Simple Potluck App Alternatives
A lightweight, no-login web app for community event signups that's as easy as handing around a physical clipboard.
Not sure if the Simple Potluck App is a good fit for you?
You'll like it if...
- You organize community events and want to make it easy for folks to say they're coming
- You want everyone to see each others' responses (e.g. for a potluck meal signup to see who is bringing what)
- You trust everyone in your community not to vandalize the signup (editing other people's responses)
Pros & Cons
- âž• less expensive than most account-based event planning apps
- âž• prevents accidentally deleting or editing other people's responses
- âž• leverages high trust to get something easier to use
- âž– cannot prevent folks intentionally deleting or editing other people's responses
Alternatives
Event Registration Apps require login to enforce etiquette
If you have a larger community where you can't count on everyone to
respect the sheet, you'll probably want a service where each invitee
has their own account and must log in to edit. With services like that
you can enforce the rule that you can only edit your own response.
Pros & Cons
- âž• prevent unauthorized edits
- âž– requires logging in (complicates RSVPing)
- âž– complicated to configure
Shared Cloud Documents are easy to set up but hard to RSVP with
A simple free option is to create a shared cloud document with link
sharing turned on (so that everyone with the link can edit). Then, send
the link to everyone and they can write their name in the document if
they are coming.
This is a good option if you want something free and quick to set up,
and if everyone in your community is comfortable with editing cloud
documents on the device they will be RSVPing from. Probably some people
will want to RSVP from their mobile device, and often the user
experience of editing cloud documents on a phone is not great. But, if
you all have to do it for work and are used to it, then this is
quick-to-set-up option that may be enough for you.
Pros & Cons
- âž• easy to configure
- âž• no login required
- âž– easy to accidentally delete or edit other people's responses
- âž– complicated for folks who haven't edited cloud documents before
Comparison
|
Cost |
Easy to configure |
Prevents Accidental Edits |
Prevents Vandalism |
Easy to RSVP |
| Event Management Applications |
$$$ |
|
|
|
|
| Shared Cloud Documents |
free |
|
|
|
|
| Simple Potluck App |
$ |
|
|
|
|
Summary
- Choose an Event Registration App to prevent vandalism — especially for larger communities
- Choose a Shared Cloud Document if you want it to be easy for the administrator and don't mind if it's harder for invitees
- Choose the Simple Potluck App if your social rules enforce the signup etiquette so the app doesn't need to