Comparison
The Best Knitting Row Counter Apps for iPhone (2026)
Knitting punishes lost counts more than most crafts. Miss a decrease row in a raglan yoke and you will find out about it twenty rows later, at the point where fixing it means unravelling all twenty.
This is a comparison of the five row counter apps for iPhone that knitters most often choose between, built from what you can check on the App Store: price, rating and rating count, minimum iOS version, supported devices and the features each developer actually advertises. Where another app beats RowTally, we say so — it happens more than once below.
Short answer
Which knitting row counter app is best?
For most knitters working from written or PDF patterns, My Row Counter offers the most — pattern import, charts, Ravelry and an Apple Watch app. KnitCounter is the better choice if you want iCloud sync and a yarn stash. RowTally suits knitters who want a fast offline counter with project details and nothing else on screen. Count That Now is enough if you just need counters.
What matters in a knitting counter
Knitting makes slightly different demands than crochet does:
Multiple simultaneous counters
A sleeve needs a row count and a decrease count at the same time. Any app that gives you one number is a scarf app.
Counting without hands
Both hands are busy. Voice control, an Apple Watch app or a tap area big enough to hit with a knuckle all solve this — pick whichever suits how you knit.
Pattern access in the same place
Switching between a PDF and a counter app breaks concentration. Some apps show the pattern alongside the counter; most do not.
Reliable saving
The count must survive a force-quit, a flat battery and an iOS update. This is the one non-negotiable.
Project context
Needle size, yarn and gauge notes attached to the count are what let you pick a project back up after a month away.
Knitting counter apps compared
| App | Best for | Price | App Store rating | Apple Watch | Pattern PDFs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Row Counter | Pattern-led knitting | Free · Premium $2.99/mo, $9.99/yr | 4.8 ★ (3,700+ ratings) | Yes (Premium) | Yes, import & annotate |
| KnitCounter | Multi-device knitters | Free · optional tip $1.99–$9.99 | 4.9 ★ (14 ratings) | Yes | Yes, view alongside counter |
| RowTally | Distraction-free offline counting | Free · Premium $3.99/mo or $24.99/yr | No ratings yet (new app) | No | No |
| Count That Now | Plain unlimited counters | Free · Ad Free $12.99 | 4.7 ★ (5,200+ ratings) | No | No |
| Vivid Counter | One-counter simplicity | Free | 4.7 ★ (144 ratings) | No | No |
Prices, ratings and requirements from each app's US App Store listing on 13 August 2026. Check the store for current figures.
The apps in detail
My Row Counter, Knit & Crochet
Best for pattern-led knitting
AnnapurnApp Technologies UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
For knitters who work from bought patterns, this is the most complete option on iPhone. The listing advertises pattern import from PDFs, web pages, Dropbox and Google Drive, chart creation for knitting and crochet, direct Ravelry access, row reminders that warn you before a shaping row, voice control, and multiple customisable counters for increases and colour changes. Premium adds Apple Watch control and PDF annotation.
It carries 4.8 stars from more than 3,700 ratings — an order of magnitude more feedback than anything else here — and is localised into 14 languages, with an Android version as well.
It is also the heaviest app in the comparison at roughly 152 MB, it shows ads until you pay, and there is real interface to learn. Premium is $2.99 monthly or $9.99 yearly; removing ads alone is $2.99.
Strengths
- Pattern import and annotation, plus chart creation
- Row reminders before shaping rows
- Voice control and Apple Watch counting
- Ravelry integration
- iOS and Android, 14 languages
- Very large and mature review base
Limitations
- Most complex app here
- Ads until you pay
- ~152 MB download
- Watch app and annotation need Premium
Bottom line: The most capable knitting counter available. If you want features, stop here — it has more of them than RowTally does.
KnitCounter: Row Counter
Best for knitting across several devices
Haley Jean Barlar
KnitCounter pairs row and stitch counting with iCloud sync, so projects, pattern PDFs, photos and your yarn stash follow you between iPhone and iPad automatically. It supports custom step sizes for counters, project sections, a session timer, notes and finishing checklists, and it shows no ads.
It is monetised by optional tips ($1.99 to $9.99) rather than a subscription, which is unusual and welcome. The yarn stash tracker — colour, brand, weight, yardage — is a genuine differentiator if you buy yarn faster than you knit it.
The limits are its iOS 17.6 minimum, which excludes older iPhones outright, and a review base of just 14 ratings. The 4.9 average is encouraging but statistically thin.
Strengths
- iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch
- Yarn stash tracking built in
- No ads, optional tips instead of a subscription
- Custom counter step sizes and project sections
- PDF pattern viewing next to the counter
Limitations
- Needs iOS 17.6 or newer
- Only 14 ratings so far
- iOS only
Bottom line: Best of both worlds if your devices are recent: sync and a stash tracker without a subscription.
RowTally Our app
Best for distraction-free offline counting
Fringelo Group
RowTally takes the opposite approach to My Row Counter: instead of bringing your pattern into the app, it assumes your pattern is on paper or in another window and gets out of the way. The counter screen is one large tap area with a haptic confirmation on every row, an undo button and nothing else competing for attention.
Each project stores yarn name, needle size, pattern name, notes, a target row count and a colour, plus any number of secondary stitch counters for pattern repeats, increases and decreases. A progress ring fills toward your row target and a session timer records how long you knitted.
Data is written to the device with Core Data on every tap, so the count survives a force-quit or a flat battery, and nothing is uploaded — no account, no login. That also means no sync: one device, one copy. There are no App Store ratings yet, because it is a new app.
The hard limit is the operating system: the current release requires iOS 26 or later. That is stricter than every other app in this comparison, so check your iPhone can run it before you plan around it.
Strengths
- Nothing on screen but the count and an undo button
- Haptic confirmation on every row
- Multiple stitch counters, progress ring, session timer
- Fully offline, no account, data stays on the device
- Nothing to learn — one screen, one tap
Limitations
- Requires iOS 26 or later — the strictest requirement here
- No iCloud sync between devices
- No pattern PDF import or chart view
- No Apple Watch app
- No Android version
- No App Store ratings yet
Bottom line: Right choice if the counter should be invisible and your data should stay on your phone. Wrong choice if you want your pattern in the app.
Count That Now — Tally counter
Best plain counter
Jarig Duval
A general tally counter rather than a knitting app, but a very good one: unlimited counters for free, multiple layouts including an ergonomic thumb-rest style, threshold alerts you can set for a shaping row, custom click sounds, haptics, read-aloud counts and a screen-always-on mode. With 5,200+ ratings at 4.7 stars it is the most-reviewed app on this page, and it runs on iOS 13.
It has no projects, no notes, no yarn fields and no pattern support, so nothing ties a count to the thing you are knitting. For one project at a time that is fine. For four, it stops working.
Strengths
- Unlimited free counters
- Threshold alerts — useful for shaping rows
- Ergonomic layouts, custom sounds, read-aloud
- Runs on iOS 13 and later
- Most-reviewed app in this comparison
Limitations
- No projects, notes or yarn details
- Not knitting-specific
- $12.99 to remove ads
Bottom line: All the counting, none of the context. Good for simple projects.
Vivid Counter
Simplest tap counter
Mamoru Sato
A full-screen count-up button with subtract and reset and a colour-changing background, at 4.7 stars from 144 ratings. The full-screen target is genuinely well suited to counting rows without looking away from your needles, but there is one counter, no projects and no knitting features, and it is iPhone and iPod touch only.
Strengths
- Enormous tap target
- Free
- Zero learning curve
Limitations
- Single counter, no projects
- No knitting features
- iPhone and iPod touch only
Bottom line: Free and fine for one straightforward project.
Counting rows versus counting repeats
Most lost counts in knitting are not lost row counts — they are lost repeat counts. You know you are on row 46; you do not know whether that is the second or third repeat of a twelve-row cable chart.
This is why the number of simultaneous counters matters more than almost any other feature. My Row Counter, KnitCounter and RowTally all support multiple counters per project, and Count That Now gives you unlimited independent ones. If you knit anything with a repeating chart, treat a single-counter app as unusable.
Do you need an Apple Watch app?
It sounds like a gimmick and turns out not to be: a tap on your wrist is the only way to count without putting your work down at all. My Row Counter and KnitCounter both offer Watch support; RowTally, Count That Now and Vivid Counter do not.
If you have a Watch and knit for long stretches, this single feature may decide your choice. If you do not own one, ignore the whole category.
The test to run in the first five minutes
Whichever app you install, do this before you trust it with a real project: count ten rows, then force-quit the app from the app switcher and reopen it. A well-built counter writes every tap to storage immediately and shows you ten. An app that saves only when it closes gracefully will show you zero — and will do the same thing on row 240 of a blanket.
Then check whether undo exists and how far back it goes. Double taps are the most common way a count goes wrong, and an app without undo turns a small slip into manual arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best row counter app for knitting?
My Row Counter has the most features and by far the most user ratings (4.8 stars from over 3,700), making it the strongest all-round choice for pattern-based knitting. KnitCounter is better if you need iCloud sync, and RowTally is better if you want a minimal offline counter that keeps data on your device.
Is there a knitting row counter app for Apple Watch?
Yes. My Row Counter includes Apple Watch control as a Premium feature, and KnitCounter lists Watch support. RowTally, Count That Now and Vivid Counter are iPhone and iPad apps with no Watch app.
Can I use one app to count rows and pattern repeats at the same time?
Yes — look for multiple counters per project. RowTally, My Row Counter and KnitCounter all let you add secondary stitch counters alongside the main row count, and Count That Now gives you unlimited independent counters. On RowTally's free tier you get one extra counter per project; Premium removes the limit.
Do knitting counter apps work without internet?
All the apps here count offline. RowTally, Count That Now and Vivid Counter store data only on the device. KnitCounter counts offline and syncs via iCloud when a connection returns. My Row Counter needs a connection only for importing patterns.
Which knitting counter apps run on older iPhones?
Count That Now reaches furthest back at iOS 13 and later, followed by My Row Counter at iOS 15.6. KnitCounter needs iOS 17.6, and RowTally is the strictest of the group: its current release requires iOS 26 or later. If your iPhone cannot be updated, Count That Now or My Row Counter are the realistic options.
Sources
- My Row Counter, Knit & Crochet on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026
- KnitCounter: Row Counter on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026
- Count That Now — Tally counter on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026
- Vivid Counter on the App Store — retrieved 13 August 2026