Comparison Last checked September 2026

Im Here! vs Google Forms

Google Forms is what most teachers actually use for digital attendance, mostly because it's already there. It's free, it works, and nobody has to ask IT for anything. Here's what it does well, and where it costs you time.

The short version

Pick Google Forms if

  • You want a semester-long record living in one spreadsheet
  • You need custom fields like tardy, excused, or a note
  • Your class already lives in Google Classroom
  • District policy says Google tools and nothing else

Pick Im Here! if

  • You don't want to set anything up before each class
  • You want to watch the names arrive, not refresh a tab
  • You want check-in to close itself when time's up
  • You'd rather not keep a permanent record of who was where

Side by side

Google FormsIm Here!
SetupBuild the form, link a Sheet, make a QROpen a room
Each classShare the link, close the form afterWrite the PIN on the board
Live viewRefresh the Responses tabNames land on screen as they arrive
Late check-insOpen until you remember to close itImpossible once the timer ends
RecordsA spreadsheet, foreverCopy or download the list; the room deletes itself
PriceFreeFree

Attendance with Google Forms

You build a form with a name question, or a multiple-choice grid with every student as a row. You link it to a spreadsheet, make a QR code with a separate generator, and share the link.

That spreadsheet is Forms' best feature. It becomes a real, permanent record you can keep all semester.

The link never expires

Either you close the form after every class, or you accept check-ins from the parking lot at 9 p.m.

The roster is yours

New student, new row. Every section gets its own form, and every form needs upkeep.

Attendance with Im Here!

You open a room and put the four-digit PIN and QR code on the board. People type their names from their phone's browser, and the list builds on your screen while the door is still open.

Im Here! attendance room with a four-digit PIN, QR code, countdown timer, and student names on screen A student entering the four-digit room PIN in their phone's browser to check in to an Im Here! attendance room
No spreadsheet was linked in the making of this list.

The room runs on a timer. When it ends, check-in closes itself and the room is deleted from our server.

  • No form to build
  • No roster to keep
  • Nothing to remember to close

Keep the list: press Copy Names or Download before the timer runs out.

So which one?

If you need a record that lasts all semester, or custom fields on every check-in, Google Forms earns its setup time. Plenty of people use both.

If you want to know who is in the room right now, without building, maintaining or closing anything, open a room.

Start a room Or make a printable sign-in sheet

Also compared: the paper sign-in sheet, Jibble, OneTap

Try it in your next class.

Open a room, put the PIN on the board, and watch the names arrive.

Start a room Join with a PIN