Gone are the days when tracking event attendance meant someone with a clipboard and a pen counting heads at the door.
Even the smallest events now have the option to make life much easier for themselves and their attendees.
From knowing who showed up and when, to which sessions were packed or empty, modern tools provide the insights you need to keep things running smoothly, show value to your sponsors, and make data-driven, meaningful improvements next time around.
In this Checkout Page guide, we’ll explore:
- Why tracking matters
- How to choose the right solution
- Core methods and check-in tools
- Implementation tips and user experience
- The leading platforms of 2025
Why does it matter to track event attendance?
Whether you’re hosting a small workshop or a multi-track conference, collecting attendance data (at whatever depth you deem appropriate) is crucial in enabling you to deliver a smooth, engaging, and accountable experience.
- Basic events (meetups, small workshops): Even simple headcounts and check-in timestamps ensure you meet room capacity requirements and comply with safety regulations. Knowing precisely who arrived and when lays the groundwork for reliable reporting, giving you peace of mind that every guest is accounted for.
- Mid-size events (training series, local expos): Adding check-in rates, session attendance data, and a live analytics dashboard helps you spot popular topics, optimize staffing levels, and manage room capacity dynamically. You can also sync this information via CRM data integration to personalize your event follow-up communications.
- Large-scale or hybrid conferences: In these settings, advanced attendance monitoring, real-time analytics, and detailed attendance patterns become indispensable. Track dwell time, cross-session movement, and attendee preferences to make on-the-fly scheduling tweaks, highlight high-interest topics, and deliver VIP notifications. Feeding these metrics back into your event management ecosystem empowers both marketing ROI reporting and strategic planning for future editions.
No matter the size of your event, accurate attendance tracking:
👍 Ensures compliance and safety: Accurate headcounts and capacity metrics keep you within legal limits.
👍 Improves attendee experience: Fast check-ins and data-driven personalization make guests feel seen and valued.
👍 Demonstrates value: Quantifiable session attendance and engagement metrics prove ROI to sponsors and stakeholders.
👍 Facilitates continuous improvement: From basic room-fill rates to sophisticated dwell-time analysis, every data point informs better decisions for your next event.
Event attendance data and metrics collection
The depth of data you collect will depend on your event’s goals and scale. For small workshops, basic check-in rates and check-in timestamps may suffice to confirm attendance.
For larger conferences or multi-room expos, you’ll want a comprehensive live analytics dashboard that displays attendance monitoring, room capacity utilization, and session attendance trends.
- Basic events (workshops, seminars): Track check-in timestamps, overall attendance counts, and simple capacity metrics to ensure rooms aren’t overbooked.
- Mid-size events (training series, local meetups): Add crm data integration to align registrant profiles with attendance patterns and attendee preferences, enabling targeted follow-up communications.
- Large conferences (multi-track, hybrid formats): Utilize real-time analytics and comprehensive session management tools to monitor dwell times, cross-session movement, and engagement levels. Analyze attendance patterns throughout the day to identify high-interest topics and adjust scheduling on the fly.
By tailoring the granularity of your attendance tracking technology to your event type, you can make informed staffing decisions, demonstrate ROI to sponsors, and continuously refine your programming.
Choosing the right attendance management platform
Selecting the best attendance tracking platform can be overwhelming, given the numerous options available.
Begin by considering the specific needs of your event, including the type of data you require, the level of support you need, and the level of technical expertise within your team. Start by considering the following:
- Event type and size: Are you managing a small workshop, a large expo, or a hybrid summit? Select a platform with features specifically tailored to your format.
- Budget: Determine if you need a basic free solution or an enterprise-grade tool with advanced analytics and security.
- Feature requirements: Look for options like badge printing, QR code scanning, facial recognition, session tracking, integrations with CRM or marketing software, and real-time dashboards.
- User experience: Test the interface and customer support. An intuitive setup process and reliable help make a huge difference.
- Scalability: Ensure the platform can grow with your events and adapt to new formats or larger audiences.
Below, we break down each platform with an introduction, a detailed list of features, who it suits best, who it may be less ideal for, and typical pricing information.
8 best event attendance tracking platforms
Below, we’ve evaluated the leading attendance tracking platforms in two tiers: first, for small to medium-sized events, and then for large-scale and enterprise gatherings. Each review highlights pricing, ideal use cases, core features, implementation considerations, and user experience, so you can confidently choose the right solution for your event’s size and complexity.
1. Checkout Page
Checkout page is a no-code event page ticketing and check-in solution, combining 0% ticketing fees with a mobile check-in app and total flexibility, including unlimited event pages and white label customization, with no technical skills required. It's ideal for small workshops, community meetups and nonprofits.
Pricing: $29/month subscription (plus Stripe processing fees); 7-day free trial.
Best for: Budget-conscious organizers who need simple ticket sales and onsite check-in without hidden costs.
✅ Comparison & selection: Flat monthly cost, unlimited events and ticket types; embed on your site or use branded event pages in minutes.
✅ Data & metrics: Dashboard tracks ticket sales, headcounts, and check-in rates; CSV export and CRM integration available.
✅ Methods & tools: Mobile app QR code scanning, offline mode, and manual search; order bumps and one-click upsells.
✅ Implementation: Three-step setup, create event, share or embed page, start selling; no hardware or on-site support needed.
✅ User experience: Fully branded, mobile-optimized pages and check-in app; fast payouts and live founder support.
2. Eventleaf
Eventleaf is a cloud-based registration, badge printing, and check-in tool with optional self-service kiosks.
Pricing: Free tier; paid plans from $199/event with kiosk and analytics add-ons.
Best suited for: Seminars and local meetups that require basic badge printing and on-site scanning.
✅ Comparison & selection: Clear pay-as-you-go pricing; registration-partner-agnostic.
✅ Data & metrics: Tracks check-in timestamps, total attendance and room capacity; Zapier/API integrations.
✅ Methods & tools: QR code scanning via mobile app or kiosks.
✅ Implementation: Download app, configure tickets and launch—no hardware contracts.
✅ User experience: Clean interface, customizable branding, optional instant badge printing.
3. Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a popular integrated ticketing, promotion, and check-in platform with strong discoverability features.
Pricing: Free for free events; paid events charged 3.7% + $1.79 service fee + 2.9% processing per order.
Best for: Public meetups, community classes, and small paid events prioritizing ticket sales and social sharing.
✅ Comparison & selection: Transparent, per-order fees passed to attendees.
✅ Data & metrics: Real-time dashboards for ticket sales, check-in rates, and session attendance.
✅ Methods & tools: QR code scanning via mobile/tablet app with offline support.
✅ Implementation: Web-based setup; minimal configuration, auto-updated apps.
✅ User experience: Intuitive dashboard, calendar exports, social media integrations.
4. Whova
Whova is a mid-tier event management solution that blends engagement (including networking, polls, and gamification) with robust attendance tracking.
Pricing: Custom quotes, typically starting around $3,000 per event.
Best suited for Regional expos, training series, and multi-day gatherings that require both engagement and check-in features.
✅ Comparison & selection: Attendee-based pricing; no hardware required.
✅ Data & metrics: Live analytics dashboard showing check-in rates, session attendance, and engagement metrics.
✅ Methods & tools: Mobile check-in app, on-demand badge generation, session access control.
✅ Implementation: SaaS rollout with clear deployment guide and 24/7 support.
✅ User experience: Custom branding, user-friendly interface, built-in networking features.
5. Splash
Splash is a well-established event marketing and management platform—now part of Cvent—that helps organizers plan, promote, execute, and measure live, virtual, and hybrid events.
Pricing: Packages from $2,500 per event; custom quotes for branding and analytics.
Best for: Corporate workshops, product launches, and expos where brand experience is paramount.
✅ Comparison & selection: Tiered packages combining check-in tools, analytics, and branding.
✅ Data & metrics: Advanced reports on session attendance, dwell time and ROI; CRM integrations.
✅ Methods & tools: QR scanning, dynamic badge printing, customizable check-in screens.
✅ Implementation: Web portal with printer integrations; detailed deployment guides and live chat support.
✅ User experience: Fully customizable UI, real-time attendance dashboard, and onsite assistance.
6. Fielddrive
Fielddrive is an enterprise-grade, high-throughput check-in solution (part of Hubilo) offering sub-2-second facial recognition and robust offline failover.
Pricing: Custom quotes; indicative fees start at €5,000 platform + €400–€600/kiosk/day + €0.20–€0.35/badge.
Best for: Large expos, trade shows, and hybrid conferences demanding speed, security, and real-time analytics.
✅ Comparison & selection: Custom pricing models, registration-partner-agnostic integrations.
✅ Data & metrics: Command-center dashboards track no-shows, dwell time, session registrations, and room capacity.
✅ Methods & tools: Facial recognition, QR/barcode/RFID/NFC scanning with offline data sync.
✅ Implementation: Modular kiosks plus roaming apps; typical 10-kiosk setup in 2–4 hrs with onsite engineers.
✅ User experience: Lightning-fast check-ins, dynamic badge production, VIP notifications and granular access control.
7. Cvent OnArrival
Cvent OnArrival is the on-site component of the Cvent ecosystem, delivering professional badge printing and detailed session tracking.
Pricing: Custom quotes are available, typically based on a platform fee plus per-badge, per-kiosk, and support charges.
Best suited for: Enterprise conferences and trade shows that arefully integrated with Cvent registration and marketing tools.
✅ Comparison & selection: Seamless integration with Cvent Registration, AMS/CRM connectors.
✅ Data & metrics: Session-level tracking, capacity monitoring, and on-demand data exports.
✅ Methods & tools: QR/barcode scanning, live badge printing, offline check-in failover.
✅ Implementation: Rented kiosks, scanners and mobile apps; dedicated on-site Cvent teams and 24/7 support.
✅ User experience: Branded badge templates, CRM data sync, enterprise-grade access control.
8. Certain
Certain is an enterprise automation platform that crafts personalized attendee journeys and delivers in-depth analytics for global programs.
Pricing: Annual licensing + usage fees; custom quotes typically start at $20,000/year.
Best suited for Corporations and associations hosting multi-city or hybrid events that require end-to-end automation.
✅ Comparison & selection: Professional services, custom AMS/CRM integrations, and complex workflow support.
✅ Data & metrics: Advanced ROI tracking, cross-session movement analysis, and live analytics dashboards.
✅ Methods & tools: Mobile check-in, badge printing, automated beacon check-in, and dynamic session access control.
✅ Implementation: Cloud-hosted SaaS with deployment guides, a dedicated customer success team, and 24/7 support.
✅ User experience: Personalized prompts, VIP notifications, real-time attendance tracking, and intuitive UI.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen, the right attendance tracking solution depends entirely on your event’s size, complexity, and goals, from simple check-in apps that handle headcounts at small workshops to enterprise-grade platforms offering real-time analytics, custom integrations, and VIP workflows for global conferences.
Before you decide, take a moment to map out your must-have metrics, deployment constraints, and user-experience priorities. Then match those needs to a platform that delivers the features, scalability, and support your team requires.
Ready to sell tickets without fees and streamline your onsite check-in?
Try Checkout Page free for 7 days—no credit card required. See how easy it is to launch branded checkout pages, collect attendees' data with fully customizable forms, and manage check-in and attendance tracking from any device.
