Why Switch to Attendance?
You're probably managing attendance with tools that weren't built for it. Here's what you're likely using now, and why Attendance is better.
Messaging Apps
WhatsApp / Signal / Telegram
"Hey everyone, who's coming to rehearsal Tuesday?"
47 messages later, including thumbs up emojis, "maybe if my kid is feeling better", side conversations about last week...
47 messages later, including thumbs up emojis, "maybe if my kid is feeling better", side conversations about last week...
The Problems
- Messages get buried in unrelated chat
- No clear count, you have to scroll and tally manually
- No section breakdown, just a wall of names
- History is chaos
Facebook Groups / Events
Create an event, hope members see it in their algorithmically-filtered feed...
The Problems
- Algorithm decides who sees your event
- "Interested" is meaningless, does that mean yes?
- Mixed with personal social content
- Your data is Facebook's data
Why Attendance is Better
- Clear Yes/No/Maybe responses with one click
- See responses organized by section
- Permanent record you can export and search
- Your data stays on your server
Spreadsheets
Google Sheets / Excel
A shared spreadsheet with member names in rows, dates in columns. Everyone edits their own row. In theory.
The Problems
- Someone accidentally deletes a row or column
- "Who has edit access?" recurring issue
- Mobile editing is painful
- No notifications, members forget to check
- Formatting chaos when 30 people edit
Airtable / Notion
A fancier spreadsheet with forms. Better than raw Excel, but still requires members to navigate to a form.
The Problems
- Another account for members to manage
- No push notifications
- Complex setup for section organization
- Subscription costs add up
- Your data on someone else's server
Why Attendance is Better
- Simple interface, no spreadsheet editing
- Automatic notifications remind people
- Data integrity protected
- Export to spreadsheet when you need it
Scheduling & Polling Tools
Doodle
The Problems
- Designed for finding meeting times
- No recurring events
- No section breakdown
- No check-in
When2Meet
The Problems
- Finding overlap, not confirming attendance
- Anonymous grids
- No historical tracking
- Clunky mobile interface
SignUpGenius
The Problems
- Designed for slot sign-up
- Complex for simple questions
- Limited localization
- Separate account system
Why Attendance is Better
- Built for recurring attendance
- Section-based response views
- Real-time check-in during events
- 8+ languages, fully translatable
Ensemble Management Software
Choir Genius
The Problems
- Expensive monthly cost
- More features than many need
- Requires data migration
- Learning curve
Charms Office Assistant
The Problems
- US school programs focus
- Complex admin interface
- Legacy design
- Overkill for attendance
Band Helper
The Problems
- For gigging bands, not ensembles
- Subscription pricing
- Separate from other tools
- Setlist-focused features
Why Attendance is Better
- Free and open source, no subscriptions
- Focused on attendance, does one thing well
- Uses existing Nextcloud users, no migration
- Running in minutes
"Please reply to this email"
The Problems
- Reply-all chaos or missed responses
- Manual tallying is error-prone
- Responses buried in busy inboxes
- No check-in capability
- Hard to find historical data
Calendar Tools
Google / Outlook Calendar
The Problems
- Designed for meetings, not attendance
- Accept/Decline doesn't show section balance
- No check-in capability
- No attendance analytics
- Hard to see patterns across events
Why Attendance is Better
- Structured responses
- Section breakdown
- Real-time check-in
- iCal integration
Ready to Switch?
Install on your Nextcloud, configure your groups, create your first appointment. Members respond with one click. No migration, no training, no subscription.