About this tool
The Timezone Overlap Finder visualises 24 hours across 2–6 cities simultaneously, with each hour colour-coded by how appropriate it is in local terms — early morning, working hours, evening, or night. The bright green band at the bottom highlights the hours when working time overlaps across every city you selected.
For distributed teams, that overlap is the single most valuable metric: it tells you when a real-time discussion is genuinely possible without anyone working unsociable hours.
How to use it
- 1Add 2–6 cities you want to compare. The grid expands automatically.
- 2Look for the green overlap row — those UTC hours work for everyone simultaneously.
- 3Review the "Best windows" section below for human-readable local times per city.
- 4Use this to schedule recurring meetings, async-friendly windows, or to identify which hires would close coverage gaps.
Common use cases
- Setting a recurring standup time for a globally distributed team
- Planning hiring decisions to close timezone coverage gaps
- Coordinating an "all hands" call that maximises live attendance
- Identifying overlap hours for support handoffs between regional teams
- Scheduling joint sessions for international course cohorts or workshops
Frequently asked questions
How is "working hours" defined?
By default, 9 AM to 5 PM local time. Hours outside this range are flagged as early/late or night, helping you avoid scheduling meetings at unreasonable times.
Can I compare more than 6 cities?
The interface is optimised for 2–6 cities to keep the grid readable. For larger groups, group cities by region (e.g. one EU, one North America, one Asia) and use representative cities.
Why is there sometimes no overlap?
For cities that are 11+ hours apart (e.g. San Francisco and Singapore), there is almost no overlap during standard working hours. The tool will still show the closest match, but you may need asynchronous workflows or willing volunteers for a stretched schedule.
Does DST affect the overlap?
Yes. If one of your selected cities observes DST and another does not, the overlap window shifts by an hour twice a year. The tool always reflects the current correct offset.