Tally · manual or automatic
Online Counter
Count up or down by any step, set a target, and let it run automatically if you want a pace rather than a tally. Your count is kept on this device, so a refresh will not lose it.
Count
Space add · ↓ subtract · R reset
Automatic counting
How to use it
Three Ways to Count
Tally by Hand
Leave the step at 1 and press the space bar each time. This is the mode for counting things that arrive at their own pace — people, vehicles, birds, repetitions. The count is saved as you go.
Work Down to Zero
Put the total in the start box and set the step to -1. Counting down tells you what is left rather than what is done, which is the more useful number when you are working through a known quantity.
Let It Run
Pick an interval and press start auto. The counter becomes a pacer: it sets the rhythm and you follow it. Combined with a target, it stops itself at the end and reports how long the run took.
In practice
What People Count
| Situation | Step | Why the counter helps |
|---|---|---|
| Reps and sets in training | 1 | Keeps the count when a set gets hard and concentration goes |
| Footfall through a door | 1 | Space bar counting is accurate without looking away from the door |
| Stock on shelves | 6 or 12 | Count boxes, not units, and let the step do the multiplication |
| Lengths of a pool | 1 | One press per length; the target tells you when the session is done |
| Knitting rows | 1 | Survives being put down mid-project, unlike a mental count |
| A countdown of items | −1 | Shows what remains rather than what is finished |
| Setting a work rhythm | 1 auto | An interval you can follow rather than a number you have to drive |
Step by step
How the Online Counter Works
Count up or down and measure the time you needed. Manual count, auto count, target lock and time needed — the timer starts on your very first action and stops when the target is reached.
Manual Counting
Press + Add to count manually, or − Subtract to go back. Step applies to manual add and subtract, so a step of 5 moves the total five at a time. If you want only manual counting, ignore auto count and just press add.
Automatic Counting
Use auto count to reach a target automatically. The interval setting controls the auto count speed, from ten counts a second down to one every ten seconds.
Targets and Timing
Set a target and the elapsed timer starts on your very first action rather than on page load, so the figure reflects the time you actually needed. When the target is reached you get an alert and the elapsed time.
Display and Alerts
Includes full screen and alerts, and matches the ONLINECLOCK.NET theme. Your count, step, start value and target are saved on this device, so a refresh will not lose the tally.
Answers
Counter Questions
Saving, steps, targets, counting down and automatic mode.
What is an online counter used for?
Anything you would otherwise count on your fingers and lose track of. Reps in a set, people through a door, stock on a shelf, laps of a pool, cars in a survey, birds at a feeder, stitches in a row. The value is that it never loses count when you get interrupted, and the click is easier to do without looking than a mental tally.
Does the count survive if I refresh the page?
Yes. The current value, step and target are saved in your browser as you go, so a refresh or an accidental back button will not wipe the tally. Clearing site data removes it. It is stored only on your own device and never sent anywhere.
What does auto mode do?
It advances the count on its own at whatever interval you choose, from ten times a second up to once every ten seconds. That turns the counter into a metronome or a pacing device — useful for setting a rhythm for reps, for driving a slideshow by hand, or simply to see how fast a given rate really is.
What happens when the count reaches the target?
You get a sound and an alert, and the page tells you how long it took to get there from the first count. Auto mode stops at the target rather than running past it. Manual counting keeps going, because stopping someone mid-tally is more annoying than useful.
Can I count downwards?
Yes — set a negative step, or press the minus button. A step of -1 counts down from wherever you start, which is the usual way to work through a known quantity: set the start to the total and count to zero.
Can I count in something other than ones?
Set the step to any whole number. Fives and tens are common for tallying groups, and larger steps are useful for stock counts where items come in boxes of a fixed size.
Is there a keyboard shortcut?
The space bar and the up arrow add one step, the down arrow subtracts one, and R resets. Counting with the space bar while watching something else is far more accurate than trying to click a moving target.