A darts scoring app should do four things well: subtract every visit correctly, catch busts, suggest a checkout, and keep your statistics. Beyond that, apps split by how the darts get into the app. You tap them in yourself, a phone camera sees them, or a camera system around the board scores them. And some add online play against other people. Decide which of those you need first, then compare the details below.
We make Darts Counter, so read this as a comparison by an interested party. We checked every statement about other apps on their own store pages or websites on 2026-09-25, and we name what our app does not do.
The checklist: what to look for
| Feature | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Game modes | X01 start scores, double in and out, master out, Cricket variants | Your league's format must be playable |
| Entering darts | Each dart, or the total of a visit, or a camera | Per-dart entry is needed for doubles and heatmap stats |
| Checkout suggestions | Do they follow your out rule? | A double out route is wrong in master out |
| Averages | 3-dart average, first 9 average, how it is calculated | Methods differ; see how to calculate your darts average |
| Players | How many, saved profiles, stats per player | Pub nights need more than two |
| Sets and legs | "First to" or "best of", deciding set rules | Tournament formats need both |
| Training games | Around the Clock, Bob's 27, doubles practice | Practice beyond match play |
| Online play | Lobby, friends, bot opponent | Playing without anyone in the room |
| Camera scoring | Phone camera or extra hardware | No tapping, but a setup and a cost |
| Account | Needed or optional | Privacy and how quickly you can start |
| Costs | Ads, subscription, one-time purchases | What stays free |
| Platforms | Android, iPhone, web | Everyone at the board can use it |
Four kinds of darts scoring apps
| Kind | How darts get scored | Example (checked 2026-09-25) | Extra hardware |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual scorer | You tap each dart or the visit total | Darts Counter, DartCounter, DartConnect | none |
| Phone camera app | The phone or tablet camera detects the darts | Dartsmind, Autodarts Lens | a stand for the phone |
| Camera system | Several cameras on a ring around the board | Scolia Home 2, Autodarts X | the system itself |
| Electronic board | The soft tip board registers the hit | any electronic dartboard | the board |
Manual scorers are the cheapest way in and work on any board, including a steel tip board in a pub. The price is that someone taps in the darts.
Phone camera apps score automatically with the device you already own. Dartsmind's Play listing says it scores "using only your device's rear camera" with processing that "runs locally on your device", and that compatibility is checked on first launch, because not every device is fast enough. Autodarts says its Lens feature turns "any phone or tablet into an automatic darts scorer"; its free plan included 5 Lens matches per month.
Camera systems mount on or around the board. On 2026-09-25 Scolia listed Scolia Home 2 at €819 (excl. VAT), or a Flex version at €499 with up to 1,000 free darts a month and unlimited play from €8.95 a month. Autodarts X, with "four HD cameras", was on pre-order.
Electronic boards count themselves. In US soft tip leagues the machine's score is final: the NDA rules say players accept the machine is "always right", with one exception for the last, winning dart.
Online play and bots
If you want to play people who are not in the room, you need an app with an online lobby. On their own pages on 2026-09-25:
- DartCounter: "play online against anyone from all over the world or challenge DartBot". Its website listed 3 online matches per week on the free plan and unlimited online games with its paid Ultimate plan.
- Dartsmind: a "Game Lobby for global online games" and a DartBot for X01 and Cricket.
- Autodarts: online matchmaking and tournaments, in the browser or the app.
- DartConnect: a "Global Online Lobby" and a computer opponent; it calls itself "The Official Scoring App of the Professional Darts Corporation" and is used for leagues and events. Its players page listed a US$36 annual membership and a free guest account.
Darts Counter has no online play and no bot. It scores the games you play together at one board.
What Darts Counter does and does not do
Checked in the app's code (version 2026.5.1) and on its Play listing, 2026-09-25:
| Darts Counter | |
|---|---|
| Does | X01 from 301 to 901; Straight, Double and Master Out; Straight, Double and Master In; sets and legs ("first to" N); Cricket and Cut-Throat Cricket; as many players as you add, with placement playoffs; a checkout suggestion from 170 down; undo; tablet layout |
| Statistics | 3-dart average, darts per leg, highest score, highest checkout, 60+, 100+, 140+ and 180 visits, darts on doubles and trebles; two players side by side |
| Advanced statistics | hit and checkout heatmaps, Turn Quality Index, stability; unlocked with a short video, a one-time purchase or Darts Counter Plus |
| Account | none needed |
| Does not | camera scoring, online play, a bot opponent, training games such as Around the Clock, Bob's 27, Shanghai or Killer, start scores other than 301, 401 and so on up to 901 (for example 121 or 170), a first 9 average, a caller voice, an iPhone app |
| Good to know | Checkout suggestions are double out routes in every mode. A fresh install starts in Straight Out, so set Double Out for standard 501. Averages are the mean of your leg averages. |
For German league players: the DDV allows electronic scoring aids only if the last six scores of both players are shown (Sport- und Wettkampfordnung §5(9)). Darts Counter does not show that yet.
Darts Counter and DartCounter are different apps
The names are one letter apart. Darts Counter (Darts Zähler in German) is our app, on Google Play since 2015 by FLAME Apps. DartCounter is a separate app and platform by a different company. On Google Play (US, 2026-09-25) our listing showed 500K+ downloads and "Contains ads"; DartCounter's showed 1M+ downloads, in-app purchases and no ads label.
What DartCounter's own Play description listed that we do not have: online play, DartBot, a caller, 121 Checkout, Around the Clock, Bob's 27, doubles, singles and score training, Shanghai, start scores of any number, a first 9 average and checkout percentages. It also lists "1 - 4 players", where Darts Counter takes as many as you add.
Free and paid: what the models look like
- Darts Counter: you can count all games for free; the app shows ads. Darts Counter Plus removes ads and unlocks Advanced statistics and all paid app designs. Advanced statistics and ad removal are also sold as one-time purchases.
- DartCounter: free plan with limits (on 2026-09-25: 3 online matches per week, 8 game modes, basic statistics); paid Ultimate plan.
- Autodarts: free plan (5 Lens matches a month, 11 game modes); Plus at £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
- DartConnect: membership (US$36 a year listed) with a free guest account.
- Camera systems: a one-off hardware price, and with Scolia's Flex version a monthly fee for unlimited play.
Prices change; check the current page before you buy.
Which kind should you pick?
- You play at home or in the pub and want the math done: a manual scorer. This is what Darts Counter is for.
- You practice alone and want drills and a bot: an app with training games and a bot, such as DartCounter, Dartsmind or Autodarts.
- You want to play people online: an app with a lobby.
- You never want to tap in a score: a phone camera app, if your device supports it, or a camera system.
- You play in a league: ask what your league uses. Some leagues run on a specific platform, and federations such as the DDV set conditions for electronic scoring.
If a manual scorer fits, try ours: Darts Counter counts all games for free, needs no account and works on Android phones and tablets.
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Every statement about another app was read on that app's own page on 2026-09-25; features and prices can have changed since.
- Darts Counter on Google Play and the app's code (version 2026.5.1)
- DartCounter on Google Play and dartcounter.net
- Dartsmind on Google Play
- Autodarts
- Scolia Home 2
- DartConnect for players
- NDA Rules, "Scoring on the Electronic Dart Machine"
- DDV Sport- und Wettkampfordnung, §5(9) (German)
- Keep reading: how to keep score in darts, darts checkouts explained, Cricket rules
