Online ping pong scoreboard: keep score and see who serves
Type both names, pick best of 3, 5 or 7 games and tap the side of whoever won each point. The scoreboard ends each game at 11 with a 2-point lead, shows who serves (2 serves each, 1 each from 10-10) and tells you when to switch ends.
In this article
This online ping pong scoreboard runs in your phone's browser, with nothing to install. Tap the side of the player who won the point and it counts the games, shows who is serving and tells you when to switch ends, following the official table tennis rules.
Loading the scoreboard...
How to use the online scoreboard
- Type both players' names. They are saved on this device for next time.
- Pick the match length: best of 3, 5 or 7 games.
- Pick who serves first. Not sure? Use the who serves first coin toss.
- Tap the side of whoever won each point. Tapped the wrong one? Hit Undo.
- If your phone is propped up next to the table, use Full screen: the numbers get huge and are easy to read from across the room.
On a computer you can use the keyboard after clicking the scoreboard: left arrow or A scores for the left side, right arrow or L for the right side, and Z undoes the last point.
The scoring rules the scoreboard follows
It uses the official ITTF scoring system, the same one explained step by step in our guide to table tennis scoring:
| Situation | What the scoreboard does |
|---|---|
| A player reaches 11 with a lead of 2 or more | Ends the game and starts the next one |
| 10-10 (deuce) | Keeps going until someone leads by 2 |
| A player wins most of the games | Ends the match and shows the winner |
| End of each game | Tells you to switch ends and flips the screen |
| Deciding game, someone reaches 5 | Reminds you of the last-game side switch |
In a best of 5, for example, the first player to win 3 games takes the match. To see why different formats exist, read how many games are in a ping pong match.
Who serves: how the scoreboard works it out
Serve order causes more arguments in basement ping pong than anything else. The scoreboard puts a gold border around the server and shows whether it is serve 1 or 2:
- each player serves 2 points in a row, then the serve passes over;
- at 10-10, the serve changes after every point;
- in the next game, the player who received first in the previous game serves first, so the opening serve alternates from game to game.
Winning a point does not win you the serve. That is a house rule borrowed from volleyball and old-school 21-point games, not the official rule.
Switching ends and full screen mode
Under the rules, players switch ends after every game and, in the last possible game of a match, when the first player reaches 5 points. The scoreboard alerts you at those moments and swaps both sides of the screen, so each name stays on the side where that player is standing. If your phone sits in a different spot, the Swap sides button fixes it.
At a club night or a backyard tournament, stand the phone up at one end of the net, facing the players, in full screen. Whoever is closer taps the point. It also helps to stop the screen from turning off in your phone's display settings.
Tips for calling the score
When there is an umpire, they call the server's score first. At 7-5 with the player on 5 about to serve, the call is "5-7". In casual games, the same habit works well: say the score out loud before every serve. It settles disputes and helps everyone remember who serves.
The scoreboard saves the match on your device only. If the page closes by accident, it picks up where you left off when you open it again. Nothing is sent to any server.
Running more than one match? Pair the scoreboard with the tournament bracket generator or the round robin generator.
Frequently asked questions
How does scoring work in ping pong?
Every rally is worth one point to whoever wins it. A game ends at 11 points with a 2-point lead, and a match is best of 3, 5 or 7 games. The serve changes every 2 points and, from 10-10, after every point.
Is this ping pong scoreboard free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no sign-up and no app to install, and it stores the match only on your device.
Who serves first in the second game?
Whoever received first in the first game. The scoreboard switches it for you at the start of each game.
When do you switch sides in ping pong?
After every game and, in the last possible game of the match, when one player reaches 5 points.
Can I undo a point I scored by mistake?
Yes. The Undo button takes back one point at a time, even if the wrong point ended a game.