How to use the click counter
The whole teal panel is the button. Click it, or tap it on a phone, and the count goes up by one with a short click sound, just like pressing a hand clicker. Use − 1 or the Down arrow to take one back, Undo to reverse a slip, and Reset to start again (reset can be undone too). If you count in packs or groups, set the step to 5 or 10 so each click adds that many.
On a keyboard you do not need to aim at all: Space, Enter or ↑ add, ↓ subtracts, U undoes, R resets and F switches to full screen. Turn the sound off with the Sound button when you are counting somewhere quiet.
How a mechanical clicker works
The four-digit readout copies the classic hand clicker, also called a hand tally counter or people counter. Inside the metal case, each press of the plunger turns the ones wheel by one tenth of a turn. When a wheel passes 9 it nudges the next wheel along, the same way a car's odometer rolls over, so four wheels count from 0000 to 9999. A thumb wheel or knob on the side snaps every wheel back to zero.
That design explains both why clickers are loved and where they let you down. You can press one without looking, in the rain, for hours. But there is no undo: one accidental press and the total is off by one for good, and the count is gone the moment someone resets it. The online version keeps the one-press feel and fixes those two problems with undo and a timestamped log.
Click counter, tally counter, CPS test: what's the difference?
- Click counter and clicker counter are two names for the same thing: a counter you advance one click at a time. This page is built around that one big target.
- A tally counter is the same tool under its older name. Our online tally counter also draws your total as tally marks in groups of five, which some people find easier to check at a glance.
- A CPS test (clicks per second) is different: it is a game that measures how fast you can click. This counter is for counting real things. The pace shown in the log tells you how quickly things are being counted, not how fast your finger is.
Tips for an accurate count
- Count at one fixed point. A doorway, a finish line or the end of a conveyor. Counting things as they cross a line avoids double counting.
- Click as it happens, not in batches. Catching up later from memory is where most errors come from.
- Use the step for groups. Boxes of 12, rows of 5: set the step instead of clicking twelve times.
- Name the count. The label box saves with the count, so "Hall B, Saturday" still makes sense when you come back.
- Keep the log. Download it as a CSV after the session if the number has to be reported or checked by someone else.
What people count with a clicker
Attendance at a door, visitors in a shop, laps of a track or pool, cars and bikes in a traffic survey, birds or wildlife, items in a stocktake, reps in a workout, and cells under a microscope in a lab. If you want to count something about your own days, like water, coffees or pages read, these 12 counters are worth starting with.
A clicker for your iPhone
For counting you do again and again, a browser tab is easy to lose. Tend is our iPhone app for exactly that. It keeps as many counters as you need, counts from Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, and keeps every click with its date so you can see a trend over weeks. It also tracks daily habits next to your counters. It is free to start, with an optional one-time Lifetime unlock. We compared it honestly with the other options in the best counter apps for iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Is the click counter free?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up, no ads and no limit on the count.
Does the click counter save my count?
Yes. The count, settings and log are saved in your browser on every click, so refreshing or closing the tab does not lose anything. A private window or clearing site data starts from zero.
Is this a clicks per second (CPS) test?
No. This is a counter for counting real things, like people, laps or items, one click at a time. A CPS test measures how fast you can click. The pace readout here only shows how quickly things are being counted.
How do I count people coming in and going out?
Click once for each person who comes in and use the minus button, or the Down arrow, for each person who leaves, so the number shows how many are inside. If you need the in and out totals separately, use two counters, for example this one and the tally counter in another tab.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. On a phone, tap anywhere on the counter. Use full screen for a bigger target, and add the page to your Home Screen to open it like an app.