Event Registration Software vs. Google Forms: What Sched Tracks That Google Forms Can’t

If you’ve used Google Forms to run an event, you’re not alone.

It can be quick. It’s easy. It’s free. It works, until it doesn’t.

Because once your event has multiple sessions, fills rooms to capacity, requires tracking or reporting, or has people constantly changing their minds… Forms starts to fall short fast. You’re stuck in spreadsheets, backtracking RSVPs, and manually fixing problems you didn’t anticipate. What a nightmare to manage.

Sched’s event registration platform is built for that reality.

Sched gives you one platform to manage every moving part of an event: registration, scheduling, attendance, speakers, communication, feedback, and reporting. It eliminates the duct-taped workflow and replaces it with a system built to scale.

Let’s break down what Sched does differently, and why it matters.

Why Event Planning Teams Outgrow Google Forms

Google Forms is great for gathering information. But it wasn’t built to:

• Track attendance across sessions.
• Generate personalized schedules.
• Handle capacity and waitlists.
• Send real-time updates.
• Provide real-time reporting.

That’s where event registration software like Sched gives you a major advantage. Let’s break it down.

Google Forms vs. Sched’s Event Management Software: A Quick Summary

Feature / Capability	Google Forms	Sched
Session Selection & Multi-Track Events	Manual via dropdowns, no logic or automation.	Smart scheduling across tracks, roles, and permissions.
Capacity Management	Requires manual monitoring.	Auto-enforced limits, waitlists, and notifications.
Personalized Attendee Schedules	Must be created manually in spreadsheets.	Automatically generated, updated in real-time.
Real-Time Check-In & Attendance	Not supported without separate tools/forms.	QR code, self check-in, manual, all tracked instantly.
Session-Specific Feedback	Requires separate surveys and cross-matching.	Integrated, in-platform, tied to sessions & speakers.
Analytics & Reporting	Raw spreadsheets, no visuals or segmentation.	Shareable dashboards, real-time filters, role-based data.
Mobile-Optimized Experience	Static form experience.	Full mobile app with personalized schedules and alerts.
Event Changes & Updates	Must be communicated manually.	Automatic updates to attendee schedules + mobile alerts.
Built for Event Workflows	No.	Yes, designed specifically for event planning.
Time Saved	High manual work.	Hours saved per event.
Pricing	Free.	Transparent pricing starting at $17/mo, with a free 14-day trial.

While Google Forms has no upfront cost, the hidden cost is your time and sanity, and your team’s. From building schedules manually to fixing capacity mistakes and stitching together feedback, the hours add up fast.

Sched is designed to save you those hours, reduce the chaos, and give you clean data from start to finish. You can even try it free, no credit card required.

What You Can Do in Sched That You Can’t in Google Forms

1. Smarter Registration. Not Just a Sign-Up Form

Most events start with a list: name, email, role. That’s what Google Forms handles well.

But what happens when attendees need to select from multiple sessions? When schedules differ by team or track? When your capacity changes? That’s when Google Forms becomes a bottleneck.

Sched is purpose-built to handle dynamic event registration. Attendees can sign up once, build their own schedule, receive automatic confirmations, and access real-time updates. Admins can customize permissions, hide or show sessions based on roles, and scale effortlessly, whether you’re managing 30 people or 3,000.

Sched turns registration into a smart system, not a static list. Attendees get autonomy. Planners get control. Your team saves hours.

2. Capacity Management and Waitlists Built In

You shouldn’t have to sit there refreshing a spreadsheet to avoid overbooking.

With Google Forms, once you hit session capacity, you’re on your own. There’s no mechanism to stop sign-ups, let alone manage waitlists. That often means sending “Sorry, we’re full” emails one by one, or letting the experience suffer when a room’s over capacity.

Sched takes capacity planning off your plate. You can set attendance limits per session, enable waitlists, and let the system handle the flow. When a spot opens, Sched notifies the next person automatically—no guesswork needed.

Sched helps you prevent overbookings, reduce attendee confusion, and eliminate the risk of human error, without micromanaging your sign-ups.

3. Personalized Schedules for Attendees (Without the Manual Work)

Once you collect responses in Google Forms, the real work begins. Someone has to clean up the data, match attendees to sessions, and generate individual schedules, manually. That’s time-consuming, error-prone, and almost impossible to scale.

Sched automates this entirely. Based on the sessions attendees select, it builds personalized schedules that update automatically across devices. If a time or location changes, it reflects instantly, no follow-up emails required.

Sched makes your event look polished and professional, while giving attendees the structure they need and freeing your team from endless manual updates.

4. Real-Time Check-In and Attendance Tracking

Knowing who registered is one thing. Knowing who actually attended, that’s where the real value lies. But Google Forms doesn’t support check-in functionality. You’re left with a second form, a printed roster, or a clipboard at the door.

Sched turns attendance into a smooth, real-time process. Whether you’re scanning QR codes, manually checking in, or letting attendees self check-in, everything is logged instantly and tied to individual sessions.

With Sched, you gain accurate, session-level attendance data, critical for reporting, compliance, continuing education, or simply improving future events.

5. Built-In Feedback That’s Session-Specific

Post-event feedback is only useful if people actually respond (and remember what they attended). With Google Forms, feedback requires a second survey, a post-event email, and a bit of hope.

Sched integrates feedback directly into the attendee experience. After each session, attendees are prompted to rate and comment within the platform. Feedback is automatically linked to the session and speaker, giving you specific, actionable insights.

With Sched, you capture more responses, get better insights, and close the loop without sending extra emails or managing extra tools.

6. Live Analytics and Reporting You Can Share (Without Building It Yourself)

When leadership or stakeholders ask, “How did it go?”, you want answers, not just raw data.

Google Forms gives you raw data. But translating that into real answers (like session popularity, attendance rates, or engagement by department) requires hours of cleanup.

Sched gives you built-in analytics dashboards, real-time attendance summaries, and session-by-session feedback reports. You can filter by track, location, date, or role and export what you need in seconds.

With Sched, you can show results to leadership, justify ROI, and make faster, more confident decisions for your next event.

So… Is Google Forms Enough for Event Registration?

If you’re planning a one-session, no-frills event? Sure.

But if your event involves:

• Multiple sessions
• Custom schedules
• Real-time visibility
• Attendee tracking
• Feedback collection
• ROI reporting

…then Google Forms is only going to slow you down.

Sched’s event registration capabilities help you move faster, stay organized, and look like a pro, without needing a new system for every step.

Sched Is Built for Every Type of Event Team

Whether you’re managing an internal training, multi-day seminar, partner event, onboarding week, or community forum, Sched gives your team the tools to do it all.

Sched is trusted by:

• HR teams running internal training or onboarding.
• Operations leads managing company-wide rollouts.
• Conference organizers juggling tracks, speakers, and sponsors.
• Community engagement teams running open houses and listening sessions.
• Learning and development teams planning PD, coaching, or certifications.
• Schools and districts running multi-day trainings or public-facing events.

Whether you’re managing 20 attendees or 2,000, Sched flexes with your needs. It gives you structure, visibility, and peace of mind..

Why Event Planning Teams Choose Sched

Event managers across industries choose Sched over Google Forms because it:

• Saves time. You stop managing spreadsheets and start managing strategy.
• Improves experience. Attendees get clarity and confidence in their event day.
• Delivers insight. You see what worked, who showed up, and where to improve.
• Scales with you. No more outgrowing your tools mid-planning.

See the Difference for Yourself. Get started with Sched with a Free Trial

Ready to see what life looks like without last-minute edits, overflowing inboxes, or tangled spreadsheets?

Start your free trial here. No credit card required. Just set up an event, invite attendees, and see how much easier it can be.