Frequently Asked Questions

CountThings from Photos is an automated counting app powered by computer vision. Instead of tallying items manually, you take a photo of the items you need to count, and the app counts them in seconds. It is available for iOS, Android, and Windows.

Who it is built for:

Businesses, organizations, and professionals with recurring counting workflows, where the same types of items are counted day after day.

Typical use cases:

• Manufacturing & quality assurance: Inspecting incoming raw materials, parts, and finished goods on production lines.
• Logistics & warehousing: Verifying inventory, inbound shipments, and batches of uniform products.
• Biotech & pharmaceuticals: Counting pills, vials, culture colonies, and lab samples.
• Scientific & industrial research: High-frequency specimen, seed, or component counts in controlled environments.

Typical use cases:

• One-off personal counting of arbitrary household items with no recurring pattern.
• Retail or supermarket environments with thousands of varied, disorganized products.

Not sure if your workflow is a match? Send us a few sample photos, and our team will evaluate them for you.

CountThings counts many items of the same type visible in a photo. To count, you need a Counting Template that matches your items. You can choose one from our library of over 300 templates, or contact our support team to help you find the right template or create a new one. Common examples include:

• Metal products: Bars and rebars, tubes and pipes, profiles, metal sheets, and plates.
• Wood and construction: Logs, lumber, scaffolding parts, roof tiles, drywall, and other sheet materials.
• Packaging and logistics: Boxes, cartons, sacks, bottles, and cans.
• Pharma and laboratory: Pills, vials, microbeads, cells, colonies, and other lab samples.
• Agriculture and food: Seeds, grains, fruit, berries, eggs, and livestock.

The best results come from photos where items are of the same kind, similar in size, and all visible to the camera — such as the ends of a bundle of pipes or a tray of pills. If your items aren’t in our library, send us a sample photo and we will evaluate building a template that will work for you.

Yes. CountThings from Photos processes and counts your images locally on your device. No internet connection or cloud processing is required to count, and your images and counting data remain under your control.

• Your photos and results are never automatically uploaded to CountThings servers. You control where data goes: keep it on the device, or export it to your own cloud storage, servers, or internal inventory/ERP systems according to your organization’s security policies.
• The app connects to CountThings servers only when necessary: to download Counting Templates, activate device licenses, and sync settings managed by your administrators.
• Support requests are transparent: If you send a support request from within the app, your last counted photo may be attached to help us diagnose accuracy. You can review or remove the photo with a single tap before sending.
• Crash and performance data is anonymous: Standard diagnostic reports help us maintain app stability. They never contain your photos or count numbers, and you can easily opt out in the app settings.

You can be counting within a few minutes:

1. Install the app: Download CountThings from Photos from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
2. Open and explore: Open the app and continue as a guest to try it right away.
3. Try a test count: The app opens with a practice template — draw a few circles on blank paper to count with your camera.
4. Review and save the results: Check the counted items, easily add or remove markers if needed, and save. By default, the marked photo and count totals are stored directly on your device. You can customize settings to choose where results are saved, export them, or automatically send data into your existing workflow.

Ready to count your own items?

Simply tap “CHANGE COUNTING TEMPLATE”, select a Counting Template that matches your items, snap a photo, and repeat the process.

If you need help selecting a template, or if you cannot find one that matches your items, contact us. Our team will help you find the right one or evaluate creating a new template that will work for you.

You can install and explore the app completely free before deciding on a plan. No payment information is required to get started, and there is never an automatic conversion to a paid subscription.

• Full-featured free trial:
  • Instant 24-hour access: As soon as you install the app for the first time, you can immediately test counting with all features enabled.
  • 7-day extended trial: Create a free account to unlock an additional 7 days of full access to test on your own items and workflow (one-time only).
• Permanent access to Demo Templates: Even after your trial period ends, you can continue using the app at no cost with any demo template or the built-in Test Photo for any Counting Template:
  • Examples of Demo Templates: Circles on blank white paper, coins on a plain background, or keys on a keyboard.
  • Daily quick counts for Pills & Microbeads: Count items using the Pills or Microbeads templates for a few minutes once each day at no cost. For higher frequency, extended sessions, or production use, a paid license is required.
  • Manual Counter Multi-Class template: Tap directly on objects in a photo to tally counts manually. You can define multiple object classes on the same image and track separate counts for each item type.

A Counting Template contains the computer vision model that tells the app which items, shapes, and patterns to recognize and count in your photo.

• How it works: The active template is displayed on the home screen. When you take a photo, the app applies this template to detect and count your items automatically.
• Multiple templates & offline use: You can download multiple templates to your device from the Template Library (an internet connection is needed only for the download). Once downloaded, templates work completely offline.
• Choosing the right template: Fast and accurate counts depend on using the template matched to your specific item type and visual environment.

Need a specific template?

If you cannot find a template that matches your items in the library, contact our support team. We regularly optimize existing templates or train new ones for specific items and workflows, typically at no additional charge. When we deliver a new or optimized template, we can provide a temporary test license so you can validate it on your own devices and photos before purchasing.

Yes. Helping you get fast, accurate counts is a core part of our service. Send us a few sample photos showing the group, pile, or stack of items you want to count, and our team will review them. Depending on your needs, we will:

• Recommend the best template or fine-tune your settings.
• Share practical tips on lighting, camera angle, and item arrangement.
• Evaluate creating a new template that will work for your items — often at no extra cost.

We offer flexible licensing options, from a single device license to multi-device deployments across different facilities.

• Per-device licensing: Licenses attach directly to the physical device rather than an individual person.
  • Multiple team members across different shifts can share the same licensed device with zero friction.
  • Depending on your account setup, you can transfer licenses between devices yourself or contact our support team to make the change.
• Corporate invoicing & annual plans (most popular):
  • Paid annually via invoice (ACH, wire transfer, or credit card).
  • Multiple team members across different shifts can share the same licensed device with zero friction.
  • Volume pricing discounts starting at 10 annual licenses.
• Self-serve online options: Purchase on demand through our website or directly in the app:
  • Monthly & Yearly Subscriptions: Ideal for continuous, ongoing production.
  • 24-Hour Day Passes: Perfect for periodic physical inventory audits, quarterly checks, or seasonal surges.
  • Pay-Per-Count packs: Built for occasional spot-checks and low-frequency verification.
• OEM, Reseller & Partner programs: Industry partners can bundle licenses with preconfigured Counting Templates, custom settings, and partner branding (logo on the home screen, plus additional customized details in the Account and About screens).

All consultations and onboarding sessions with our team are complimentary.

• Free technical meetings: We offer free online calls to evaluate your items, optimize your photo setup, or assist with system integration.
• Advanced & optional capabilities: Many specialized features — including custom data forms, PDF/CSV reporting, database sync, web services, and industrial protocols like OPC and Modbus — are already built in and can be enabled on request. For enterprise deployments, we can also discuss custom development.