diff --git a/cmd/count.go b/cmd/count.go
index 5489d58..57c8752 100644
--- a/cmd/count.go
+++ b/cmd/count.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cmd
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+
 	ldsview "github.com/kgoins/ldsview/pkg"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -12,24 +13,20 @@ var countCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Short: "Counts the number of entities in an ldif file",
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		dumpFile, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("file")
-		builder := ldsview.NewLdifParser(dumpFile)
-
-		entities := make(chan ldsview.Entity)
-		done := make(chan bool)
+		parser := ldsview.NewLdifParser(dumpFile)
 
-		// Start the printing goroutine
-		go ChannelPrinter(entities, done, cmd)
-
-		err := builder.BuildEntities(entities, done)
+		count, err := parser.CountEntities()
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Printf("Unable to parse file: %s\n", err.Error())
 			return
 		}
+
+		fmt.Println("Entities: ", count)
 	},
 }
 
 func init() {
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(countCmd)
-	countCmd.Flags().Bool( "count", true, "" )
+	countCmd.Flags().Bool("count", true, "")
 	countCmd.Flags().MarkHidden("count")
 }
diff --git a/cmd/ui.go b/cmd/ui.go
index 769d6cc..684f4c2 100644
--- a/cmd/ui.go
+++ b/cmd/ui.go
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ func PrintEntity(entity ldsview.Entity, decodeTS bool) {
 // when finished
 func ChannelPrinter(entities chan ldsview.Entity, done chan bool, cmd *cobra.Command) {
 
-	count, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("count")
 	tdc, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("tdc")
 
 	printLimit, intParseErr := cmd.Flags().GetInt("first")
@@ -59,17 +58,12 @@ func ChannelPrinter(entities chan ldsview.Entity, done chan bool, cmd *cobra.Com
 	for entity := range entities {
 		entCount = entCount + 1
 
-		if !count {
-			PrintEntity(entity, tdc)
-		}
+		PrintEntity(entity, tdc)
 
 		if entCount == printLimit {
 			break
 		}
 	}
 
-	if count {
-		fmt.Println("Entities: ", entCount)
-	}
 	done <- true
 }
diff --git a/pkg/counter.go b/pkg/counter.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bcf5549
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/counter.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package ldsview
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+)
+
+// CountEntities returns the number of entities in the input file
+func (parser LdifParser) CountEntities() (count int, err error) {
+	Logger.Info("Opening ldif file: " + parser.filename)
+	dumpFile, err := os.Open(parser.filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	defer dumpFile.Close()
+
+	Logger.Info("Finding first entity block")
+	entityScanner := parser.findFirstEntityBlock(dumpFile)
+	if entityScanner == nil {
+		return count, errors.New("Unable to find first entity block")
+	}
+
+	for entityScanner.Scan() {
+		titleLine := entityScanner.Text()
+		if parser.isEntityTitle(titleLine) {
+			count++
+		}
+	}
+
+	return
+}
diff --git a/pkg/counter_test.go b/pkg/counter_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..978907b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/counter_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package ldsview
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestLdifParser_CountEntities(t *testing.T) {
+	a := assert.New(t)
+
+	parser := NewLdifParser(TESTFILE)
+	a.NotNil(parser)
+
+	count, err := parser.CountEntities()
+	a.NoError(err)
+	a.Equal(count, NUMENTITIES)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/ldif_parser_test.go b/pkg/ldif_parser_test.go
index 9118834..3181f10 100644
--- a/pkg/ldif_parser_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ldif_parser_test.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func TestBuildEntities(t *testing.T) {
 
 		err := parser.BuildEntities(entities, done)
 		assert.Nil(t, err)
-		assert.Equal(t, 3, counter.c)
+		assert.Equal(t, NUMENTITIES, counter.c)
 	})
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/pkg_main_test.go b/pkg/pkg_main_test.go
index 065b60c..f9609e3 100644
--- a/pkg/pkg_main_test.go
+++ b/pkg/pkg_main_test.go
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 package ldsview
 
 const TESTFILE = "../testdata/test_users.ldif"
+const NUMENTITIES = 3