Quick Answer: The best electric fireplace with a timer overall is the Touchstone Sideline Elite 50” ($999–$1,499), whose standard 1-8 hour auto shut-off timer is controllable from the unit, remote, or app, per Touchstone’s own specs. The Dimplex IgniteXL ($3,049.99, list $3,964.99) uses a 30 minute-8 hour Sleep Timer with finer half-hour steps, and Duraflame’s 3D Infrared Quartz Stove (roughly $220-$260) matches that granularity with a 30 minute-9 hour range set by cycling the remote’s timer button. Budget buyers get a real, working timer from R.W.Flame’s 36” recessed unit (roughly $150-$240, 1-8 hours in full-hour steps) or the Costway 50” (about $159.99), just with less precise increments than the pricier picks.
A timer and a thermostat solve two different problems, even though both get marketed as “smart” convenience features. A timer is a countdown to full shutoff — set it before falling asleep or leaving the house, and the fireplace turns itself off completely once the clock runs out, independent of room temperature. That’s a different job from a thermostat, which we cover separately in our best electric fireplace with a thermostat guide. We compared five real models on timer range, increment size, and price.
Electric fireplaces with a timer, compared
| Model | Best for | Timer range | Increment | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touchstone Sideline Elite 50" | Best overall / app control | 1–8 hours | 1 hour | ~$999–$1,499 | ★★★★★ |
| Dimplex IgniteXL | Finest increment | 30 min–8 hours | 30 minutes | $3,049.99 | ★★★★★ |
| Duraflame 3D Infrared Quartz Stove | Longest max range | 30 min–9 hours | 30 minutes (then 1 hour) | ~$220–$260 | ★★★★☆ |
| R.W.Flame Recessed 36" | Best budget | 1–8 hours | 1 hour | ~$150–$240 | ★★★★☆ |
| Costway 50" | Cheapest | Up to 8 hours (varies by model) | Varies | ~$159.99 | ★★★☆☆ |
1. Touchstone Sideline Elite 50” — Best Overall / App Control
Touchstone Sideline Elite 50" Smart Electric Fireplace
- Built-in heat timer shuts the unit off automatically anywhere from 1 to 8 hours out, per Touchstone's own product specs — controllable from the remote, touch panel, or the app.
- The step-up Sideline Elite Pro extends that range to 30 minutes-9 hours, the widest range in the Touchstone lineup, though the standard Elite here is the better value at this site's usual price point.
- Same 60 flame/ember color combinations and app control already established as this site's top wall-mount pick, covered in our color-changing LED electric fireplace guide.
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The Sideline Elite leads this list because its timer is layered onto the same app and remote controls buyers already use for flame color and heat, not a separate accessory bolted on.
2. Dimplex IgniteXL — Finest Increment
Dimplex IgniteXL Linear Electric Fireplace
- Dimplex's Sleep Timer counts down in 30-minute steps from 30 minutes up to 8 hours, per Dimplex's own product documentation — the finest-grained control of any pick in this guide.
- That half-hour precision matters most for a bedtime routine: setting the fireplace to shut off at exactly 90 minutes isn't possible on the hour-only budget picks below.
- Same 1,500W heater rated for roughly 400 sq ft on standard 120V power as the site's other premium picks, in line with our sizing guide.
For anyone who wants the shutoff time dialed in precisely rather than rounded to the nearest hour, the IgniteXL is the one built for it — at a real premium over the other four picks here.
3. Duraflame 3D Infrared Quartz Stove — Longest Max Range
Duraflame 3D Infrared Quartz Electric Stove Heater
- The remote's timer button cycles through 30 minutes, then full-hour steps up to 9 hours, per the unit's own manual — the longest maximum shutoff window of any pick in this guide, an hour past the Dimplex and Touchstone picks above.
- Pairs that timer with a genuine infrared heating element rated for up to 1,000 sq ft, more than double the ~400 sq ft rating on the fan-forced picks in this guide, already covered in our best Duraflame electric fireplace roundup.
- Freestanding stove format needs no wall mounting or recess — plug it in and set the timer from the remote.
If an overnight shutoff window longer than 8 hours matters — say, running the fireplace through a long evening before bed without babysitting it — the Duraflame stretches furthest of any pick here.
4. R.W.Flame Recessed 36” — Best Budget
R.W.Flame Recessed 36" Electric Fireplace
- Ships with a real 1-8 hour timer set from the remote or touch panel, per R.W.Flame's own listed specs, at well under a fifth of the Touchstone Sideline Elite's price.
- Steps in full-hour increments only, with no 30-minute option — the same precision trade-off as the Costway pick below, an honest limitation at this price.
- Same 750W/1,500W dual heat setting and recessed-or-wall-mount flexibility as this site's other R.W.Flame picks, covered in our best R.W.Flame electric fireplace roundup.
For a secondary room where a working auto shut-off matters more than half-hour precision, the R.W.Flame Recessed 36” delivers a real timer for a fraction of the premium picks.
5. Costway 50” — Cheapest
Costway 50" Recessed Ultra-Thin Electric Fireplace
- Costway's timer feature exists across its lineup, but the exact range varies by model — some units offer up to 8 hours, others cap at 6 hours or step in half-hour increments, per Costway's own product listings, so check the specific model's spec sheet rather than assuming a single standard range.
- The cheapest way to get a working auto shut-off timer in this guide, at roughly a sixth of the Touchstone Sideline Elite's price for the same 750W/1,500W heat, already covered in our best 50-inch electric fireplace roundup.
- Budget trade-off is build quality and control precision, not the presence of the timer feature itself — the countdown genuinely works, per verified buyer listings.
If the timer just needs to work at the lowest possible price, the Costway 50” gets the job done — just confirm the exact hour range on the specific listing before buying, since Costway doesn’t standardize it across models.
Buying a timer-equipped electric fireplace: what actually matters
- A timer shuts everything off; it doesn’t hold a temperature — if you want the room to stay at a set number instead of the fireplace fully powering down, that’s a thermostat’s job, not a timer’s; see our electric fireplace with a thermostat guide for that comparison.
- Increment size is the real differentiator, not the max range — every pick here tops out somewhere between 6 and 9 hours, close enough not to matter for most routines, but a 30-minute increment (Dimplex, Duraflame) beats a 1-hour-only increment (R.W.Flame, most Costway models) for matching an exact bedtime or departure window.
- The timer always kills flame and heat together — none of the five picks here let you time out the heater while leaving the flame effect running, or vice versa, per each brand’s own manual.
- A working timer isn’t a premium-only feature — even the ~$160 Costway pick has one, the same conclusion this site’s thermostat guide reached about that feature.
The bottom line
For most buyers, the Touchstone Sideline Elite 50” remains the strongest overall pick — a reliable 1-8 hour timer layered onto app and voice control from a brand this site already trusts. Buyers who want the shutoff dialed in to the exact half hour should look at the Dimplex IgniteXL, and anyone running the fireplace through a longer evening gets the widest window from the Duraflame 3D Infrared Quartz Stove. Budget shoppers get a genuinely working timer from the R.W.Flame Recessed 36” or the even cheaper Costway 50”. For the difference between this feature and continuous temperature hold, see our best electric fireplace with a thermostat guide.