The quickest free online sign up form for an event is one you build in a form tool, copy the link from, and turn into a QR code with any free generator. Print the code on your poster or shop window, then test it from where a passer-by would stand. Here is how to do each step without paying for anything.
Build the sign up form first
Make the form before you design the poster, because the poster only has to point at something that works. Keep it short. People scanning a code are standing on a pavement with one thumb free, and every extra question costs you sign-ups.
Take a home baker in Pune running a Saturday cake-decorating class. She needs five things:
| Field | Block type | Why you ask |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Short answer | So you can greet people |
| Phone number | Phone number | For a WhatsApp reminder the day before |
| Number of people | Number | To plan seats and materials |
| Which session | Dropdown | Only if you run more than one slot |
| Allergies or notes | Long answer | Optional, and handy for food events |
In your thank-you page, tell people the address, the start time, and what to brnig. Most people will screenshot it. If seats are limited, set the form to close after a set number of responses so you never overbook.
A dental clinic running a free check-up camp would use the same fields and swap "allergies" for "anything we should know". You do not need to start from a blank page: there is a free event RSVP template you can edit in a few minutes.
Use the free event RSVP template
Get a short link, then make the QR code
Open the Share tab and copy the public link. A long link makes a crowded code with tiny squares, which is harder for a phone camera to read from a distance. A short link makes a simpler code.
If you have a domain, you can use a subdomain like forms.yourbusiness.com. In Qwenvo you add the subdomain on the Domains page, create a CNAME pointing to qwenvo.com plus the TXT record it shows you, and click Verify. It has to be a subdomain, because a bare yourbusiness.com usually cannot take a CNAME. No domain is fine too. The default link works.
Then the QR step. Qwenvo has no built-in QR code, so paste your link into any QR generator:
- Paste the form link and generate the code.
- Download the largest file you can get, or a vector file if the generator offers one. A small image gets blurry when you enlarge it.
- Check that the generator does not put a time limit on the code. You do not want it dying halfway through your campaign.
- Print it dark on a light background, with a blank margin all around.
Beside the code, write what scanning does: "Scan to reserve your seat", the date, and the short link in plain text. Some prople cannot scan or would rather type, and the text also helps if the code gets scratched or the print is faded. For more on this setup, see our guide to a registration form with a QR code.
Test it from a distance
Most failed QR posters were never tested in the place where they hang. Do this before you print fifty copies:
- Print one copy on plain paper at the real size you plan to use.
- Tape it up where it will hang, whether that is the shop window, the door, or the wall by the counter.
- Stand where a customer would stand when they decide to scan, and try with your phone.
- Try a second phone, ideally an older or cheaper one. Your own phone is probably better than average.
- Test in daylight and again in the evening. Glass throws back glare, and a code that scans at noon may not scan under a shop light at night.
- Switch off your shop wifi and scan on mobile data, since that is what most passers-by will use.
- Fill in a test sign up and confirm it shoows up in your submissions and that you get the notufication email.
- Delete the test entry so your count starts clean.
If the scan hangs or takes several tries, enlarge the code or move it. If it only fails at night, shift it away from the glare or print on matte paper.
Where to put the code
Eye level beats anywhere else. A codde in the bottom corner of a poster at knee height gets ignored, however good your design is. In a window, put it on the inside of the glass facing out, or on the outside if you can, and keep it clear of reflections and anything stuck in front of it.
On flyers you hand out, put the code at the bottom with one line telling people why to scan. On posters, give it room. Do not crowd it with logos or text right up to its edge, because a code with no blank border scans poorly.
Share the same link in your WhatsApp status and on your Instagram bio, so people who never walk past your shop can sign up too. If you want to know which poster is working, add a hidden field that records where the sign up came from and give each poster its own link. The hidden fields help page shows how.
Which free tool to use
You have a few reasonable options, and the right one depends on what you need from the from.
Google Forms is free with a Google account and fine for collecting names and numbers. Design and brsnding are limited, so form will look plain ndxt to your printed poster.
Tally has a generous free plan: unlimited forms and submissions, logic, and file uploads up to 10 MB per file. On the free plan you cannot remove its branding, use a custom domain, or capture partial submissions. Those are on Pro, at $29 a month. That is a lot if you run one event a month.
Qwenvo is a free form builder our team makes. Everything is on for every account, including switching off the Qwenvo badge, a custom domain, partial submissions, visit and drop-off analytics, custom design and CSS, teammates, and 180+ templates. The visit and drop-off numbers help with posters: you can see how many people opened the form and where they gave up.
One honest caution for Qwenvo: it launched in October 2026, so there are few reviews yet, and it is hosted in the United States. You aso have to make the QR code yourself, as described above.
Questions owners ask
Does the person scanning need internet?
Yes. Their phone has to load the form, so it needs mobile data or wifi. That is why the short link in plain text matters. It lets someone save it and fill it in later when they have signal.
Can I limit how many people sign up?
Yes. In the form settings you can close the form after a number of responses, or on a date. Both are useful for events with limited seats.
Do I need a new QR code if I edit the form?
No. The code points to the form's link, so you can change questions, text, or design and the printed code keeps working. You only need a new code if you change the link itself, for example by switching to a custom domain after printing.
Can I take payment for a paid event on the same form?
Qwenvo has a Payment block that works through PayPal, and Qwenvo keeps a 1% fee on top of PayPal's own fee. If payments are the main point and you prefer a cheaper route, Tally adds no fee on top of Stripe. For a free event this does not apply.
Do this today
Open the event RSVP template, trim it to the five fields above, and copy the link from the Share tab. Paste it into a QR generator, print one copy on plain paper, tape it up where the real poster will go, and scan it from the pavement with two different phones.