20 CSS Animated Buttons10 / 20

Pure CSSMIT licensed

CSS Text Flip Button Hover

Button labels flip vertically on hover to reveal a secondary message — built with CSS 3D perspective transforms on stacked spans, no JavaScript required.

Published

Live Demo
Try it

The code

<div class="ab-10">
  <p class="ab-10__label">Hover to flip text</p>
  <div class="ab-10__row">
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--indigo">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">View Pricing</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">From $9/mo →</span>
      </span>
    </button>
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--teal">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">Follow Us</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">@codefronts</span>
      </span>
    </button>
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--rose">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">Join Beta</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">Spots Left: 3</span>
      </span>
    </button>
  </div>
</div>
.ab-10,
.ab-10 *,
.ab-10 *::before,
.ab-10 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.ab-10 ::selection {
  background: #4f46e5;
  color: #fff;
}

.ab-10 {
  font-family: system-ui,sans-serif;
  background: #0f0c1f;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 2rem;
  padding: 2rem;
}

.ab-10__label {
  font-size: .78rem;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: #818cf8;
  opacity: .6;
}

.ab-10__row {
  display: flex;
  gap: 1.25rem;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  justify-content: center;
}

.ab-10__btn {
  --c: #4f46e5;
  padding: 0;
  background: var(--c);
  border: none;
  border-radius: 10px;
  cursor: pointer;
  outline: none;
  perspective: 600px;
}

.ab-10__btn--indigo {
  --c: #4f46e5;
}

.ab-10__btn--teal {
  --c: #0d9488;
}

.ab-10__btn--rose {
  --c: #e11d48;
}

.ab-10__inner {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  padding: .85rem 2rem;
  width: 9rem;
  height: 3.1rem;
  overflow: hidden;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.ab-10__front,
.ab-10__back {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  font-size: .95rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: #fff;
  letter-spacing: .04em;
  white-space: nowrap;
  backface-visibility: hidden;
  transition: transform .35s cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1);
}

.ab-10__front {
  transform: translateY(0) rotateX(0);
}

.ab-10__back {
  transform: translateY(100%) rotateX(-90deg);
}

.ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__front {
  transform: translateY(-100%) rotateX(90deg);
}

.ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__back {
  transform: translateY(0) rotateX(0);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .ab-10__front,
    .ab-10__back {
    transition: none;
  }

  .ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__front {
    transform: none;
    opacity: 0;
  }

  .ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__back {
    transform: none;
    opacity: 1;
  }
}
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS Animated Button from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: CSS Text Flip Button Hover
Source: https://codefronts.com/motion/css-animated-buttons/css-text-flip-button-hover/

Button labels flip vertically on hover to reveal a secondary message — built with CSS 3D perspective transforms on stacked spans, no JavaScript required.
## HTML
```html
<div class="ab-10">
  <p class="ab-10__label">Hover to flip text</p>
  <div class="ab-10__row">
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--indigo">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">View Pricing</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">From $9/mo →</span>
      </span>
    </button>
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--teal">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">Follow Us</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">@codefronts</span>
      </span>
    </button>
    <button class="ab-10__btn ab-10__btn--rose">
      <span class="ab-10__inner">
        <span class="ab-10__front">Join Beta</span>
        <span class="ab-10__back">Spots Left: 3</span>
      </span>
    </button>
  </div>
</div>
```
## CSS
```css
.ab-10,
.ab-10 *,
.ab-10 *::before,
.ab-10 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.ab-10 ::selection {
  background: #4f46e5;
  color: #fff;
}

.ab-10 {
  font-family: system-ui,sans-serif;
  background: #0f0c1f;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 2rem;
  padding: 2rem;
}

.ab-10__label {
  font-size: .78rem;
  letter-spacing: .14em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: #818cf8;
  opacity: .6;
}

.ab-10__row {
  display: flex;
  gap: 1.25rem;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  justify-content: center;
}

.ab-10__btn {
  --c: #4f46e5;
  padding: 0;
  background: var(--c);
  border: none;
  border-radius: 10px;
  cursor: pointer;
  outline: none;
  perspective: 600px;
}

.ab-10__btn--indigo {
  --c: #4f46e5;
}

.ab-10__btn--teal {
  --c: #0d9488;
}

.ab-10__btn--rose {
  --c: #e11d48;
}

.ab-10__inner {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  padding: .85rem 2rem;
  width: 9rem;
  height: 3.1rem;
  overflow: hidden;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.ab-10__front,
.ab-10__back {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  font-size: .95rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: #fff;
  letter-spacing: .04em;
  white-space: nowrap;
  backface-visibility: hidden;
  transition: transform .35s cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1);
}

.ab-10__front {
  transform: translateY(0) rotateX(0);
}

.ab-10__back {
  transform: translateY(100%) rotateX(-90deg);
}

.ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__front {
  transform: translateY(-100%) rotateX(90deg);
}

.ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__back {
  transform: translateY(0) rotateX(0);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .ab-10__front,
    .ab-10__back {
    transition: none;
  }

  .ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__front {
    transform: none;
    opacity: 0;
  }

  .ab-10__btn:hover .ab-10__back {
    transform: none;
    opacity: 1;
  }
}
```

How this works

Each button contains two span elements — .front and .back — stacked inside a .ab-10__inner container that has perspective: 600px. The container has a fixed height equal to one label line. In the resting state, .back is hidden beneath by transform: rotateX(90deg) and translated to sit just below the viewport of the container (via translateY(100%)). On :hover, .front rotates to rotateX(-90deg) (flipping upward out of view) while .back rotates back to 0deg, completing the vertical flip. Both transitions use the same duration and easing.

A transition-delay of 0s on the outgoing element and a matching delay on the incoming ensures the two halves of the flip feel like a single synchronized pivot. backface-visibility: hidden prevents the ghost of each panel showing through the other during mid-rotation. All transforms happen on the compositor, making the effect entirely jank-free.

Make it yours

  • Change the flip axis from vertical to horizontal by replacing rotateX with rotateY and adjusting the translateX offsets accordingly.
  • Increase the 3D depth by raising the perspective value from 600px to 1200px — smaller values create a more dramatic foreshortening effect.
  • Add a colour change on reveal by transitioning the button background simultaneously with the flip to reinforce the state change visually.
  • Show an icon in the back label by replacing the back span text with an SVG inline icon alongside the text for a "click to confirm" interaction.
  • Stagger multiple flipping buttons in a row by giving each .ab-10__btn an increasing animation-delay when a parent class triggers the group flip via JS.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • backface-visibility: hidden is required — without it some browsers render a mirror image of the front panel visible through the back during the rotation.
  • On Safari, 3D transforms inside a position: relative button element can occasionally produce a rendering artefact where the flip stalls — wrapping the spans in a dedicated transform-style: preserve-3d container resolves this.
  • Very short labels (< 3 characters) may not fill the button width after the flip if the back label is longer — fix by setting an explicit min-width on the button or use width: max-content.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
36+9+16+36+

CSS 3D transforms with backface-visibility are well-supported; no prefixes needed in modern browsers.

Techniques used in this demo

3D transforms (perspective + preserve-3d)

Search CodeFronts

Loading…

↑↓ navigate↵ selectesc closeOpen full search page →