Comparison
The Best Free Row Counter Apps (And What Each One Costs You Later)
"Free" means five different things on the App Store. It can mean genuinely free, free with ads, free with a usable subset of features, free as a trial, or free until you open a second project.
Here is what each of the main row counter apps actually gives you without paying, and where the wall is. We make RowTally, and its wall is described below in the same detail as everyone else's.
Short answer
Which row counter app is genuinely free?
Count That Now gives away the most: unlimited counters with every counting feature, charging only to remove ads. KnitCounter is ad-free with optional tips and no feature paywall, but needs iOS 17.6. Vivid Counter is free with no upgrade at all, but handles a single counter. RowTally and My Row Counter are free with real limits — one project for RowTally, ads plus a Premium tier for My Row Counter.
What you get without paying
| App | Free tier | Ads | What paying adds | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count That Now | Unlimited counters, all counting features | Yes | Removes ads only | $12.99 once |
| KnitCounter | Everything, including iCloud sync and yarn stash | No | Nothing — tips are voluntary | $1.99–$9.99 optional |
| Vivid Counter | One full-screen counter | Not stated | No paid tier | Free |
| RowTally | 1 project, 1 stitch counter, all counting features | No | Unlimited projects and stitch counters | $3.99/mo or $24.99/yr |
| My Row Counter | Counting, projects, pattern import | Yes | Apple Watch app, PDF annotation, no ads | $2.99/mo or $9.99/yr · $2.99 to remove ads |
From each app's US App Store listing on 13 August 2026.
Reading the fine print
Count That Now
The most generous free tier
Jarig Duval
Its own listing says every feature is free, and the paid purchase only removes ads. Unlimited counters, threshold alerts, custom sounds, haptics, read-aloud and the ergonomic layouts all cost nothing. The catch is the missing category rather than a paywall: there are no projects, notes or yarn details at any price.
If ads bother you, $12.99 is a steep one-off compared to a $9.99 annual subscription elsewhere — worth weighing.
Strengths
- No feature paywall at all
- Unlimited counters for free
- Works on iOS 13+
Limitations
- Ads unless you pay $12.99
- No projects or notes at any price
Bottom line: The best free deal if loose counters are all you need.
KnitCounter
Free, ad-free, tip-supported
Haley Jean Barlar
No ads and no feature paywall — the in-app purchases are labelled as thank-yous ranging from $1.99 to $9.99. That includes iCloud sync, the yarn stash and PDF viewing, which are paid features in some competing apps.
The real cost is compatibility: iOS 17.6 or later. If your iPhone cannot run it, no amount of generosity helps.
Strengths
- No ads, no locked features
- iCloud sync included free
- Yarn stash included free
Limitations
- Requires iOS 17.6+
- Small review base (14 ratings)
Bottom line: The most complete free craft counter, if your device qualifies.
RowTally Our app
Free for one project, no ads
Fringelo Group
We show no ads at all, and every counting feature — haptics, undo, progress ring, session timer, project details — is in the free tier. The limit is quantity, not capability: one project, and one extra stitch counter per project. Premium removes both caps at $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year.
Whether that is a fair deal depends entirely on you. One project covers a lot of casual crocheting and knitting. If you habitually have five works-in-progress, you will hit the wall in week one — and Count That Now or KnitCounter may cost you nothing at all.
It is also worth saying plainly that our subscription is the most expensive here. At $24.99 a year it costs two and a half times My Row Counter's $9.99, and that app does considerably more. We think the free tier and the offline, account-free design justify it for some people; if price is your deciding factor, it does not.
Strengths
- No ads anywhere
- All counting features free
- Works fully offline, no account
Limitations
- Two-project cap on the free tier
- One extra stitch counter per project when free
- The most expensive subscription here at $24.99/yr
- No sync at any tier
Bottom line: Genuinely usable free, as long as one project is enough for you.
My Row Counter
Free with ads and a Premium tier
AnnapurnApp Technologies UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
The free version is substantial — counting, projects and pattern import are all included — but it is ad-supported, and two features people specifically want are behind Premium: the Apple Watch app and PDF annotation. Premium is $2.99 a month or $9.99 a year; removing ads on its own is $2.99.
For heavy pattern users the annual price is easy to justify. For someone who counts rows on a scarf, it is more app and more cost than the job needs.
Strengths
- Large free feature set
- Cheapest annual subscription here
- Ads removable separately for $2.99
Limitations
- Ads by default
- Watch app and annotation need Premium
Bottom line: Best value if you will use the pattern features. Overkill if you will not.
One-off purchase or subscription?
A counter app is something you may use for a decade, which flips the usual maths. A $12.99 one-off to remove ads is cheaper than $9.99 a year after sixteen months. A voluntary tip is cheapest of all.
Subscriptions do buy something real, though: they fund the maintenance that keeps an app working through iOS releases. The counter graveyard on the App Store is full of one-off purchases that stopped being updated. Neither model is automatically the honest one — but be clear which you are signing up for, and check the renewal price rather than the introductory one.
The hidden cost nobody lists
The real cost of a free counter app is switching later. Once a blanket at row 180 lives in one app, moving it means retyping counts and losing your notes and session history — none of these apps export to each other.
So the question to ask on day one is not "what does this cost?" but "where will I be in six months?" If you expect more projects, check the project limits before the price. If you expect a second device, check for sync before anything else. Those two questions predict switching pain far better than the price tag does.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free row counter app with no ads?
KnitCounter is ad-free with no locked features and only voluntary tips, though it requires iOS 17.6 or later. RowTally shows no ads either, but its free tier is capped at one project with one extra stitch counter.
What is the catch with free row counter apps?
It is usually one of three things: ads, a cap on how many projects or counters you can create, or a specific feature held back — most often sync or an Apple Watch app. Check which of the three applies before you start a project, because switching apps later means retyping your counts.
Do I need to pay for a row counter app at all?
No. If you count one project at a time, the free tiers of the apps on this page will cover you indefinitely. Paying makes sense when you routinely juggle several works-in-progress, or when you specifically want sync, an Apple Watch app or pattern annotation.
How many projects does RowTally's free version allow?
One project, with the main row counter plus one additional stitch counter. Every counting feature — haptics, undo, progress ring and session timer — is included, and there are no ads. Premium lifts the project and counter limits.
Sources
- Count That Now — Tally counter on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026
- KnitCounter: Row Counter on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026
- My Row Counter, Knit & Crochet on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026