A badminton scoring app that watches the game
Badminton Sensei is a free badminton scoring app for iPhone that keeps score by watching the game. Prop your phone behind the baseline and it finds every rally, awards the point and tracks servers, sides and games for singles or doubles, with the score live on your Lock Screen.
- Free, no ads
- Singles and doubles
- Lock Screen scoreboard
- Fix any point
Keeping score ruins the rally
How it usually goes
- You win a long rally, walk to the bench, unlock a phone and tap +1. Every point.
- Someone forgets. Now it's 14–12 or 13–12, and nobody's sure who served.
- In doubles, the argument moves on to which court the server should be in.
- After the game, the score is all you have. No idea how the points were won.
With Badminton Sensei
- The phone films from behind the baseline and the score keeps itself.
- The rules are built in: 21 points, win by two, 30 cap, best of three.
- It knows who serves next, and from which service court.
- Every point is linked to its rally on video, with shots, speeds and line calls.
A scoreboard app that watches
Most badminton scoreboard apps are a pair of big buttons. This one has eyes.
Singles or doubles, detected
It counts the players and applies the right rules and court lines. Wrong? One tap to switch.
Lock Screen scoreboard
A Live Activity shows the score on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, with +1 and undo.
Fix any point
Change who won a rally or add a missed one. The whole match re-scores, with undo and redo.
Stats behind the score
Shot mix, rally lengths, smash speeds and where points were won and lost.
The score, one glance away
The most useful scoreboard is the one you don't have to open. While Sensei films a live match, a Live Activity puts the score on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. The serving side is marked, and the games won sit underneath.
Like tapping points yourself? The Live Activity has +1 buttons for each side and an undo, so it works as a badminton score keeper app too. The difference is what happens afterwards: points you tap while filming are matched to the rallies Sensei finds, so your taps and the video agree.
The mock below works. Tap the +1 buttons and the score moves. For the full scoring engine, with servers and re-scoring, try the auto-scoring demo.
Saturday 4 October
22:11
Sam & Priya
12 – 11
Leo & Mia
Mock Lock Screen. The +1 and undo buttons work.
Three ways to keep score
There's no wrong way to count to 21. But they're not equal once you want more than a number.
| Question | Badminton Sensei | Typing scores into a scoreboard app | Reviewing video by hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who keeps the score? | The phone, from the video | You, after every rally | You, afterwards, rally by rally |
| Stops play to tap? | No (optional +1 on the Lock Screen) | Yes, every point | No, but costs an evening later |
| Knows server and court? | Yes, singles and doubles | Some do, if you tap correctly | Only if you work it out |
| Fixing a mistake | Change one rally; the match re-scores | Edit the score and hope | Rewind and recount |
| Line calls | In, out or “Too close” | No | Pause and squint |
| Stats and smash speeds | Yes, every match | Score only | Only what you note down |
| Highlights | Reels and share cards built for you | No | Manual editing |
| Cost | Free, no ads | Varies | Free, plus your time |
Is there a free badminton scoring app?
Yes. Badminton Sensei is free, and that means the whole app: automatic scoring, line calls, smash speeds, stats, highlights and crew tournaments. There are no ads, no subscription and no in-app purchases. You don't make an account, because there isn't one. If all you need is a quick manual counter in a browser, our online score keeper is free too, and a printable score sheet never runs out of battery.
Badminton score keeper app vs. automatic scoring
A score keeper app is a counter with the rules attached: you press a button for the side that won the rally, and it adds the point and works out the server. That's genuinely useful, and it's fast. But it has two weaknesses. Someone has to remember to press, every point, sweaty hands and all. And when the game ends, the app knows the final score and nothing else.
Automatic scoring flips that around. The iPhone films the match, the shuttle tracker sees when each rally starts and ends, and the point goes to whoever won it. Because every point is tied to a rally on video, you can jump to any point and watch it, see the shot that ended it and the speed of the smash that set it up. If Sensei gets one wrong, change it and the whole match re-scores.
What the scoring follows
Scoring follows the BWF Laws of Badminton: rally scoring to 21, a two-point lead to win, a cap at 30, best of three games. The side that wins a rally serves the next one, from the right service court on an even score and the left on an odd one. In doubles, partners only swap service courts when their side wins a point while serving. If those rules still feel slippery, step through them with the doubles serving order tool or read how badminton scoring works.
Badminton scoreboard app for club nights
A score is most fun when it adds up to something. With Crew, results from your sessions feed a leaderboard and head-to-head records for the people you play with every week. Run a round robin, a knockout or King of the Court on the night, and share results and cards with friends' iPhones nearby, with no internet connection needed. See how Crew works.
What it won't do
Badminton Sensei is for practice, friendly matches and club play. It is not a replacement for an umpire in official matches, and its calls are estimates from one camera, which is why it says “Too close” instead of guessing a tight line. It needs to see the rallies, so a phone that gets knocked over or a court half out of frame will cost you points you then add by hand. And it's iPhone only, running iOS 26 or later.
A scoreboard that keeps your secrets
Your matches are analysed on the iPhone and stay there. No account, no server, no ads, no analytics. The scoring works in a sports hall basement with zero bars of signal. Read the privacy policy.
Analysed on your iPhone
Core ML and Apple Vision do the work on the phone in your hand.
No account, no server
Nothing to sign up for and nowhere for your videos to be sent.
No ads, no tracking
No analytics or advertising SDKs. The App Store label is “Data Not Collected”.
Works with no signal
Basement hall, school gym, holiday court: it doesn't need the internet.
First score in five minutes
- Step 1
Get the app
Free on iPhone with iOS 26 or later. Coming soon to the App Store.
- Step 2
Try the sample match
See a scored match, rallies and stats in seconds, before you ever film.
- Step 3
Film your game
Phone behind a baseline, a few feet up, whole court in view. Press record and play.
The getting started guide walks through it, and the filming setup planner shows where to put the phone.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free badminton scoring app?
Yes. Badminton Sensei is free on iPhone with every feature included: automatic scoring, a Lock Screen scoreboard, line calls, stats and highlights. No ads, subscription or in-app purchases.
Does it work for doubles?
Yes. It detects singles or doubles from the video and tracks the serving side, the server and their service court under the BWF Laws. You can switch the format with one tap if it guesses wrong.
Does it work on Android?
No. Badminton Sensei is iPhone only and needs iOS 26 or later. On any device, you can use our free online score keeper in the browser.
Can I still tap points myself?
Yes. The Lock Screen Live Activity has +1 and undo buttons for each side. Points you tap while filming are matched to the rallies Sensei finds.
What if the app scores a point wrong?
Open the match, press and hold the rally and choose who won it. The whole match re-scores, including servers and later games, and every fix can be undone.
Do I need internet or an account?
No. Everything runs on your iPhone. There's no account and the app makes no network requests.
Can I use it for official tournaments?
It's built for practice, club nights and friendly matches, not as a replacement for an umpire in official matches.
Stop guessing. Start seeing.
Play the point. The score keeps itself. Badminton Sensei traces every shuttle, clocks your smashes, calls the lines and keeps the score, all on your iPhone.
Coming soon to theApp StoreFree · iPhone with iOS 26 or later- On-device AICore ML tracking, nothing uploaded
- No account, no adsEvery feature, every match, free
- Works with no signalAny gym, any court