Count the questions, not the patrons.
Cardea is a tap-to-count tracker for library reference desks. Tap once when someone asks a question, in person or remote. Enter the gate count. Cardea turns it into charts and summaries, and never asks for patron information.
Every new organization gets 14 days of Pro. No card needed.
What Cardea does
Tap to count
One tap records a question. Pick the mode, in person or remote, and keep working.
Gate counts
Enter the gate counter's number for the day, alongside your question counts.
Other counters
The gate count is one counter of many. Add counters for study rooms, print jobs or visitors by zone, each with its own reminder time. With a visitor counter, Cardea shows questions per 100 visitors.
Charts and summaries
Your counts by day, by mode and by location, as numbers and charts. Pro prints an executive summary and exports everything to CSV.
Locations
Count each location on its own and see them together. Free covers one location. Pro covers four, and each one after that is $5 a month.
Corrections
Missed a tap? Make Corrections fixes a day after the fact: any of the last 30 days on Free, and any day on Pro.
Your own modes and categories
Name your modes, such as In person, Remote, Phone or Chat, and your categories. Rename one and the history follows. Retire one and its history still counts.
Set up for your organization
Your time zone, your closing time, and your name and logo on the printed summary.
No patron information
Cardea never asks for a patron's name or any other patron information. It counts, and that is all.
One sign-in for both apps
Sign in once at the portal for Cardea and Ante. Passkeys work too.
Leave with your data
If you ever leave, we export all of your data for you and delete it after a 30-day wait that you can cancel.
Priority support (Pro)
Anyone can send a Request from the portal. On Pro, yours is answered first.
How it works
Tap during the day
Tap once for each question, in person or remote.
Enter the gate count
Add the gate counter's number for the day.
Read the numbers
Open the charts and summaries to see how the days add up.
Plans
Cardea is priced per organization, not per person. Free covers a library with one location getting started.
$19 a month
Up to four locations, full history, any date range, a printable executive summary and priority support. Or $190 a year, which is two months free.
Try Pro free for 14 days| What you get | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Locations | 1 | Up to 4, then $5 a month for each extra |
| People | 1 Organization Admin and 2 Members | Unlimited |
| Modes and counters | 2 modes, 1 counter | Up to 8 modes, unlimited counters |
| History and corrections | Last 30 days | Any day |
| Charts and statistics | Last 30 days | Any date range |
| CSV export | Last 30 days | Everything |
| Printable executive summary | Not included | Included |
| Support | Requests in the portal | Requests, answered first |
Extra locations are $5 a month each, after the first four. A location is a library building you count separately.
Using both apps? Cardea and Ante together on Pro are $29 a month, or $290 a year.
Questions
What happens if Pro ends?
Nothing is deleted. You go back to Free, and anything past the Free limits is kept safe and comes back when you upgrade.
Do I need a card for the trial?
No. Every new organization gets 14 days of Pro, once for each app, with no card.
Is the price per person?
No. One price covers your whole organization, however many people use it.
Does Cardea collect patron information?
No. Cardea has no field for a patron's name or any other detail about a patron. It only counts.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. Cancel whenever you like and keep using the Free plan.