Count Pills in a Photo — AI Pill Counter
Works with JPG, PNG, WEBP · Free up to 20 MB, Premium 50 MB
Photograph the tray, upload the photo and review the tally markers against the photo. Built as a visual double-check for pharmacy, clinic and care-home stock work.
- Review the photo, then count visible pills
- Upload a photo and get an automatic count
- Review the markers to catch pills counted twice or missed
- Free to use · No signup required · Without watermark
Upload Image
Tips for an accurate count
• Use an even, well-lit photo with the pills fully in frame
• Keep your pills visible and avoid overlapping items
• Dots and heatmap show retained detections — review and correct the tally
About the Pill Counter
The pill counter counts visible pills from your photo and marks detections for review. Counting starts automatically once the photo and item are ready. Visibility, overlap and similar-looking items can affect the total. Built for pharmacies, clinics and care homes.
How It Works
1. Photograph your pills
2. Upload your photo to count pills automatically
3. Review the markers and correct the tally if needed
4. Add to the tally sheet and export your count as CSV
Perfect For
• Pharmacy stock checks and returns
• Qualified clinic and care-home second checks
• Qualified controlled-stock second checks
• Supplement and manufacturing QC
How to count pills online from a photo of a tray and check the total
This pill counter counts the pills on a tray from one photo and marks each one, so you can check the total against the picture before you rely on it. It is software rather than counting hardware, built as a visual second check for pharmacy, clinic and care-home stock work. It runs in a browser on a phone or a computer, and a qualified person still reviews every marker.
Count pills from a photo of a tray
Even light and a single visible layer give the count a strong starting point. The item name is already set to pills, so counting begins automatically after upload. The total appears above Add to tally, with markers on the counted pills. A qualified person must review the result before relying on it.
- Spread the pills in one layer on a plain tray under even light.
- Upload the photo, or select Take a photo on a phone.
- Upload the tray photo and wait for automatic counting.
- Wait for the automatic count and review the markers.
- Review every marker against the tray, then add the count to the tally.
Count tablets, capsules and mixed medications
Separate medications before photographing them and keep one visible layer in each tray. Review each count and add it to a labelled tally row. Glare, touching tablets and fragments can cause misses or duplicates, so a qualified person must check every marker. For supplies other than pills, count a named item from a photo.
Fix a pill count that looks too high or too low
White or pale tablets can disappear against a light tray, while shadows and texture can produce extra markers. Use a contrasting background and even light, then review the dots against the photo. If your manual recount differs, enter the corrected number in the tally row. Retake unclear photos rather than relying on an uncertain estimate.
Use the photo count as a second check, not the record
Used as a pharmacy pill counter, the tool gives a first pass, so treat every tray result as a draft. A qualified person must review the markers, complete the manual procedure required for regulated or controlled-substance counts, and approve the official record. The CSV, the PDF report and a shared link can support that review, but none of them is a regulated record by itself. Keep the marked photo with your notes so the second check can be repeated.
Count several trays in one session
Add each tray to the tally with its own label, such as Tray 4 blue tablets, and the sheet keeps a running Total with an editable Count per row. Export CSV is available to everyone, and Premium adds the PDF report and Bulk audit, which counts a queue of tray photos automatically and gives a grand total. For wider shelves, build a reviewed stock-take shelf by shelf, and to record lot codes, track expiration dates from bottle labels.
Before you count a tray
- Use a plain, contrasting tray and keep overhead glare off the pills.
- Keep the pills in one layer, separated where you can, and photograph straight down.
- Photograph one medication per tray and keep each tablet visible.
- Keep the tray label and your own manual count beside you for the second check.
Alongside the pill count
Record lot codes and expiration dates from the stock bottles in a dated watchlist with optional reminders, and for supplies other than tablets, count any item by marking an example. Whole pharmacy shelves can go into a reviewed stock-take, one shelf at a time.
What you can do with Pill Counter
Review the main capabilities before you begin.
- Count pills and tablets from a single photo
- Use a marked tray estimate as a manual-count cross-check
- Have a qualified person review each counted-pill marker
- Optionally mark an example to refine a tricky count
- Batch-count many trays in a bulk audit
- Filter out tiny specks with a size cutoff
Settings reference
14 settings
Available controls for Pill Counter.
Upload
- Single photo / Bulk auditPresets
- Choose a single-photo count or a Premium bulk audit. Review every result.Options: Single photoBulk audit
Count
- Included markersSliderRange: 0–1 · Default: 0.21
- Starts at 21%; slide toward Show more to include weaker markers or Only strongest to hide them.
- Overlay stylePresets
- Choose dots, a heatmap, both or a clean preview.Options: BothDotsHeatNone
Advanced
- Result overlayDropdown
- Choose how count markers appear in the on-screen preview; the download keeps its own markers.Options: Dots + heatmapDots onlyHeatmap only
Tally
- Add to tallyOne-click
- Add this count to the tally sheet under the name of the object that was counted. Signed-in accounts add finished counts automatically unless that is turned off under Account settings; in bulk mode every photo also has its own Add to tally button.
- LabelText input
- Rename a tally row. Edits and removals wait until you choose Save changes, so you can fix several rows at once.
- CountNumber input
- Correct a row's count; totals, the chart and exports follow once the change is saved.
- Save changesOne-click
- Apply every edited or removed tally row in one step, or choose Discard changes to leave the sheet as it was.
Chart
- By objectPresets
- The chart is the same in every counting tool and covers the tallies of all of them. By object draws a separate line chart for each tally name, such as pipes and people. By tool draws a chart for each counting tool.Options: By objectBy tool
- PeriodPresets
- Choose how far back the chart looks. Days without a count appear as zero.Options: 7 days30 days90 days12 months
History
- Counting setupGallery
- Keep comparable counts together. A first setup is created for you, so the first count can be saved straight away.
- Observed atText input
- The date and time of the count, shown as a date and a time field.
- NotesText input
- Starts with every detected object and its count, one per line, such as Pipes - 11. Edit it before saving.
- Save countOne-click
- Save the count to your account history. Open a saved count later to correct it or download its source photo.
Related tools for Pill Counter
Tools for common next steps after Pill Counter.
Counting & Inventory
Object Counter
Estimate an object count from a photo. Review and correct the numbered markers before using the count.
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Counting & Inventory
Live Object Counter
Aim your phone at separated, fully visible items and review the detector markers as the count updates in real time.
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Counting & Inventory
Bottle Counter
Count bottles on shelves, in crates, or in cold rooms from one photo, with counted detections marked for review.
Try it nowFrequently Asked Questions
How Pill Counter helps you get it done
Real problems it solves every day — for businesses, creators, and everyday tasks. Find the use case that fits you and start.
Pharmacy Fill Double-Checks in Seconds
Photograph a filled tray as a second check on a manual count. A qualified pharmacist must review each counted detection, correct the AI tally, and follow the required medication procedure before release.
Controlled-Substance Draft Review Trail
Treat the AI tally as a draft, have a qualified person complete the required manual controlled-substance procedure, and export only the corrected result alongside the official record. The AI report is not a compliance audit trail by itself.
Care Home Medication Round Counts
Use a photo count only as a second check. Qualified care staff must review and correct the markers and complete the required manual medication count between shifts; AI must not replace that procedure.
Supplement & Capsule Manufacturing QC
Run Similar items mode on a production sample after marking the specific capsule or tablet in the Examples setting, and have a qualified reviewer verify the markers before shipping.
Multi-Tray Stock Checks for Pharmacies
Open Bulk audit to run Distinct objects mode across every tray photo, then have a qualified person review every marker and correct each tray before exporting the tally.
Watch each transformation land
Every photo crosses the slash untouched and comes out the other side finished.
