diff --git a/dvc/command/add.py b/dvc/command/add.py
index de58130689..22b9228503 100644
--- a/dvc/command/add.py
+++ b/dvc/command/add.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 from dvc.exceptions import DvcException
 from dvc.command.base import CmdBase, append_doc_link
 from dvc.exceptions import RecursiveAddingWhileUsingFilename
-from dvc.progress import Tqdm
 
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -20,17 +19,13 @@ def run(self):
                     "can't use '--file' with multiple targets"
                 )
 
-            with Tqdm(
-                total=len(self.args.targets), desc="Adding", unit="file"
-            ) as pbar:
-                for target in self.args.targets:
-                    self.repo.add(
-                        target,
-                        recursive=self.args.recursive,
-                        no_commit=self.args.no_commit,
-                        fname=self.args.file,
-                        pbar=pbar,
-                    )
+            self.repo.add(
+                self.args.targets,
+                recursive=self.args.recursive,
+                no_commit=self.args.no_commit,
+                fname=self.args.file,
+                progress=True,
+            )
 
         except DvcException as err:
             logger.exception("{}:{}".format(type(err).__name__, err))
diff --git a/dvc/repo/add.py b/dvc/repo/add.py
index d3ede7f2cd..461fc51711 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/add.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/add.py
@@ -3,54 +3,73 @@
 import os
 import logging
 import colorama
+from six import string_types
 
 from dvc.repo.scm_context import scm_context
 from dvc.stage import Stage
 from dvc.utils import walk_files, LARGE_DIR_SIZE
 from dvc.exceptions import RecursiveAddingWhileUsingFilename
-
+from dvc.progress import Tqdm
 from . import locked
 
-
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 @locked
 @scm_context
-def add(repo, target, recursive=False, no_commit=False, fname=None, pbar=None):
+def add(
+    repo,
+    target_list,
+    recursive=False,
+    no_commit=False,
+    fname=None,
+    progress=False,
+):
     if recursive and fname:
         raise RecursiveAddingWhileUsingFilename()
 
-    targets = _find_all_targets(repo, target, recursive)
-    if pbar is not None:
-        pbar.total += len(targets) - 1
+    if isinstance(target_list, string_types):
+        target_list = [target_list]
 
-    if os.path.isdir(target) and len(targets) > LARGE_DIR_SIZE:
-        logger.warning(
-            "You are adding a large directory '{target}' recursively,"
-            " consider tracking it as a whole instead.\n"
-            "{purple}HINT:{nc} Remove the generated DVC-file and then"
-            " run {cyan}dvc add {target}{nc}".format(
-                purple=colorama.Fore.MAGENTA,
-                cyan=colorama.Fore.CYAN,
-                nc=colorama.Style.RESET_ALL,
-                target=target,
-            )
-        )
+    stages_list = []
+    with Tqdm(
+        total=len(target_list),
+        desc="Adding",
+        unit="file",
+        disable=not progress,
+    ) as pbar:
+        for target in target_list:
+            targets = _find_all_targets(repo, target, recursive)
+            pbar.total += len(targets) - 1
 
-    stages = _create_stages(repo, targets, fname, pbar=pbar)
+            if os.path.isdir(target) and len(targets) > LARGE_DIR_SIZE:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "You are adding a large directory '{target}' recursively,"
+                    " consider tracking it as a whole instead.\n"
+                    "{purple}HINT:{nc} Remove the generated DVC-file and then"
+                    " run {cyan}dvc add {target}{nc}".format(
+                        purple=colorama.Fore.MAGENTA,
+                        cyan=colorama.Fore.CYAN,
+                        nc=colorama.Style.RESET_ALL,
+                        target=target,
+                    )
+                )
 
-    repo.check_modified_graph(stages)
+            stages = _create_stages(repo, targets, fname, pbar=pbar)
 
-    for stage in stages:
-        stage.save()
+            repo.check_modified_graph(stages)
 
-        if not no_commit:
-            stage.commit()
+            for stage in stages:
+                stage.save()
 
-        stage.dump()
+                if not no_commit:
+                    stage.commit()
 
-    return stages
+                stage.dump()
+
+            stages_list += stages
+
+    return stages_list
 
 
 def _find_all_targets(repo, target, recursive):