Comparison guide
Darts scorekeeper app vs paper score sheet: when to use each
Short answer: use paper when maximum flexibility matters. Use a darts scorekeeper app when the pain is arithmetic, checkout choices, undo, match history or stats. Darts Scorekeeper Pro+ Cricket is built for the second case: local iPhone scoring for X01 and Standard Cricket with checkout help, without accounts, ads or cloud sync.
The honest comparison
| Need | Paper score sheet | Darts Scorekeeper app |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility | Best for unusual house rules, handwritten notes, ad-hoc teams and tournament-specific formats. | Best for supported modes: X01, Standard Cricket, pass-and-play and local player history. |
| Arithmetic | Every subtraction, Cricket mark and point total is manual, so tired-night mistakes happen. | Scores turns, applies bust detection, updates Cricket marks/points and keeps the running total. |
| Checkouts | You need a chart, memory or a stronger player telling you the route. | Shows a standard double-out route for reachable finishes from 2 to 170 and hides bogey numbers. |
| Undo | Cross-outs work, but messy sheets can make the next turn unclear. | One-tap undo is built for mis-entered visits and fat-fingered dartboard taps. |
| Stats | 3-dart average, checkout %, first-9 and 180s require manual tallying after the match. | Stats are computed from legs you actually scored, so practice trends are visible immediately. |
| Privacy | Nothing digital exists unless someone photographs the sheet. | No account, no backend and no cloud sync. Match data stays on your iPhone. |
When paper is still the right answer
Paper is not obsolete. It is still the cleanest fallback when a league uses unusual rules, when the phone cannot stay by the scorer, when older players want a physical board, or when you need an official tournament record. If the format is outside X01 or Standard Cricket, use the official sheet first.
When the app is the better answer
Use a scorekeeper app when the scorer is also playing, when nobody wants to mentally subtract 137 after every visit, when Cricket points get contentious, or when the whole point of the night is practice. The app is especially useful for players who want to see whether their finishing, 3-dart average and checkout percentage are actually improving.
Boundary: Darts Scorekeeper is a single-device scoring utility. It is not camera scoring, online league software, gambling software, or an official rules authority. Verify house rules before treating any checkout suggestion as binding.
Good app fit checklist
- You mostly play 301, 501, 701 or Standard Cricket.
- You want one iPhone passed around the oche, not remote multiplayer.
- You want checkout suggestions without opening a separate chart.
- You want honest stats from actual scored legs, not vibes.
- You care about no account, no ads and no cloud sync.
Get Darts Scorekeeper on the App Store