Score counter app for board games: what to look for

For a game night where you just need a running total per player, use a counter app with one named counter for each person. Tally Counter works that way: the Counters list shows each name beside its score, and every score moves up or down one point per tap.

That simplicity is also the limit, so it helps to know what you need before you choose. Score apps fall into two groups, and the right one depends on how your games score.

Two kinds of score counter app

Some score apps are built around a scoresheet. They track rounds, let you type a number for each player, and keep a history of the game. Search results for "score counter app" show apps like that, and some also add custom increments. If your game has big or uneven point values, or you want to look back at round three, that's the kind to pick.

The other kind is a plain counter. Each player gets a number, and you move it up or down. It's quicker to set up and there's nothing to learn, but you only see the current total.

A short checklist for game night

• One score per player. Can you name each one, so nobody asks "which number is mine"?
• All scores on one screen. Fewer taps between rounds.
• Point sizes. Does your game score in 1s, or in 5s and 10s?
• History. Do you need past rounds, or only the total?
• Negative scores. Does your game ever go below zero?
• Cleanup. How fast can you reset for the next game?

What Tally Counter does for scoring

Tally Counter is a counter app, not a scorekeeper, so it covers the plain-counter side of that checklist.

• One named counter per player. Make as many as you need. Counting is free with unlimited counters.
• All scores at once. The Counters list shows each counter's name and current number.
• +1 and −1 only. The + button adds one and the − button subtracts one. There's no step setting, so a 5-point play is five taps.
• No negative scores. The − button is disabled at 0.
• No scoresheet and no starting value. Every counter starts at 0 and shows its current number plus a Today badge. There's no per-round record. Premium adds a recent-activity list of taps, but it isn't a round-by-round scoresheet.
• Feedback on each tap. Adding, subtracting and resetting give haptic feedback, which you can switch off in Settings.

If your game starts players at 20 or 501, or scores in big jumps, a scoresheet app fits better. For games that count in ones (a point per trick, per card, per round won), it's enough.

Set up a game night with Tally Counter

1. Open the Counters list and tap New Counter. When the list is empty, the button is Create Counter.
2. Type a player's name in the name field and tap Create.
3. Repeat for each player. Names can be anything, like "Sam" or "Team Red".
4. Tap a name to open its counter. Tap + when that player scores and − to fix a mistake.
5. Go back to the Counters list to see everyone's score together.
6. To fix a name, open the counter, tap Edit, change the name and tap Save.
7. For the next game, open each counter, tap the reset button and confirm. Or swipe a counter in the list to delete it.

Related guides

For more on running several counters at once, see counter app with multiple counters. If you're comparing counter apps in general, see how to choose a counter app for iPhone.