Animated Gradient Button
A pill whose three-color gradient flows sideways forever, so the call to action never sits still. The gradient tiles every 12em and a wider layer slides by one tile, so only transform moves.
Also known as: css button gradient animation, moving gradient button, gradient background animation button.
HTML
<button class="btn-animated-gradient" type="button">Start free trial</button>
CSS
.btn-animated-gradient {
--c: var(--btn-color, #3b82f6);
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
gap: 0.5em;
padding: 0.75em 1.6em;
border: 0;
border-radius: 0.6em;
font: 600 var(--btn-size, 18px)/1.1 system-ui, sans-serif;
cursor: pointer;
-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
position: relative;
isolation: isolate;
overflow: hidden;
padding: 0.85em 1.9em;
border-radius: 2em;
background: var(--c);
color: #fff;
box-shadow: 0 0.55em 1.2em -0.55em color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 80%, transparent);
transition: transform 0.25s cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1), box-shadow 0.25s ease;}
.btn-animated-gradient::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
top: 0;
bottom: 0;
left: 0;
z-index: -1;
width: calc(100% + 12em);
background: linear-gradient(90deg,
var(--c),
color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 45%, #a855f7),
color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 35%, #ec4899),
var(--c)) 0 0 / 12em 100%;
animation: btn-animated-gradient-flow 4s linear infinite;
}
.btn-animated-gradient:is(:hover, :focus-visible) {
box-shadow: 0 0.8em 1.6em -0.6em color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 90%, transparent);
}
.btn-animated-gradient:active { transform: scale(0.96); }
@keyframes btn-animated-gradient-flow {
to { transform: translateX(-12em); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.btn-animated-gradient, .btn-animated-gradient *, .btn-animated-gradient::before, .btn-animated-gradient::after, .btn-animated-gradient *::before, .btn-animated-gradient *::after {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}Customizing this snippet
- Color: set
--btn-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Base size: set
--btn-size. Every other dimension is inem, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing18px. - Speed: change the duration on the
transitionoranimationshorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.