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Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If you want a dartboard that keeps score for you — no chalk, no arguments, no math between throws — the GRANBOARD Dash Blue is the one most buyers end up happiest with, and it is the pick this guide leads with. Below you will find nine soft-tip boards that all count your hits automatically, sorted from the strongest overall down to the best budget-friendly buys.
I’m Mohammad Maruf — the founder and writer behind Gardening Beyond. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
A soft-tip board throws plastic darts at a plastic face packed with sensors, so the board itself decides what you scored — and the quality of that sensor grid is what separates a board you keep for years from one that starts misreading in a month. For anyone setting up a home game room, this breakdown covers the best digital dart board options and exactly who each one suits.
Our Picks at a Glance
How To Choose The Best Digital Dart Board
Every board here scores your throws electronically, so the real differences come down to target size, how it is powered, how many games it packs, and how well it stands up to repeated plastic-tip impacts. Decide which of those four matters most to your room, and the shortlist picks itself.
Target size sets the throw
A 15.5-inch face is the regulation play area you stand at in a pub, and it gives you the full spread of segments to aim at. A 13.5-inch target area is tighter and pulls everything closer together, which suits casual players and younger throwers but changes the feel for anyone used to a full-size board. Soft-tip darts only — the sensor mat behind the face reads plastic tips, not steel.
How the board gets power
Some boards run on AA batteries alone, which frees you to hang one in a garage or spare room with no outlet in reach. Others ship with an AC adapter, and a few do both. If you plan long sessions with a glowing display, the plug-in route saves you a battery habit.
Games, players and scoring depth
Look at the game count, the scoring variations and the player ceiling. A board that supports eight or sixteen players keeps a full room involved, while a solo computer opponent keeps you throwing when nobody else is around. Cricket display size matters too — a dedicated X/O readout is far easier to follow than a tiny scrolling text line.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Target Area | Games | Power | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANBOARD Dash Blue★ Best Overall | Online play against the world | — | Via app | 2 AA batteries | Amazon |
| Viper ShowdownBest Value | Bounce-free garage setup | 15.5 in | 32 games / 590 options | 3 AA batteries | Amazon |
| Electronic Dartboard for AdultsBrightest Display | Bright colorful displays | 13.5 in | 40 games / 427 options | 3 AA or adapter | Amazon |
| Turnart Electronic Dart Board | Party lighting games | 13 in | 48 games / 315 variations | 4 AA or AC | Amazon |
| Arachnid Marauder 5.0 | Cabinet-ready kids and adults | — | 38 games / 137 options | — | Amazon |
| DARTSLIVE Home | Arcade feel at home | 15.5 in | Via app | 2 AAA or USB | Amazon |
| Arachnid Cricket Maxx 4.0 | Pub-style X/O cricket | 13.5 in | 37 games / 315 variations | — | Amazon |
| Viper Neptune | Cabinet with built-in storage | 15.5 in | 57 games / 300 options | AC adapter | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. GRANBOARD Dash Blue – Electronic Dartboard
Our pick — 4.5★ from 650+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
The home board that lets you throw against strangers in another country.
The Dash Blue earns its place at the top because of one thing the rest of this list cannot match: it pairs over Bluetooth with an app on iOS, Android or a smart TV, and that app is your scoreboard, your game library and your link to live opponents anywhere in the world. That is the feature people buy it for, and it is the reason the reviews keep circling back to the app rather than the plastic. For a board that runs on just 2 AA batteries — no cord, no socket, no cable across the floor — that is a lot of capability in a 5.3-pound package.
Physically it sits between the compact boards and the full cabinets. At 1.25 inches thick it is the chunkiest pick on this list — more than three times the thickness of the Turnart board’s 0.4 inches — so it feels substantial when you hang it, and it takes up noticeably more wall. The Blue finish and plastic shell are simple, and that simplicity is the point: once it is on the wall, everything that matters happens on a screen you already own.
What wins people over is the build and the sense that it was made to be used. Long sessions with harder throwers hold up, the impact noise stays low enough not to annoy the house, and the app tracks your running average and stats so you can see your scores climb. The honest catch is the segment grid over time — darts can stick in the segments, and a rare unit eventually stops catching bullseyes cleanly. Treat pulling darts straight out, not sideways, as routine maintenance and the board rewards you.
Why it takes the top spot
- Live online play with a real opponent base through the app
- Silent enough for an apartment and simple to set up on 2 AA batteries
- Shared online matches with friends who own the same board
- Stats and averages that league-minded players actually use
What to weigh first
- The segments can loosen and stick as the board ages — pull darts straight
- Included 7g darts are light; heavier darts need the right soft tips or they stick and break
- Extra gear matters — many owners add a mounting kit and cast to a small TV
Buy it if: you want to play real people around the world and have a tablet or smart TV to hang beside it.
Think twice if: you want a self-contained board with no screen, no app and no setup to enjoy.
2. Viper by GLD Products Showdown Electronic Soft Tip Dart Board for Adults
A full regulation target face at the friendliest end of the mid-range.
If you have ever thrown at a full-size pub board, you will feel at home here immediately — the Showdown gives you the same 15.5-inch regulation target face with precision concave holes designed to hold soft tips in place, wrapped in an ultra-thin spider and an extended catch ring that shove bounce-outs down. That is the whole sales pitch, and it works: the board is a favorite for garages and spare rooms precisely because it throws like the real thing and asks almost nothing of you.
Almost nothing is literal here. It runs cord-free on three AA batteries, so the awkward corner with no socket within reach is no problem at all, and the LCD display is sized to stay readable from the throw line — you can check the score without walking up. Thirty-two games with over 590 scoring options across up to eight players covers everything from a solo practice session to a full house, and scoring is automatic throughout.
The trade-offs are the ones you would expect from included gear. The six starter darts are basic enough that swapping in better ones transforms the feel, the screen is not backlit so a dim corner gets frustrating, and registration can misread occasionally — a recurring hiccup, not the norm, and one that the company’s support handled quickly for owners who hit it. The manual is worth keeping since each game needs a setup pass.
Throwing feel: The 15.5-inch face plus the concave segment holes add up to darts that land and stay, and the catch ring keeps the misses off your floor.
Where it stumbles: A non-backlit screen in low light and basic bundled darts — both cheap to work around and both obvious the moment you play.
Reach for this if… you want a regulation-feel board that lives happily on batteries in a garage or back room.
Look elsewhere if… you need a lit display for a dark room or expect the bundled darts to be the ones you keep.
3. Electronic Dartboard for Adults, Colorful LCD Soft Tip Dart Board 40 Games
Two glowing screens that make cricket scores readable across the room.
Cricket is the game that kills cheap electronic boards, because the score is a grid, not a number, and a tiny scrolling text line turns it into guesswork. This board solves that with two vibrant LCD panels that stay brighter and clearer than a standard display and can still be read from a distance, with enhanced graphics built specifically for cricket. The backlit color and voice prompts make the whole thing feel friendlier than its price suggests.
The throwing surface leans tourist-grade rather than full regulation — a 13.5-inch target area with a 17-inch catch ring, built from premium PP material with a tournament-quality thermoplastic face and ultra-thin segment dividers that cut down bounce-outs. The tapered holes grip darts well once they land, though early on they grip hard enough that removing a dart takes a firm pull. Forty games with 427 options, five difficulty levels for the built-in computer opponent and a one-button quick cricket start mean there is no shortage of things to play.
Power is flexible: three AA batteries or the included adapter, and the honest caveat is that the bright displays chew through batteries, so the plug wins for long sessions. Frequent players note that when a dart catches just outside the play zone it can sometimes register a score, and the mounting holes reward patience when you align them. Neither is a dealbreaker — the board holds up to months of cricket-heavy use without misreading hits.
The display is the draw: Two bright cricket-ready LCDs, voice prompts and a quick-start cricket button — the least fussy scoreboard here for a full room.
Plan around this: Battery life disappears under the bright screens, so keep the adapter plugged in and treat the tips as consumables — they break, and the box includes a hundred so you can afford to.
Best matched to: a game room where cricket is the house game and players want to read the board from a chair.
Pass on it if: you need full regulation target size — this one runs a smaller 13.5-inch face by design.
4. Turnart Electronic Dart Board Automatic Scoring for Soft Tip Darts
Simon says, with darts — seventeen games light up the board itself.
Most electronic boards light up their display. This one lights up the targets. That is the entire personality of the Turnart: seventeen of its forty-eight games are light-based, with optional moving-target modes that tell you where to throw and then remember what you hit. It is the closest thing here to an arcade cabinet for two, and the automated voice announcements and eight-player support give even a casual night a competition-night feel.
The number that surprises people is the weight — this is a 2.06 kg board, the lightest here by a wide margin, and the 0.4-inch thickness makes it the slimmest as well. Hanging it is a one-person job. It draws power from four AA batteries or an AC adapter, and it arrives with a 13-inch target, a two-year manufacturer warranty and plastic tips spare enough that owners never seem to run short.
Owners describe hits registering cleanly and darts holding the board well, with audio that is surprisingly loud and clear for a wall-mounted unit. The catch, and it is a real one: reliability is a mixed bag. Some units throw for months, while others quit early with an error code and won’t start on batteries or the wall plug. If you get a good one, the light games are the a neat extra; if you get a bad one, the two-year warranty is the reason to buy here rather than gamble elsewhere.
Why the party crowd loves it: Seventeen light-based games with moving targets turn a dartboard into a group activity, and the voice announcing each player keeps a full room organized.
The honest unknown: Reliability varies between units, so register the two-year manufacturer warranty as soon as it is on the wall.
The pick for: families and friend groups who want an activity, not a practice tool, and value a bright light show over a big target.
Look past it if: you want the most bulletproof board on the wall — this is the one with the most variability in the bunch.
5. Arachnid Marauder 5.0 Electronic Soft Tip Dartboard Cabinet Set Black EDBW660
The one that disappears behind wood doors the moment you stop playing.
Arachnid has been building pub dartboards for long enough that the naming means something, and the Marauder is the entry point into that world: 38 games with 137 scoring options, four dedicated X/O displays for cricket, and integrated wood doors that fold over the board so a game room looks like a game room and not a sports bar. The backlit scoring window is large, color-coded and readable without squinting.
The reviews that matter are the ones from households with kids, and there is a clear pattern there — children take to the heckler voice that comments on every throw, and the 38-game library suits pre-teens. Be warned that the heckler cannot be switched off, so you are signing up for a running commentary if you want one or not.
Two specifics worth planning around. First, the manual states an 18g dart maximum, yet owners who used 18g darts reported cracking the scoring glass, so stay lighter than the label suggests. Second, tips are not interchangeable — the board wants rounded, thick soft tips rather than thin pointy ones. The fake-wood laminate on the doors may peel with age, which is the cosmetic risk of a budget cabinet. Buy extra tips and darts up front, because the ones in the box run out fast.
The case for the cabinet: Doors that close, four X/O cricket displays and a 38-game library make this the tidiest option for a shared living space.
Know before you buy: Stay below the 18g max the manual lists, and budget for better darts and extra tips immediately — the stock set is short-lived.
Go here if: you want a cupboard-style setup the family can leave out without the room looking like a bar.
Skip if: you want the widest regulation face — the play area here is the smaller tournament target.
6. DARTSLIVE Home Electronic Dartboard, Bluetooth Compatible with Online Play
A regulation board built by the company behind real bar-league darts.
DARTSLIVE makes the machines you see in actual darts bars, and the Home board is that hardware shrunk to fit a wall: a 15.5-inch professional regulation electronic face in ABS and nylon, Bluetooth linked to the official app for automated scoring and game guidance. Cast it to a TV and the arcade feel arrives — one buyer put it best when they said it delivers “the bar/arcade experience at home,” which is exactly the promise the design makes. The app supplies the games, the scoring and the trainer modes, and it is the same app the arcade machines run on.
Weighing in at 7 pounds with a 1.28-inch thickness, this is the heaviest board here that is not built into a cabinet, and it feels it — darts hit quietly with noticeably fewer bounce-outs than board brand rival Arachnid’s models. The 15.5-inch face is the full regulation target, which the smaller boards here cannot claim. Two AAA batteries run it, or a USB type-C cable, which is included, sidesteps the battery entirely.
The frustration in the reviews is small and consistent: the power button is stiff enough that people describe it as hard to operate, and the app takes a moment to find — it is the green DL HOME one, not the arcade app. Local games are free; online lobbies and camera play sit behind a subscription. Neither quibble touches the throwing, which is the part that keeps people coming back.
What separates it: A full 15.5-inch regulation face, bar-grade build quality and an app designed by the people who run the arcade version.
Minor irritations: A power button that fights you and an app that hides in the store — both solved within a minute of use, and neither affects the throw.
The right call if: you want the board the pros stand at, and don’t mind the app doing the heavy lifting.
Worth questioning if: you want a board that plays entirely offline and free of any subscription hooks.
7. Arachnid Cricket Maxx 4.0 Electronic Dartboard Set, Black
Pub-style X/O scoring built for a room full of people playing cricket.
Cricket is a group game, and the Maxx is set up for the group: a 13.5-inch target, 37 games with 315 variations, four top-mounted LED displays serving up to eight players, and a CricketMaxx XL display that shows the score in the classic pub X/O format instead of a line of text. Solo players get five difficulty levels against the built-in computer, and the whole thing arrives as an assembled cabinet — hang it and throw.
The fixture everyone remembers is the Smack Talk heckler that comments on every throw. Kids find it hilarious, and it is a genuine reason the board works as a family gift. It is also permanent — the commentary runs if you want it or not, so if you plan quiet solo sessions, that is a real consideration.
Durability of the cabinet is the recurring catch in owner reports, with the particle-board doors described as the fragile part; the board and its scoring keep working fine. One quirk worth knowing: if the board misregisters early, a full power-cycle by unplugging and replugging resets it and it carries on. The included four sets of darts come apart easily, so upgrading the darts is a worthwhile early purchase.
The cricket specialist: Four LED displays, XL X/O scoring and eight-player support make this the most sociable cricket board here.
Watch the cabinet: The scoring side holds up, but the particle-board doors are the wear point, and the Smack Talk voice is on for good once it starts.
Ideal for: cricket night with a full house, where the X/O board is the star and the kids get the heckler as a bonus.
Reconsider if: you want a silent practice board or need a full 15.5-inch regulation target.
8. Viper by GLD Products Neptune Electronic Soft Tip Dart Board with Cabinet
A cabinet, a board, and storage for sixteen players’ worth of darts.
The Neptune is the most complete package on this list: a regulation 15.5-inch electronic board built directly into a cabinet, so you hang one object instead of a board and then a frame around it. The doors fold closed over the board when you are finished and double as storage for darts and spare tips, which keeps the whole thing tidy. Fifty-seven games with over 300 scoring options take up to sixteen players, including the Minnesota and Spanish Cricket variants you rarely find outside a dedicated league board.
It is a heavy unit — 20.3 pounds and 3.5 inches deep — so plan the mounting properly. The extended backlit display is what makes those specialty cricket formats readable and it scores automatically, and the cabinet looks genuinely good on a wall, which matters more than buyers expect when the board is going in a shared room. Reviewers consistently mention the appearance and how much guests want a turn at the board.
The recurring complaint is reliability over time — some units run without issue, while others throw fault codes or stop responding after a handful of games — alongside durability notes about the display cracking under normal play and a speaker wire that can break off. The darts in the box are the other sore point; they fall apart in the hand and are worth replacing immediately. Get a good copy and it is the most complete board here.
The all-in-one appeal: Board, cabinet, closed-door storage and sixteen-player scoring in one wall mount — this is the setup that turns a spare room into a darts room.
The risk to weigh: Reliability between units is inconsistent, and the included darts should be treated as temporary — budget for replacements on day one.
Built for: hosts who want a finished, furniture-grade setup and expect a full room to cycle through the board at parties.
Not the safest bet if: you want the lowest chance of a faulty unit — the cabinet format is excellent, but consistency is the weak link.
Understanding the Specs
Target area size
The target area is the scoring face the darts hit, and it is measured across the board, not the whole unit. A 15.5-inch face is the regulation size you throw at in a pub, and it gives you the full spread of segments to aim at. A 13.5-inch or 13-inch face pulls everything tighter, which is easier for younger players but changes the throw for anyone with a pub background. The catch ring sits outside the target area and catches the darts that miss — a 17-inch catch ring, for instance, widens the safety net. Match the target size to who will be throwing most often.
Power source and battery count
Digital dart boards draw power from AA or AAA batteries, an AC adapter, or both, and the choice shapes where the board can live. Cord-free boards on three or four batteries hang in garages and spare rooms with no socket nearby. Boards with an adapter avoid a battery habit but need an outlet and a cable run, and a few offer both. The number of batteries matters less than whether the plug is included — bright backlit displays drain batteries quickly, so for long sessions with the display running, plugging in wins.
FAQ
Do digital dart boards work with steel tip darts?
How high should I mount a soft tip dart board?
Why does my electronic dart board keep bouncing darts out?
Can I play an electronic dart board without a phone or tablet?
What is the difference between a 13.5 inch and a 15.5 inch dart board?
Do soft tip darts break easily?
How many players can an electronic dart board handle?
Is an electronic dart board noisy?
How long does an electronic dart board last?
Do I need a subscription to play online on a digital dart board?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
For most homes, the digital dart board that earns the top spot is the GRANBOARD Dash Blue — the app-driven scoring and live online play are what owners keep coming back to, and a 4.5-star average across nearly 700 ratings backs that up. If you want a full regulation face and a board that works without a phone, the Viper 850 or the Viper Showdown are the sensible self-contained picks — the Showdown in particular for a garage with no nearby outlet. And when the whole family is throwing, the cabinet format of the Viper Neptune and the pub-style cricket displays of the Arachnid Cricket Maxx 4.0 turn a spare room into the room everyone gathers in. Pick the one whose face size and power source fit your wall, hang it tight, and start throwing.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of September 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, Gardening Beyond earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.