What this online tally counter does
This online tally counter replaces the metal clicker you hold in your hand. Tap the large pad, click it with a mouse or press Space, and the number goes up by one. It works as a click counter on a laptop, a tap counter on a phone and a people counter at a door, and it keeps its count if you refresh the page or close the browser.
It also does several things a mechanical counter cannot: count down as well as up, add 2, 5 or 12 per tap, run up to 20 named counters side by side, undo a slip, warn you when you reach a target and keep a log with the time of every change. The log downloads as a CSV file for a spreadsheet.
How to count
- Tap the big pad, click it, or press Space, ↑ or + on a keyboard. Each press adds the step, which starts at 1.
- Take one off with the minus button below the pad, or press ↓ or −.
- Fix a mistake with Undo, U or Ctrl+Z (⌘+Z on a Mac). Undo works through your last 200 changes, newest first.
- Start over with Reset or the R key. A bar asks you to confirm and keyboard focus moves to its Cancel button, so a stray key press cannot wipe a long count: Space, Enter or Esc cancels, and only R again (or a click on "Reset to 0") confirms. In full screen the bar appears inside the full-screen view.
- Add more counters with "Add counter", then switch between them by clicking their chips or pressing 1 to 9. Click the pencil icon to rename the active counter.
- Adjust the counter's settings: the step per tap, an optional target, "Stop at zero", and a box to set the count to any number.
- Go full screen for counting without looking: the whole display becomes one tap target.
The keyboard only counts when the counter is on screen and nothing else on the page has focus, or the big pad itself has. Once you click a link, a field or another button, keys do their usual job there, so the arrow keys and Space scroll this article normally. A key that would change nothing, such as ↓ when the count is already 0, also keeps its usual job.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space, ↑, + or = | Add the step |
| ↓ or − | Subtract the step |
| U, Ctrl+Z or ⌘+Z | Undo the last change |
| R | Reset to 0 (asks first; R again confirms) |
| 1 to 9 | Switch to counter 1 to 9 |
| F | Enter or leave full screen |
| Esc | Cancel a confirmation or leave full screen |
After you click a button such as Undo, Space presses that button again and the other shortcuts pause, as on any web page. Click the big pad or an empty part of the page to hand the keys back to the counter. In full screen, every key works except that Space presses whichever button has focus.
How the counter handles steps, zero and targets
Every change goes through one rule: the new count is the old count plus or minus the step, kept between −999,999,999 and 999,999,999. Two settings change that rule.
Step per tap. A stocktaker counting sealed boxes of 12 sets the step to 12. Seven taps give 84. With a target of 100, the counter shows "16 to go – 2 more taps at step 12", because 100 − 84 = 16 and 16 ÷ 12 rounds up to 2.
Stop at zero. On by default, because most things you tally cannot go negative. With a count of 3 and a step of 5, one tap of minus gives 0, not −2. Switch it off to track something that can dip below zero, such as a score or a running balance.
Target. Type a goal and a progress bar appears along the bottom of the pad. The moment the count first reaches or passes the target, the page shows "Target reached", plays a two-note chime if sound is on and buzzes if vibration is on. Counting back down to the target later does not set it off again.
Undo. The counter keeps a stack of changes. Say a count of 42 is reset by accident: Undo restores 42, and a second Undo goes back to 41. Undo also switches to the counter it changed, so you can see what it did.
Practical uses
- Door or venue counts. Tap when someone comes in, press minus when someone leaves, and the number is the headcount inside. Set the target to the room's capacity so the alert tells you when to stop admitting people.
- Stocktakes and inventory. One counter per product line ("Small", "Medium", "Large"), each with its own step for packs or cases. "Copy totals" gives a list like "Small: 48" to paste into a message.
- Laps, reps and sets. Full-screen mode on a phone makes the whole screen the button, which is easy to hit mid-workout.
- Surveys and fieldwork. Traffic counts, bird counts or a classroom tally of answers, with the CSV recording when each count happened.
- Knitting and crochet rows. Set the target to the number of rows in the pattern.
- Prayer and meditation counts. A target of 33 or 99 suits a tasbih, and 108 suits a mala. At 54 the progress bar shows exactly halfway.
Exporting the history
Every change is logged with the counter's name, the action and the new value. "Export CSV" downloads the log oldest first, with the time in your device's local time:
Time,Counter,Action,Change,Value
2026-10-05 09:00:00,Visitors,Add,+1,1
2026-10-05 09:00:04,Visitors,Add,+1,2
2026-10-05 09:00:09,Visitors,Subtract,-1,1
2026-10-05 09:01:30,Visitors,Reset,-1,0
2026-10-05 09:01:35,Visitors,Undo,+1,1
The year-month-day format avoids the 10/05/2026 versus 05/10/2026 confusion between US and day-first regions, and most spreadsheet apps read it as a date and time. A counter name that contains a comma or quote is quoted properly, and a name starting with "=" is prefixed with an apostrophe so a spreadsheet does not treat it as a formula. The log keeps the newest 1,000 changes; "Clear history" empties it without touching the counts.
Tips and common mistakes
- Keep your phone awake. If the screen locks, nothing is lost, but you lose time unlocking. Raise the auto-lock time for long sessions.
- Use one tab at a time. Two open tabs of this page both save to the same storage, and the one you used last wins.
- Pick the step before you start. Changing the step does not change taps you have already made.
- Name counters before counting. The log records the name at the moment of each change, so renaming later does not rewrite old rows.
- Export before clearing browser data. Clearing cookies and site data also deletes your counts.
- Check vibration support. Browsers without the Vibration API, which includes every browser on iPhone and iPad, show the option as unsupported. Use the sound instead.
Privacy and limitations
The counter runs entirely in your browser. Counts, names, settings and the log are stored in local storage on your device and are never uploaded. There is no account, so the count does not follow you to another browser or device; use the CSV export to move it.
Counts are whole numbers. Each counter has its own step (1 to 1,000), target and stop-at-zero setting, and you can keep up to 20 counters. For measuring how fast you click rather than how many times, use the click speed test. To turn two counts into a percentage, such as how full a room is, use the percentage calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a handheld tally counter?
A handheld clicker usually shows four digits, counts up only and needs a thumb press to reset. This counter counts up and down, can add more than one per tap, runs up to 20 named counters side by side, undoes mistakes and records the time of every change. It also counts as high as 999,999,999 instead of rolling over after 9,999.
Will my count survive a refresh or closing the browser?
Yes. Counters, settings and the history log are saved in this browser's local storage after every change, so a refresh, a closed tab or a restarted phone brings back the same numbers. Clearing the site's data, using a private window or switching to another browser or device starts fresh. Export a CSV or copy the totals if the count matters.
Can I count people coming in and going out?
Yes, in two ways. To track how many people are inside, use one counter: tap the big pad when someone enters and the minus button when someone leaves, with stop at zero switched on. To keep separate totals, make two counters named In and Out and switch with the number keys 1 and 2. The time of every change is kept in the log.
Why does the vibration option not work on my iPhone?
Vibration uses the browser's Vibration API, which no browser on iPhone or iPad offers (they all use Safari's engine), so the option shows as unsupported there. On Android browsers that support it, a short buzz confirms each tap. Sound works on both: switch on Click sound for a short beep per tap and a two-note chime when you reach your target. Both are off by default.
What happens if I press Reset by mistake?
Nothing changes until you confirm. Pressing Reset, or R on the keyboard, opens a confirmation bar with Reset to 0 and Cancel buttons, and keyboard focus moves to Cancel, so Space, Enter or Esc cancels. Only R again or a click on Reset to 0 confirms. If you do confirm by mistake, press Undo, U or Ctrl+Z straight away and the previous value comes back. Undo remembers your last 200 changes.
Can I count by twos, fives or tens?
Yes. Set Step per tap to any whole number from 1 to 1,000 under the counter's settings. Each tap of the pad, Space or the up arrow then adds that amount, and the minus button subtracts it. Every counter has its own step, so one can count single visitors while another counts boxes of 12. The target line then also tells you how many taps are left.
Does the counter work offline or in full screen?
Once the page has loaded, counting needs no connection, because everything happens in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Full screen (or the F key) fills the screen with the number and turns the whole display into one large tap target, with subtract and undo along the bottom. Exit with the button, Esc or F. Keep the screen awake in your phone settings for long sessions.