Compare GMT vs PST
See the current GMT and PST offset, understand DST changes, and find the best hours to schedule meetings across both time zones.
How to Find the Time Difference Between GMT and PST
Open the GMT to PST comparison page: Visit https://www.xconvert.com/time-converter/gmt-vs-pst to load the visual comparison grid with GMT and PST already shown as separate rows. This page is useful when you are scheduling a call between London-based teams using Greenwich Mean Time references and contacts on the US West Coast, such as software teams in California, media companies in Los Angeles, or logistics partners handling Pacific shipping windows.
Add other relevant cities if your schedule involves more than two regions: Click “+ Add City” and search for places such as London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Vancouver to compare real operating locations that commonly use these time standards. This is especially helpful for remote engineering, customer support, and entertainment workflows, where a GMT-based coordinator may need to line up with Pacific Time offices used by tech firms, gaming studios, or film production teams.
Drag across the grid to select a meeting window: Click “Select” if needed, then drag across the colored hourly slots on the GMT row to highlight a range in purple, such as 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM GMT. The PST row will show the matching local time as 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM PST, making it immediately clear that a standard London morning is too early for California and that a better overlap may be 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM GMT, which equals 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM PST.
Export and share the selected time range: After selecting a workable overlap, use the export options shown on the page: ICS download, Google Calendar, Gmail, Copy to clipboard, or Share link. For example, a distributed product team can send the ICS file so everyone sees the meeting in local time automatically, while a recruiter coordinating interviews across the UK and US West Coast can use the Gmail or share-link option to avoid manual conversion mistakes.
GMT vs PST Offset Explained
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is UTC+0 all year, while PST (Pacific Standard Time) is UTC-8. That means PST is 8 hours behind GMT, so when it is 12:00 PM noon in GMT, it is 4:00 AM in PST on the same calendar day.
The seasonal complication is that much of the US West Coast does not stay on PST year-round. Cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver switch to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC-7) during daylight saving time, typically from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. In 2026, that means the Pacific region observes daylight time from March 8, 2026 until November 1, 2026, so during that period the difference between GMT and Pacific Time is 7 hours, not 8.
This distinction matters because many users search for “GMT vs PST” when they actually mean “GMT vs current Pacific Time.” In winter, 9:00 AM GMT = 1:00 AM PST; in summer, 9:00 AM GMT = 2:00 AM PDT. If you are booking business calls with California companies, checking airline departure times, or coordinating support coverage with a West Coast operations team, the one-hour DST shift can change whether a meeting lands before work hours or inside a normal 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific workday.
GMT itself is closely associated with the Greenwich meridian in London, and it remains a common reference in aviation, shipping, legacy technical systems, and international scheduling. PST is tied to the standard-time clock used in the Pacific Time Zone during the non-DST part of the year, covering major economic centers with a combined population in the tens of millions, including Los Angeles (about 3.8 million city population) and San Diego (about 1.4 million), plus the wider metro regions that host major technology, defense, biotech, trade, and entertainment industries.
For practical scheduling, the most usable overlap between a GMT-based workday and a PST-based workday is usually late afternoon in GMT and early morning in PST. For example, 5:00 PM GMT = 9:00 AM PST, which works well for UK–California sales calls, engineering standups, and agency-client reviews. By contrast, 9:00 AM PST = 5:00 PM GMT, often making it one of the last convenient same-day slots for teams working from the UK or other GMT-referenced schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the exact time difference between GMT and PST?
PST is 8 hours behind GMT because GMT is UTC+0 and PST is UTC-8. A simple way to convert is to subtract 8 hours from GMT to get PST during the standard-time season, so 6:00 PM GMT becomes 10:00 AM PST.
Does the GMT to PST difference change during daylight saving time?
Yes, it changes for most real Pacific Time locations because the US and Canada typically switch from PST (UTC-8) to PDT (UTC-7). In 2026, daylight saving time begins on March 8 and ends on November 1, so during that period places like Los Angeles and San Francisco are 7 hours behind GMT, not 8.
Why does my GMT to PST conversion seem off by one hour in summer?
The mismatch usually happens because people say “PST” even when West Coast cities are actually observing PDT. If you compare GMT to the current local time in California in July, the real difference is 7 hours, so 3:00 PM GMT would be 8:00 AM PDT, not 7:00 AM PST.
What is the best meeting time for GMT and PST teams?
A practical overlap is usually 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM GMT, which corresponds to 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM PST in winter. This window works well for UK-based managers speaking with California engineering, design, gaming, SaaS, or media teams because it lands after the Pacific workday starts while still staying inside normal European office hours.
How do I use the xconvert tool to compare GMT and PST visually?
On the page, you do not type a time manually; instead, you use the visual 24-hour grid with colored slots for work, evening, and night. Click Select, drag across the GMT or PST row to highlight a range, and the matching hours appear across both rows, which is much faster for spotting overlaps than calculating offsets by hand.
Is GMT the same as UK time all year?
No, not in everyday civil use. The UK uses GMT in winter, but during daylight saving time it switches to British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1), usually from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, so a London meeting in summer is often based on BST rather than GMT.
When it is 9 AM in GMT, what time is it in PST?
In the standard-time period, 9:00 AM GMT = 1:00 AM PST because PST is 8 hours behind. During the Pacific daylight saving period, the equivalent for West Coast cities is usually 2:00 AM PDT, which is why checking the date is essential before sending invites.
Is GMT or PST better to use for international scheduling?
For global coordination, GMT or UTC-based references are often clearer because they do not shift in the same way local business clocks do. However, if you are arranging meetings with companies in California, Washington, Oregon, or British Columbia, using the local Pacific time shown on the grid is more practical because it reflects actual office hours, trading desks, customer support shifts, and flight departure schedules.