diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/customize.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/customize.tsx
index 37e730f92b..622413b7cc 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/customize.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/customize.tsx
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ export interface CustomizeState {
   logo_square: string;
   max_upgrades: TypedMap<Partial<Upgrades>>;
   nonfree_countries?: List<string>;
+  limit_free_project_uptime: number; // minutes
   onprem_quota_heading: string;
   organization_email: string;
   organization_name: string;
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/editors/stopwatch/stopwatch.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/editors/stopwatch/stopwatch.tsx
index 462be3391f..8fc30e007b 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/editors/stopwatch/stopwatch.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/editors/stopwatch/stopwatch.tsx
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ import {
   PlayCircleTwoTone,
   StopTwoTone,
 } from "@ant-design/icons";
-import { redux, useForceUpdate } from "@cocalc/frontend/app-framework";
-import { Icon } from "@cocalc/frontend/components/icon";
 import { Button, Col, Modal, Row, TimePicker, Tooltip } from "antd";
 import type { Dayjs } from "dayjs";
 import dayjs from "dayjs";
 import { CSSProperties, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 
+import { redux, useForceUpdate } from "@cocalc/frontend/app-framework";
+import { Icon } from "@cocalc/frontend/components/icon";
 import MarkdownInput from "@cocalc/frontend/editors/markdown-input/multimode";
 import StaticMarkdown from "@cocalc/frontend/editors/slate/static-markdown";
 import { useFrameContext } from "@cocalc/frontend/frame-editors/frame-tree/frame-context";
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ interface StopwatchProps {
   state: TimerState; // 'paused' or 'running' or 'stopped'
   time: number; // when entered this state
   countdown?: number; // if given, this is a countdown timer, counting down from this many seconds.
-  clickButton: (str: string) => void;
+  clickButton?: (str: string) => void;
   setLabel?: (str: string) => void;
   setCountdown?: (time: number) => void; // time in seconds
   compact?: boolean;
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
       >
         <Button
           icon={<PlayCircleTwoTone />}
-          onClick={() => props.clickButton("start")}
+          onClick={() => props.clickButton?.("start")}
           style={!props.compact ? { width: "8em" } : undefined}
         >
           {!props.compact ? "Start" : undefined}
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
       >
         <Button
           icon={<StopTwoTone />}
-          onClick={() => props.clickButton("reset")}
+          onClick={() => props.clickButton?.("reset")}
         >
           {!props.compact ? "Reset" : undefined}
         </Button>
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
                   time.second() + time.minute() * 60 + time.hour() * 60 * 60,
                 );
                 // timeout so the setcountdown can fully propagate through flux; needed for whiteboard
-                setTimeout(() => props.clickButton("reset"), 0);
+                setTimeout(() => props.clickButton?.("reset"), 0);
               }
             }}
             showNow={false}
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
       >
         <Button
           icon={<DeleteTwoTone />}
-          onClick={() => props.clickButton("delete")}
+          onClick={() => props.clickButton?.("delete")}
         >
           {!props.compact ? "Delete" : undefined}
         </Button>
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
       <Tooltip mouseEnterDelay={1} title="Pause the stopwatch">
         <Button
           icon={<PauseCircleTwoTone />}
-          onClick={() => props.clickButton("pause")}
+          onClick={() => props.clickButton?.("pause")}
           style={!props.compact ? { width: "8em" } : undefined}
         >
           {!props.compact ? "Pause" : undefined}
@@ -229,13 +229,13 @@ export default function Stopwatch(props: StopwatchProps) {
             }
             open
             onOk={() => {
-              props.clickButton("reset");
+              props.clickButton?.("reset");
               redux
                 .getProjectActions(frame.project_id)
                 ?.open_file({ path: frame.path });
             }}
             onCancel={() => {
-              props.clickButton("reset");
+              props.clickButton?.("reset");
             }}
           >
             {props.label && <StaticMarkdown value={props.label} />}
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/project/trial-banner.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/project/trial-banner.tsx
index f126901e37..9572b91673 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/project/trial-banner.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/project/trial-banner.tsx
@@ -3,19 +3,24 @@
  *  License: AGPLv3 s.t. "Commons Clause" – see LICENSE.md for details
  */
 
-import { Alert, Tag } from "antd";
+import { Alert, Modal, Tag } from "antd";
 import humanizeList from "humanize-list";
 import { join } from "path";
 
 import {
   CSS,
   React,
+  useEffect,
+  useForceUpdate,
   useMemo,
   useState,
-  redux,
+  useTypedRedux,
 } from "@cocalc/frontend/app-framework";
-import { A, Icon, Paragraph } from "@cocalc/frontend/components";
+import { A, Icon, Paragraph, Text } from "@cocalc/frontend/components";
+import { SiteName } from "@cocalc/frontend/customize";
 import { appBasePath } from "@cocalc/frontend/customize/app-base-path";
+import { TimeAmount } from "@cocalc/frontend/editors/stopwatch/time";
+import { open_new_tab } from "@cocalc/frontend/misc";
 import {
   SiteLicenseInput,
   useManagedLicenses,
@@ -26,9 +31,10 @@ import {
   EVALUATION_PERIOD_DAYS,
   LICENSE_MIN_PRICE,
 } from "@cocalc/util/consts/billing";
-import { server_time } from "@cocalc/util/relative-time";
+import { server_time } from "@cocalc/util/misc";
 import { COLORS, DOC_URL } from "@cocalc/util/theme";
 import { useAllowedFreeProjectToRun } from "./client-side-throttle";
+import { useProjectContext } from "./context";
 import { applyLicense } from "./settings/site-license";
 
 export const DOC_TRIAL = "https://doc.cocalc.com/trial.html";
@@ -133,22 +139,22 @@ export const TrialBanner: React.FC<BannerProps> = React.memo(
       <strong>No upgrades</strong>
     );
 
-    function renderComputeServer() {
-      return (
-        <a
-          style={a_style}
-          onClick={() => {
-            const actions = redux.getProjectActions(project_id);
-            actions.setState({ create_compute_server: true });
-            actions.set_active_tab("servers", {
-              change_history: true,
-            });
-          }}
-        >
-          using a compute server
-        </a>
-      );
-    }
+    // function renderComputeServer() {
+    //   return (
+    //     <a
+    //       style={a_style}
+    //       onClick={() => {
+    //         const actions = redux.getProjectActions(project_id);
+    //         actions.setState({ create_compute_server: true });
+    //         actions.set_active_tab("servers", {
+    //           change_history: true,
+    //         });
+    //       }}
+    //     >
+    //       using a compute server
+    //     </a>
+    //   );
+    // }
 
     function renderBuyAndUpgrade(text: string = "with a license"): JSX.Element {
       return (
@@ -160,9 +166,10 @@ export const TrialBanner: React.FC<BannerProps> = React.memo(
             asLink={true}
             style={{ padding: 0, fontSize: style.fontSize, ...a_style }}
           />
-          . Price starts at {LICENSE_MIN_PRICE}.{" "}
+          .<br />
+          Price starts at {LICENSE_MIN_PRICE}.{" "}
           <a style={a_style} onClick={() => setShowAddLicense(true)}>
-            Apply your license to this project.
+            Apply your license to this project
           </a>
         </>
       );
@@ -183,7 +190,7 @@ export const TrialBanner: React.FC<BannerProps> = React.memo(
         return (
           <span>
             {trial_project} You can improve hosting quality and get internet
-            access {renderComputeServer()} or {renderBuyAndUpgrade()}.
+            access {/* {renderComputeServer()} */} or {renderBuyAndUpgrade()}.
             <br />
             Otherwise, {humanizeList([...NO_HOST, NO_INTERNET])}
             {"."}
@@ -251,20 +258,28 @@ export const TrialBanner: React.FC<BannerProps> = React.memo(
       return null;
     }
 
+    function renderClose() {
+      return (
+        <Tag
+          style={{ marginTop: "10px", fontSize: style.fontSize }}
+          color="#faad14"
+        >
+          <Icon name="times" /> Dismiss
+        </Tag>
+      );
+    }
+
+    function renderCountDown() {
+      if (closable) return;
+
+      return <CountdownProject fontSize={style.fontSize} />;
+    }
+
     return (
       <Alert
         type="warning"
         closable={closable}
-        closeIcon={
-          closable ? (
-            <Tag
-              style={{ marginTop: "10px", fontSize: style.fontSize }}
-              color="#faad14"
-            >
-              <Icon name="times" /> Dismiss
-            </Tag>
-          ) : undefined
-        }
+        closeIcon={renderClose()}
         style={style}
         banner={true}
         showIcon={!closable || (internet && host)}
@@ -286,15 +301,16 @@ export const TrialBanner: React.FC<BannerProps> = React.memo(
                 padding: 0,
               }}
             >
+              {renderCountDown()}
               {renderMessage()} {renderLearnMore(style.color)}
             </Paragraph>
-            {showAddLicense && (
+            {showAddLicense ? (
               <BannerApplySiteLicense
                 project_id={project_id}
                 projectSiteLicenses={projectSiteLicenses}
                 setShowAddLicense={setShowAddLicense}
               />
-            )}
+            ) : undefined}
           </>
         }
       />
@@ -356,3 +372,109 @@ export const BannerApplySiteLicense: React.FC<ApplyLicenseProps> = (
     </>
   );
 };
+
+interface CountdownProjectProps {
+  fontSize: CSS["fontSize"];
+}
+
+function CountdownProject({ fontSize }: CountdownProjectProps) {
+  const { status, project, project_id } = useProjectContext();
+  const limit_min = useTypedRedux("customize", "limit_free_project_uptime");
+  const [showInfo, setShowInfo] = useState<boolean>(false);
+  const update = useForceUpdate();
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const interval = setInterval(update, 1000);
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, []);
+
+  if (
+    status.get("state") !== "running" ||
+    project == null ||
+    limit_min == null ||
+    limit_min <= 0
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  // start_ts is e.g. 1508576664416
+  const start_ts = project.getIn(["status", "start_ts"]);
+  if (start_ts == undefined) return null;
+
+  const shutdown_ts = start_ts + 1000 * 60 * 60 * limit_min;
+  const countdown = shutdown_ts - server_time().getTime();
+
+  if (countdown < 0) return null;
+
+  function renderInfo() {
+    return (
+      <Modal
+        title={"Project Shutdown"}
+        open={showInfo}
+        onOk={() => open_new_tab(BUY_A_LICENSE_URL, true)}
+        onCancel={() => setShowInfo(false)}
+      >
+        <Paragraph strong>
+          This is a call to support the <SiteName /> project by{" "}
+          <BuyLicenseForProject
+            project_id={project_id}
+            buyText={"purchasing a license"}
+            voucherText={"redeeming a voucher"}
+            asLink={true}
+          />
+          .
+        </Paragraph>
+        <Paragraph>
+          Behind this site are <A href={"/about/team"}>humans working hard</A>{" "}
+          to keep the service running and improving it constantly. Running your
+          computations <A href={"/info/status"}>in our cluster</A> and storing
+          your files costs us money as well.
+        </Paragraph>
+        <Paragraph>
+          <SiteName /> receives no funding from large venture captital
+          organizations or charitable foundations. The site depends entirely{" "}
+          <Text strong>on your financial support</Text> to continue operating.
+          Without your financial support this service will not survive
+          long-term!
+        </Paragraph>
+        <Paragraph>
+          <A href={"https://doc.cocalc.com/trial.html"}>Trial projects</A> have
+          a maximum uptime of {limit_min} minutes. After that period, the
+          project will stop and interrupt your work. The state in your
+          interactive files like Jupyter Notebooks will be lost. The files
+          themselves will be saved, though.
+        </Paragraph>
+        <Paragraph strong>
+          This shutdown timer only exists for projects without upgrades!
+        </Paragraph>
+      </Modal>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      {renderInfo()}
+      <Tag
+        style={{
+          marginTop: "5px",
+          fontSize,
+          float: "right",
+          fontWeight: "bold",
+          color: COLORS.ANTD_RED,
+          cursor: "pointer",
+        }}
+        color={COLORS.GRAY_LL}
+        onClick={() => setShowInfo(true)}
+      >
+        <TimeAmount
+          key={"time"}
+          amount={countdown}
+          compact={true}
+          showIcon={true}
+          countdown={countdown}
+          style={{ color: COLORS.ANTD_RED }}
+        />
+      </Tag>
+    </>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/purchase/buy-license-for-project.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/purchase/buy-license-for-project.tsx
index d35526b500..0e50b7c1cf 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/purchase/buy-license-for-project.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/site-licenses/purchase/buy-license-for-project.tsx
@@ -48,7 +48,11 @@ export const BuyLicenseForProject: React.FC<Props> = ({
 
   function renderBuyButton() {
     if (asLink) {
-      return <A href={url("store/site-license")}>{buyText}...</A>;
+      return (
+        <A href={url("store/site-license")} style={style}>
+          {buyText}
+        </A>
+      );
     }
     return (
       <Button
@@ -67,7 +71,11 @@ export const BuyLicenseForProject: React.FC<Props> = ({
 
   function renderVoucherButton() {
     if (asLink) {
-      return <A href={url("redeem")}>{voucherText}...</A>;
+      return (
+        <A href={url("redeem")} style={style}>
+          {voucherText}
+        </A>
+      );
     }
     return (
       <Button
diff --git a/src/packages/util/consts/billing.ts b/src/packages/util/consts/billing.ts
index 4760c2cca5..67cee105d0 100644
--- a/src/packages/util/consts/billing.ts
+++ b/src/packages/util/consts/billing.ts
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ export const AVG_YEAR_DAYS = 12 * AVG_MONTH_DAYS;
 export const ONE_MONTH_MS = AVG_MONTH_DAYS * ONE_DAY_MS;
 
 // throughout the UI, we show this price as the minimum (per month)
-export const LICENSE_MIN_PRICE = "about $4/month";
+export const LICENSE_MIN_PRICE = "about $5/month";
 
 // Trial Banner in the UI
 export const EVALUATION_PERIOD_DAYS = 10;
-export const BANNER_NON_DISMISSABLE_DAYS = 30;
+export const BANNER_NON_DISMISSABLE_DAYS = 15;
diff --git a/src/packages/util/db-schema/site-defaults.ts b/src/packages/util/db-schema/site-defaults.ts
index e12c0f7228..186414e9d6 100644
--- a/src/packages/util/db-schema/site-defaults.ts
+++ b/src/packages/util/db-schema/site-defaults.ts
@@ -574,6 +574,7 @@ export const site_settings_conf: SiteSettings = {
     to_val: to_int,
     valid: only_nonneg_int,
     show: only_cocalc_com,
+    to_display: (val) => `${val} minutes`,
   },
   datastore: {
     name: "Datastore",