After Effects Like counter template here
After Effects counter from 0 to 1k
Now you noticed on social media how they abbreviate the numbers so instead of showing 1000 Likes they show 1K Like, below and example if you want to convert 1000 to 1k, also the after effects source file provided after the demo. Many thanks to Ukramedia for providing the expression.

Download the 0 to 1K after effects project here
After Effects Stopwatch counter
Self explanatory here is an after effects stopwatch template counting up or down with an after effects expression, many thanks to motionscript for the codes.

Download both After effects Stopwatch template here
After Effects Countdown
Super simple countdown here very easy to use for your next presentation launch!

Download the After Effects Countdown template here
After Effect Odometer Counter
Here is an simple odometer with slider control effect and an after effects expression

Download the after effect odometer template here
If I missed something or you’d would like to see a specific After Effects counter, feel free to suggest it in the comment area below. I’ll try my best to add it. Thanks!!
Enjoyed my work above? Donate generously so I can work on more stuff 🙂 [wpedon id=4038]




Hey Scott,
Thanks for your message, simply like or subscribe with the button after the template, it should unlock then you can download.
let me know if it doesn’t work I’d send you each counter template directly to you.
Thanks!
Doesn’t work with CS6. CC only?
Yes, only After Effects CC sorry.
Can I use above any of above gif animations?
Sure, please use them.
hoe do i slow down the gif? and get it to stop and stay on the end number?
For the stopwatch one, is there anyway to get rid of the empty 0’s that aren’t in use? I’m just trying to create a timer that goes form 0:00 to 5:00, vs 0:00 to 05:00.
Thanks!
Dan
Hi there,
I’ve got a number counting up. How do I slow it down at the end?
Thanks!
Hi,
I need coma system by indian counter like 20,85,594
comma after first 3 digit then comma after every 2 digit. Thanks
This was very helpful thanks!
In my After Effects CC, I had to change the If/Else slightly. It needed parens around the first IF statement:
So:
if (n < 10) return "0" + n else return "" + n
Becomes:
if (n < 10)
{
return "0" + n
}
else
{
return "" + n
}
(I added extra space and line feeds because I see things better this way.)
Hope this helps!
Thanks man this is good reference material.
Hi, is it possible to have the counter display in the format 00.0 or 000.0?
The reason is that I want a simple mile counter that goes from 0.0 to 15.0
Thanks
How to edit this, I entered 2500 but still timer goes only for 2000