RowcueHands-free row counter apps, compared
If your hands are full of yarn, tapping a screen at the end of every row gets old fast. Here’s which apps let you keep going without touching your phone. Full disclosure: we make Rowcue, so we’ve tried to be fair and stick to what each app lists publicly.
Based on each app’s App Store / Google Play listing, checked 12 November 2026. Features and prices change; check the store before you buy.
The short version
- Just want a counter you can speak to? Visicount (voice in 60 languages) or My Row Counter (voice, Apple Watch, the most popular counter app).
- Big, complex knitting projects with charts? knitCompanion is the deepest tool, with voice commands. Expect a learning curve.
- Want the pattern read to you, and to move on with AirPods or a pedal? That’s the gap Rowcue fills.
Comparison
Swipe the table sideways on a phone →
| App | Voice “next” | Watch / AirPods | Foot pedal | Reads the pattern aloud | Imports your PDF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Row Counter | Yes | Apple Watch | — | — | Yes | Free with ads; Premium yearly |
| knitCompanion | Yes | — | — | — | Yes (paid) | Free; paid tiers from $29.99 |
| Pocket Crochet | — | — | External keyboard | — | Yes | Pro from $5.99 |
| Visicount | Yes | Apple Watch, Siri | — | — | — | $6.99 unlock |
| Rowcue | Yes | AirPods tap (beta) | Yes (Bluetooth page turners) | Yes | Yes, or paste text | Free web app; Founder pre-sale soon |
“—” means we couldn’t find it in the app’s public listing.
What “hands-free” really needs
A way to move on without touching anything. Voice is great until the TV is loud. A cheap Bluetooth page-turner pedal or a tap on your AirPods is often more reliable.
A way to know what’s next without looking. Most apps count; very few tell you the next instruction. Hearing “Round 4: single crochet, increase, six times” means your eyes can stay on the stitches.
A pattern the app understands. A counter only knows numbers. A pattern tracker knows that round 5 repeats round 3, and how many stitches you should end with.
Try hands-free free
Paste a pattern or import a PDF, then say “next”, tap your AirPods or press a pedal. Rowcue reads the next step out loud. Free in your browser; nothing to install.
Try Rowcue free