Best Tally Counter for Inventory Counting
Inventory counting means tracking many items simultaneously, organizing by category, and exporting to spreadsheets for your stock system. We compared online tally counters to find which handle inventory tallying best — without needing a full warehouse management system.
What makes a great inventory counter?
Inventory counting demands organization and data portability:
- Multiple named counters — one per item, SKU, or product line.
- Labels/renaming — name each counter with the product name or code.
- Categories — group counters by aisle, shelf, warehouse zone, or product type.
- Set counter to value — start from a known quantity, not always zero.
- CSV export — download counts into your spreadsheet or inventory system.
- Excel export — direct .xlsx output for non-technical staff.
- Auto-save — mid-count interruptions shouldn't lose progress.
- Statistics dashboard — quick overview of all counts at a glance.
Inventory counting features — compared
We set up each app for a simulated stock count: 20+ items across categories, mid-count corrections, and export to spreadsheet format.
| Feature | clickcounter.org | digitaltallycounter.com | migi.me/multi-counter/en | online-tally-counter.web.app | tallycount.app | tally-counter.net | textmechanic.com/text-tools/numeration-tools/online-tally-counter | thetallycounter.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key Features for Inventory | ||||||||
| Multiple counters | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Auto-save (browser) | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Statistics dashboard | — | ✓ | — | — | Paid | ✓ | — | — |
| Rename / label counters | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Counter categories | — | ✓ | — | — | Paid | ✓ | — | — |
| CSV export | — | Paid | — | — | Paid | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Excel export | — | Paid | — | — | Paid | — | — | — |
| Set counter to any value | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Business Counting Features | ||||||||
| Batch/bulk counting mode | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Headcount/attendance mode | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Inventory tally | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Export to spreadsheet (CSV/Excel) | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Multi-user shared access | — | Paid | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Timestamp logging | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
The verdict
DigitalTallyCounter.com
Unlimited named counters organized into categories, set-to-value for known starting quantities, CSV export for your stock system. Auto-save ensures no count is lost. Free.
Open DigitalTallyCounter.com →TallyCount.app
Cloud sync lets multiple people count simultaneously from different devices, and CSV export works well. Limited category organization and no Excel export.
Visit TallyCount.app →When a tally counter beats a barcode scanner
Barcode scanning systems are ideal for large warehouses with barcoded products. But many small businesses, market stalls, and craft operations don't have barcodes on everything. A tally counter with named items and categories provides a lightweight alternative: create a counter per product, walk the shelves, tap the count, and export to CSV when done.
Exporting counts to your stock system
Most inventory systems (QuickBooks, Square, Shopify) accept CSV imports. After completing your count, export to CSV from the counter, then import into your stock system. The named counters become your item names, and the counts become your on-hand quantities. It's manual but effective for periodic stock takes.
Count your inventory — for free.
Named items, categories, CSV/Excel export. No warehouse software needed.
Open DigitalTallyCounter.com