Apps for sign-up sheets in 2026: free and paid options

To replace a paper or manual sign-up sheet, choose by who is signing up. For a one-off event open to anyone — a potluck, a cake stall, parent-teacher interview slots — a public sign-up sheet app such as SignUpGenius, PlanHero or SignupKit lets people claim a slot from a link without an account. For a volunteer team that comes back every week, a standing signup board such as Zelos Team Management lets you publish the same shift for several dates at once, sends reminders by app notification or email, and keeps a chat thread on every shift.

This guide compares 13 apps for sign-up sheets on what their free plans include, whether participants need an account, and how reminders and messaging work. Every app here has a free plan or free trial, and most let people sign up from a link without making an account. Prices are shown in the currency each vendor publishes.

The right app depends on two questions. First: do people need to sign up from a public link without making an account, or are they a known group who will come back week after week? Second: do you just need the slots filled, or do you also need to talk to the people who claimed them? Those two questions split this list cleanly.

Why manual sign-up sheets break down

A paper sheet on the fridge still works for a household, and a clipboard or a shared spreadsheet works for a small group — until the group grows or the same shifts repeat every week. Then the failures are predictable: two people take the same slot, nobody notices an empty shift until the day, reminders go out by hand, and no one can see who volunteers how often. Most sign-up sheet apps fix the first three by capping each slot, showing what’s taken in real time and sending reminders automatically. The last one — knowing your regulars — is where a tool built for a standing team differs from a one-off sheet.

How sign-ups work in Zelos Team Management

Zelos Team Management is a task and shift signup app with built-in messaging, built for a volunteer team that comes back week after week. Each task or shift gets a fixed number of open spots, unlimited spots, or none if you’d rather assign people directly. You can publish the same shift for several dates at once; each date is its own task, so volunteers claim the dates they can make. Members claim from the iOS, Android or web app, get reminders by app notification or email, and can have each shift they claim added to their Google Calendar automatically. Every task has its own chat thread. People join once — through an invite or a public join link — and admins can approve each one. There is no public sheet where strangers claim a slot without joining. The free plan covers unlimited members and 25 active tasks at a time. Pro is A$159/month billed annually, never per person. See tasks and shifts, pricing and the help centre guide to tasks.

Which one replaces your paper sign-up sheet

Product	Best for	Shareable link	Search-indexed	Account to sign up	Cap per slot on free plan	Built-in chat	Free plan	Source
Google Forms	Fastest free form	Yes	Only where you post it	No	No	No	Unlimited forms, no ads	Google Forms
SignUpGenius	Public school and church sign-ups	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Unlimited sign-ups, ads shown to participants	Pricing
Signup.com	Known groups such as P&C committees	Yes (private link)	No	No	No (premium)	No	Unlimited participants, ads	Pricing
PlanHero	Churches and community groups	Yes	—	No	—	No	1 active event (3 total), 30 days, no ads	Pricing
Lome	Polished, ad-free pages	Yes	—	No	—	No	1 sign-up form, 1 community board	Pricing
Doodle	Finding a time	Yes	No	No	—	No	1 active poll, 1 booking page, basic sign-up sheets, ads	Pricing
Perfect Potluck	Potlucks and meal trains	Yes	Yes	No	—	No	Free, no ads	Perfect Potluck
Track It Forward	Volunteer-hour reporting	Yes	—	Organizer’s choice per event	—	No	Under 25 volunteers	Pricing
SignupKit	One big event with documents	Yes	—	No	Yes	No	5 sheets × 50 sign-ups, no ads	SignupKit
SignUpReady	Small item-based sign-ups	Yes	—	No	Yes	No	1 sheet, 25 participants, no ads	Pricing
Wejoinin	A grid for one week	Yes	—	No	—	No	Free	Wejoinin
VolunteerSignup.org	Non-commercial volunteer groups	Yes	Yes	No	—	No	Free, non-commercial only	VolunteerSignup.org
Zelos Team Management	A volunteer team that meets regularly	Public join link (join page only)	Join page only	Yes	Yes (task capacity)	Yes (thread on every task)	Unlimited members, 25 active tasks, 10,000 messages	Pricing

Free plans checked against each vendor’s public pricing page on 29 September 2026.

• Public one-off sign-ups, no accounts: SignUpGenius, PlanHero or SignupKit.
• A private link for a group you already know: Signup.com.
• Potlucks and meal trains: Perfect Potluck.
• Finding a time everyone can make: Doodle.
• Volunteer hours you have to report: Track It Forward.
• The fastest free form, no slot limits needed: Google Forms.
• No budget, non-commercial volunteer group: VolunteerSignup.org.
• A quick free grid for a week: Wejoinin.
• A volunteer team that meets week after week and needs chat and profiles: Zelos Team Management. It isn’t a public sign-up sheet — members join a private workspace first.

Google Forms

Quick, free signups for groups already on Google

Google Forms is the fastest way to throw together a basic sign-up sheet at no cost. You build a form, share the link, and responses drop straight into a Google Sheet. There are no ads, no participant limits, and no account required for people to fill it in. For a simple “tell me your name and which slot you want” signup, it does the job in minutes.

The catch is that it is a general form builder, not a purpose-built sign-up sheet. It will not cap how many people pick the same slot, show real-time availability, or prevent overbooking. You manage all of that by hand in the spreadsheet. For a potluck where five people can claim “dessert,” that is a problem. For a straightforward RSVP, it is fine.

• Free plan: Unlimited forms and responses, no ads, no participant cap. Data lands in Google Sheets.
• Paid plans: Free with a personal Google account. Google Workspace paid plans (billed in the currency Google shows you) add admin controls and storage but do not change the form features.
• Public link: Yes. Share by link or embed; no indexing unless you choose.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Participants do not need a Google account to respond.
• Built-in messaging: None. No reminders or chat; you would email people separately.
• Best for: Groups already living in Google who want a fast, free, ad-free form and do not need slot limits.
• Watch out for: No slot caps, no overbooking prevention, no reminders. You manage coordination manually.
• Platforms: Web, plus the Google ecosystem.

SignUpGenius

The most widely used public sign-up sheet

SignUpGenius is the most recognised sign-up sheet tool, especially for schools, churches, sports teams, and community events. The free Basic plan gives you unlimited signups with no participant cap, slot-based scheduling, automated email reminders, and a hosted page you can share by link. Participants do not need an account — an email address is enough to claim a slot.

The trade-off on the free plan is advertising: SignUpGenius shows ads on the signup pages your participants see. Paid plans include ad-free sign-ups: 1 on Silver, 10 on Gold, unlimited on Platinum. Silver US$8.99, Gold US$22.49, Platinum US$44.99 per month billed annually (US$11.99, US$29.99, US$59.99 monthly). For events that collect money, payments on sign-ups cost 5% + US$0.50 per transaction through Stripe, including on the free plan.

• Free plan: Unlimited signups and participants (with ads), slot-based scheduling, email reminders, embeddable forms, payment collection via Stripe.
• Paid plans: Silver US$8.99, Gold US$22.49, Platinum US$44.99 per month billed annually (US$11.99, US$29.99, US$59.99 monthly). Higher tiers add SMS reminders, custom branding, and reporting. Enterprise on request.
• Public link: Yes. Hosted on SignUpGenius’s domain, shareable and indexable.
• No account to sign up: Yes. An email address is enough.
• Built-in messaging: Email reminders and notifications. SMS on paid plans. No team chat.
• Best for: Schools, churches, and community groups that want a recognisable public sign-up sheet and do not mind ads on the free tier.
• Watch out for: Ads on free signup pages. Communication is email-only; real-time conversation needs a separate tool.
• Platforms: Web (mobile-friendly).

See how SignUpGenius compares with Zelos. For the wider list, see SignUpGenius alternatives.

Signup.com

Private sign-up sheets for closed groups

Signup.com (formerly VolunteerSpot) creates private sign-up pages for groups where you do not want public discovery. Anyone with the link can sign up, but pages are not indexed by search engines. The free tier supports unlimited participants and unlimited signups, which makes it workable for a small or mid-sized group without paying.

The free-plan catch: you cannot cap how many people sign up per slot. If you want exactly five people on snack duty, the free plan will not enforce it. Paid plans add slot limits, waitlists, shift swapping, SMS reminders, and check-in tracking. An optional participant app costs US$1.99 on the US App Store; signing up on the web is free.

• Free plan: Unlimited participants and signups, 1 group page, email reminders, no slot caps per task.
• Paid plans: Starter US$99.99/year, Plus US$249.99/year, Max US$499.99/year, all billed annually. Campus plans for schools from US$99/year. Ad-free is a paid upgrade on every plan.
• Public link: Private link only. Pages are not indexed; you share directly.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Participants sign up from the link.
• Built-in messaging: Email reminders on all tiers; unlimited text reminders on paid plans for US, Canadian and Australian numbers only. No team chat.
• Best for: P&C committees, sports teams, alumni networks, and neighbourhood groups that already know their members.
• Watch out for: No slot caps on the free plan. The optional participant app costs US$1.99 on the US App Store. Signing up on the web is free, and paid plans are an annual commitment.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android.

See how SignUp.com compares with Zelos.

PlanHero

Simple sign-up sheets, no accounts for participants

PlanHero is a straightforward sign-up sheet tool focused on simplicity. Participants do not create accounts or download apps — they click a link, pick a slot, and submit. Coordinators see real-time, colour-coded slot status. You can combine multiple days, time slots, and locations in one form.

The free plan caps you at 1 active event with a 30-day duration limit and 1 group. Paid Essentials removes those caps; Pro supports extra groups with separate public pages. Its positioning is church and community-group simplicity rather than feature depth.

• Free plan: 1 active event (out of 3 total), 30-day event duration, 1 group, email reminders.
• Paid plans: Essentials US$140/year (US$11.67/month), or US$14 monthly. Pro US$260/year (US$21.67/month), or US$26 monthly.
• Public link: Yes, with shareable links.
• No account to sign up: Yes. No participant accounts required.
• Built-in messaging: Email reminders on all plans; text bundles as an add-on.
• Best for: Churches, schools, and community groups that want clean sign-up sheets without participant accounts.
• Watch out for: The free plan allows only 1 active event. Limited features beyond simple signups.
• Platforms: Web.

Lome

Ad-free sign-up pages with polished templates

Lome is a web platform for creating public sign-up pages with customisable templates, automatic reminders, payment integration, and a built-in image library. It positions itself as an alternative to SignUpGenius, Meal Train, and Evite, with the key differentiator being that it is ad-free across every tier, including the free plan.

The emphasis is on visual polish: pre-built templates and image assets for community organisations that want signups to look designed rather than utilitarian. The marketing focus is churches, schools, parent groups, and similar contexts. Paid plans list Venmo, Cash App, Zelle and PayPal as payment options; PayPal is the one most Australian groups will use.

• Free plan: 1 ad-free sign-up form, 1 community board, email reminders, multi-date forms.
• Paid plans: Engage US$15/month (US$10/month billed yearly). Empower US$30/month (US$20/month billed yearly). Customize US$60/month (US$40/month billed yearly).
• Public link: Yes, with template-driven design and built-in images.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Participants sign up from the link.
• Built-in messaging: Email and text reminders, plus announcements on a community board. No team chat.
• Best for: Churches, schools, and parent groups that want polished, ad-free sign-up pages.
• Watch out for: The free plan is limited to 1 active form. Payment options are Venmo, Cash App, Zelle and PayPal, with no card payments listed.
• Platforms: Web.

Doodle

Finding a time everyone can make

Doodle is built around one specific kind of sign-up sheet: picking a time. You propose options, participants mark what works, and the best slot surfaces. For scheduling a meeting, a volunteer interview round, or a parent-teacher interview window, it is faster than any general form. Participants do not need an account to respond to a poll.

Doodle now offers sign-up sheets too — basic on the free plan, unlimited on Pro — but polls remain its core.

• Free plan: One group poll, one booking page and basic sign-up sheets. Ads are shown; deadlines and reminders are Pro features.
• Paid plans: Pro is US$11 per seat per month billed annually (US$15 monthly). Team is US$16 per seat per month billed annually (US$21 monthly), from 2 seats.
• Public link: Yes. Share a poll link with anyone.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Participants respond without an account.
• Built-in messaging: None beyond poll notifications.
• Best for: Coordinating a time across a group — meetings, interview slots, parent-teacher interview windows.
• Watch out for: It is a scheduling poll, not a role- or quantity-based sign-up sheet. Ads on the free tier.
• Platforms: Web (the mobile app is paused).

Perfect Potluck

Purpose-built for potlucks and meal trains

Perfect Potluck does one thing and does it cleanly: coordinate who brings what to a shared meal. You set the categories (mains, sides, desserts, drinks) and how many of each you need, share the link, and participants claim a dish. A potluck calculator suggests quantities for your headcount. No account needed, and it is free. There are no ads, but the trade-off is privacy: sign-up pages are public, indexed by Google, and open to edits by anyone who visits.

It is narrow by design. Outside of potlucks, meal trains, and dish-based events, it will not help — there is no shift scheduling, no hour tracking, no general slot building. But for the exact job it targets, it is simpler than bending a general tool to fit.

• Free plan: Free for potluck and meal-train signups, with a potluck calculator and email reminders.
• Paid plans: None. Free to use, no ads.
• Public link: Yes. Sign-up pages are public and indexed by Google.
• No account to sign up: Yes. No account required.
• Built-in messaging: Email reminders and notifications. No chat.
• Best for: Potlucks, meal trains, and dish-based community events.
• Watch out for: Single-purpose — not a fit for shift scheduling, role coverage, or ongoing coordination. Sign-up pages show up in Google search with participants’ names, and anyone who opens a page can change or remove other people’s sign-ups.
• Platforms: Web.

Track It Forward

Sign-up sheets plus hour tracking

Track It Forward leads with hour tracking but includes solid sign-up sheet features. Participants RSVP to events, check in via kiosk or mobile, and log hours through the app or web. Coordinators can verify hours with photos, GPS, or signatures. It is common in schools managing student volunteering requirements, museums, libraries, and grant-funded not-for-profits.

The free plan is usable for small groups with under 25 participants, covering basic signups and hour tracking. Paid tiers add capacity and features, with school SIS, LMS, and SSO integrations on custom plans.

• Free plan: Groups with under 25 participants. Basic signups, tracking, and reporting.
• Paid plans: For 100 users: Basic US$13.25/month, Premium US$25, Advanced US$37, billed annually (US$16.56, US$31.25 and US$46.25 billed monthly). Price scales with the number of user accounts. Custom plans for school integrations.
• Public link: Yes, with an event calendar and embeddable RSVP forms.
• No account to sign up: Organizers choose per event whether volunteers need an account or can RSVP without one; logging hours needs an account.
• Built-in messaging: Email messages on every paid plan; text messages on Advanced.
• Best for: Schools tracking student volunteering hours, museums, libraries, and not-for-profits with hour-reporting needs.
• Watch out for: Hour tracking is the core feature; if you do not need it, simpler tools fit better. Free plan caps at 25.
• Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, kiosk mode.

SignupKit

A form builder behind the signup sheet

SignupKit builds sheets from a visual form builder: time slots, RSVP options, polls, custom questions, and file attachments in one place. A document library stores waivers, maps and guides that attach to any signup and get reused across events. Participants claim a slot from a link with no account.

The unusual part is how you buy it. Alongside a monthly Pro plan, a one-time US$12 Weekly Pass unlocks the full product for seven days — a good fit for an annual event that does not justify a subscription.

• Free plan: 5 signup sheets, 50 signups per sheet, unlimited slots, SignupKit branding on your page, limited reminders and document uploads.
• Paid plans: Pro at US$10/month or US$99/year for unlimited sheets, participants and attachments. Weekly Pass at US$12 one-time for seven days of Pro features. An Organization plan covers teams. No ads on any plan.
• Public link: Yes. Share by link; password protection available.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Participants claim a slot directly.
• Built-in messaging: Email reminders and invites. No chat.
• Best for: One-off events that need documents attached — festivals, fundraisers, anything with a waiver or a site map.
• Watch out for: SignupKit branding sits on your signup page until you pay. Free plan caps at 50 signups per sheet.
• Platforms: Web.

See how SignupKit compares with Zelos.

SignUpReady

Templates for schools, sports teams and churches

SignUpReady leads with a template library: class parties, team snacks, parent-teacher interviews, potlucks, and services across a wide range of congregations. Item signups work natively, so bringing a dish and claiming a shift use the same flow. Participants sign up from a link without an account.

The free plan is the tightest in this guide — one active sheet with 25 participants — so most groups hit the paid tier quickly. The pricing page also states plainly that there are no not-for-profit or school discounts, which is unusual given the audience it markets to.

• Free plan: 1 active signup sheet, up to 25 participants, email notifications, basic customisation.
• Paid plans: Plus at US$9/month (unlimited sheets and participants, reminders, branding, calendar integration, CSV/PDF export). Pro at US$29/month adds multiple organisers, team collaboration, reporting. 7-day trial.
• Public link: Yes. Share by link.
• No account to sign up: Yes.
• Built-in messaging: Email notifications on free; automatic reminders from Plus. No chat.
• Best for: Class parents and team managers who want a ready-made template for a small, item-based signup.
• Watch out for: 25 participants on one sheet is restrictive. Multiple organisers require the US$29 Pro plan, and there are no not-for-profit discounts.
• Platforms: Web.

See how SignUpReady compares with Zelos.

Wejoinin

The simplest grid on this list, free

Wejoinin has been doing one thing since the late 2000s: a grid of rows and columns you build in a minute, share by link, and export to Excel. Add time slots, dates or roles, rename a header, send the URL. Participants type a name and an email and get a confirmation.

There is no pricing page, no paid tier, and nothing to configure. It is also narrow: there is no capacity logic beyond the grid and no mobile app. It does send confirmation and reminder emails.

• Free plan: Free. No published paid tier, no participant cap, no sheet cap.
• Paid plans: None published.
• Public link: Yes. Share by link.
• No account to sign up: Yes. Name and email only.
• Built-in messaging: Confirmation and reminder emails. No team chat.
• Best for: Office hours, appointment slots, and any signup that should exist for a week and then be forgotten.
• Watch out for: No app, and no coordination features beyond the grid and its emails.
• Platforms: Web.

See how Wejoinin compares with Zelos.

VolunteerSignup.org

Free volunteer sheets, for non-commercial groups only

VolunteerSignup.org is a Canadian project run by volunteers since 2011: completely free, no ads, no paid tier, no upsell. You create a sheet of tasks, share a short link, and volunteers claim a task without registering. A Credits column totals hours, or any other unit you choose, per volunteer.

Two things to know. Their terms restrict use to non-commercial, volunteer-supported organisations providing social benefit, so anyone paying their crew is outside scope. And sheets are indexed by search engines, showing each volunteer’s first name and last initial beside the task they took — deliberate on their part, since seeing who has already signed up encourages others, but worth a check against your own privacy expectations under the Privacy Act 1988.

• Free plan: Free, permanently. No limit on sheets or rows.
• Paid plans: None. There is no paid tier.
• Public link: Yes, and pages are search-indexed.
• No account to sign up: Yes.
• Built-in messaging: Reminder emails. No chat.
• Best for: Charities, sports clubs, neighbourhood groups and P&C committees running occasional volunteer events on no budget.
• Watch out for: Non-commercial organisations only. Volunteer names appear on pages Google indexes, and stay up after the event.
• Platforms: Web.

See how VolunteerSignup.org compares with Zelos.

Zelos Team Management

For a volunteer team that meets regularly — not a public sheet

Zelos Team Management is not a public sign-up sheet. People join the team first — through an invite or a public join link — and only then see and claim tasks and shifts. Admins can approve each new member. That adds an account step at the start, but it’s what enables member profiles, push notifications, participation history and a chat thread on every task. For a potluck, a food drive or a one-off event, use a public sheet above. For a volunteer team that meets week after week, Zelos saves rebuilding a sheet for every date.

See the volunteer management app for regular teams. The same workspace covers a Sunday service roster, food bank shifts, weekly club helpers. For event crews that come back across event days, see the event staffing app.

• Free plan: Unlimited members and admins, 25 concurrent active tasks, last 100 tasks archived, 10,000 chat messages. No ads, no credit card.
• Paid plans: Pro from A$159/month billed annually (A$189/month billed monthly, flat, never per person). Adds unlimited tasks, CSV bulk upload, dynamic member segments, full archive, and a custom team URL. Enterprise from A$1,599/month, billed annually (launch fees depend on scope).
• Public link: Public join link only. The join page shows admin-written text. Tasks, members and chat stay hidden until someone joins.
• No account to sign up: No. Members create an account, which is what enables chat, profiles, and gamification.
• Built-in messaging: Per-task chat plus direct messages, admin-supervised, with push notifications.
• Best for: A volunteer team that meets week after week and needs chat and profiles.
• Watch out for: No public sign-up page. The public join link opens a join page only. If you need strangers to claim a slot without joining the team, use a public sheet above.
• Platforms: Native iOS, Android, and web. EU-built, GDPR-compliant by default.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free app for sign-up sheets?

It depends on what you’re coordinating. For a quick, ad-free, no-account form, Google Forms is the fastest if you don’t need slot limits. For a purpose-built public sign-up sheet with slot-based scheduling and reminders, SignUpGenius is the most established (with ads on the free tier). For potlucks specifically, Perfect Potluck is free and built for exactly that. For a volunteer team that meets week after week and needs chat, Zelos Team Management has a free plan with no ads and no participant cap.

Do participants need an account to sign up?

Usually no. Google Forms, SignUpGenius, Signup.com, PlanHero, Lome, Doodle, and Perfect Potluck all let people sign up from a link without creating an account. Zelos Team Management asks people to join the team first. Track It Forward lets the organizer choose per event whether volunteers need an account or can RSVP without one; logging hours needs an account. If you’re collecting one-time signups from people outside your group, a no-account tool removes friction.

What’s the difference between a sign-up sheet app and a form builder?

A sign-up sheet app is built around claiming slots — it shows real-time availability, caps how many people can take each slot, and prevents overbooking. A general form builder like Google Forms collects responses but doesn’t enforce slot limits or show what’s already taken. For a simple RSVP, a form builder is fine. For “I need exactly three people per shift,” a dedicated sign-up sheet handles it without manual spreadsheet work.

Are there ad-free apps for sign-up sheets on the free plan?

Yes. Google Forms, Lome, PlanHero, Perfect Potluck, SignupKit, SignUpReady and VolunteerSignup.org show no ads on the free plan. Zelos Team Management shows no ads on any plan, including the free one. SignUpGenius, Signup.com, and Doodle show ads on the free plan. SignUpGenius paid plans include ad-free sign-ups: 1 on Silver, 10 on Gold, unlimited on Platinum.

Can I collect payments through a sign-up sheet?

Some tools support it. SignUpGenius charges 5% + US$0.50 per transaction through Stripe on sign-ups, including on the free plan. PlanHero collects payments through Stripe on every plan. SignUpReady collects payments on every plan, with a platform fee of 1.5% + US$0.20 on the free plan. SignupKit takes no fee on ticket payments; Stripe’s own fees apply. Signup.com and Lome offer payment integration on certain plans. Lome’s paid plans list Venmo, Cash App, Zelle and PayPal; PayPal is the one most Australian groups will use. Google Forms and Perfect Potluck do not collect payments directly. If your signup involves money, check the per-transaction fee before committing, since it varies by tool.

Will a sign-up sheet app work for a small group of under 50 people?

Yes, and you almost certainly won’t need to pay. Free plans from Google Forms, SignUpGenius, and Signup.com handle a 50-person group without an upgrade. Perfect Potluck is free for dish-based events of any size. Zelos Team Management’s free plan supports unlimited members with up to 25 concurrent active tasks. Most small groups never need a paid sign-up tool at this scale.

What can replace a manual volunteer sign-up sheet?

A sign-up sheet app replaces a paper or spreadsheet sheet: volunteers claim a slot from their phone, each slot fills without double-booking, and most apps send reminders automatically. Which app fits depends on whether your volunteers are new each time or the same team every week.

For a one-off event, SignUpGenius, PlanHero and SignupKit let anyone claim a slot from a link without an account. For a team that meets every week — food bank shifts, a Sunday service roster, weekly club helpers — Zelos Team Management lets members join once and claim shifts from a standing board, with reminders by app notification or email and a chat thread on every shift. See the volunteer management app for regular teams, or best volunteer signup apps for a wider comparison.