The traditional way of keeping score in any game is pen and paper, but why waste the ink when you have a smartphone in your pocket? With a score-counting app, you can keep track of scores for multiple players and even multiple games. And you can forget about having to add up points in your head, because they’ll do all the math for you.
Here are some free Android apps you can use to track your in-game tallies. Unless mentioned, these apps are free of ads.
1. Score Counter
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for (var i = 0; i The developer of this app clearly has a playful side. Every time you add a new counter, it automatically fills in the name with that of a random animal (just tap on each name to change it).
By default, the app puts the players with the highest score at the top. However, you can reverse this to make the lowest score the winner—ideal for golf fans.
This score counter also comes with a virtual dice roll, which you can initiate by tapping your screen or shaking your phone. If you’re an avid board gamer, you’ll be happy to know you can roll up to 100 dice with up to 100 sides. That means no more buying specific dice for games that need a 20-sided die or another irregular number.
Download: Score Counter (Free, in-app purchases available)
2. Score It
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for (var i = 0; i Score It’s layout differs from most score-keeping apps. It presents points in table format, kind of like a spreadsheet.
It comes with built-in support for a few card games (tarot, belote, and coinche), but it also has a universal score keeper that will work with most other games. It keeps score in rounds, so each time you press the plus button, you assign scores for each player and then record them all together for that round.
At any time, you can view a line graph that tracks the score of each player—so you can gloat about your late comeback or see the moment when it all went wrong.
Score It also includes a basic two-player score counter, with +1 and -1 increments.
Download: Score It (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Thing Counter
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for (var i = 0; i Want to count some things? Then check out Thing Counter for all your counting needs.
Despite the unassuming name, Thing Counter has some interesting features you won’t find in other score-keeping apps. As well as tracking point tallies, it automatically records a variety of additional information, including the last time each counter was updated and how much time has passed since you made the counter.
Also notable is the built-in text-to-speech. As you update scores, it will read out the name of the player and their current total.
If you don’t want to look at your screen, you can add to or subtract from a counter using your phone’s volume’s buttons. The app also supports counters for your home screen, via widgets for quick access.
Download: Thing Counter (Free)
4. Ultimate Score Games
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for (var i = 0; i Ultimate Score Games takes a different approach from most score-keeping apps. It comes with a collection of score counters designed for particular games, letting you choose the one you want from a list.
On that list, you’ll find dice games, card games, board games, and games of skill. Each of these counters has its own settings, which is great if you want to play with certain rule variations.
For games not covered out of the box, there’s a Free Game mode, which is a fairly basic score counter that allows you to assign points one round at a time.
All game results are viewable as line graphs, and the app keeps a history of scores, so you can reflect on your past glories later on. You can even import or export databases to and from a local folder or your Google account.
The free version has limitations on the number of counters and some features, so you’ll need the full version for best results.
Download: Ultimate Score Games (Free) | Ultimate Score Games Plus ($4.99)
5. Virtual Scoreboard
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for (var i = 0; i Sport fans, this app is for you. It’s designed specifically to keep track of point tallies in a variety of sports—although the inclusion of the card game truco, chess, and even a Rubik’s Cube might be stretching the definition of “sport” a bit.
Once you select a sport, you’re presented with a virtual scoreboard. The exact layout depends on the sport, but typically includes a clock, buttons to track fouls, and ways to award different quantities of points (like two or three points in basketball).
Interestingly, you can also share your scoreboard or watch other people’s scoreboards. The share button in the app generates a unique code you can give to others for this purpose.
The app doesn’t put ads on the scoreboards, but it does include video ads, which you can remove through an in-app purchase.
Download: Virtual Scoreboard (Free)
6. Counter
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for (var i = 0; i Like Thing Counter, this app comes with home screen widgets built-in. These can be useful if you want quick access to a basic counter.
Another plus point is the ability to add tags to individual counters. You can then select these tags from a side menu to show only counters that have a tag assigned. You could use this, for instance, to create sets of counters for different games.
Despite being ad-supported, Counter has some limitations that you’ll need to unlock with an in-app purchase: removal of ads, the ability to have more than 10 counters, and a dark theme.
Download: Counter (Free, in-app purchases available)
Which Score-Keeping App Is Best for You?
Some score-keeping apps are great for specific games or sports. Others are just basic counting apps, useful in a wide variety of situations. Which one works best for you depends largely on what you’re trying to keep track of.
You may not be able to find one app that covers every sport or game where you want to track scores. But with a couple of these installed, you should be prepared for most eventualities.
Image Credit: Peggychoucair/Pixabay