# How do I run QR code check-in at an event?

> Issue a QR ticket to every guest and scan them at the door with any phone. Setup, lane planning for 100–1,000 guests, costs, mistakes and a door checklist.

Canonical URL: https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-run-qr-code-check-in-at-an-event
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Short answer

Give every guest a unique QR ticket when they register or buy, then scan the codes at the entrance with a phone camera that checks each ticket against your list. In AnyEventTool (AET), turn on QR tickets in the registration form; guests get the ticket on the page and by email. At the door open aet.events/qr, tap "Turn on the camera" and scan continuously. It is free on every plan.

## Key facts

- QR tickets and the check-in scanner are included in AET Free ($0)
- Scanner works in a phone browser at aet.events/qr — no app to install
- Continuous scanning with color, sound and vibration for each result
- Five outcomes: valid and checked in, already checked, not this event, not paid, refunded
- Reads both registration tickets and purchased seat tickets
- Who can scan: the owner plus co-admins — 1 per event on Free, up to 10 on Pro
- Each scan is verified against the server, so door phones need mobile data or Wi-Fi

## Step by step

1. **Enable QR tickets** — In Registration and paid participation, switch on QR tickets (seat tickets always have QR codes).
2. **Add door staff** — In the event's Admins mode, add your helpers as co-admins by their AET login.
3. **Plan lanes** — Estimate the arrival peak and decide how many phones will scan at once.
4. **Test the scanner** — Open aet.events/qr on each door phone, tap Turn on the camera, scan a test ticket and undo it.
5. **Export a backup list** — Export participants to Excel before doors open as a fallback.
6. **Scan at the entrance** — Keep the camera running; follow the color, sound and vibration result for each guest.
7. **Review attendance** — After the event, check scanned counts and send a feedback form to attendees.

## Why use QR check-in instead of a printed list?

A printed list works for 30 people you know by face. Beyond that, QR check-in solves three problems:

- **Speed.** A scan takes a second or two; searching a surname on paper takes much longer, and queues form at the start time.
- **Duplicates and fakes.** Each code can be checked in once. A screenshot forwarded to a friend shows up as "already checked".
- **Accurate attendance.** You know exactly who came, which matters for sponsors, certificates, grant reports and planning the next event.

For paid events it also catches unpaid or refunded tickets at the door rather than afterwards.

## When is a printed list still good enough?

QR check-in is not mandatory. A printed list or a shared spreadsheet is still fine when:

- the event is small (up to roughly 30 guests) and the host knows most people by face;
- the event is free, the venue is open, and nobody is turned away anyway;
- there is no reliable connection at the entrance and no budget for an offline-capable app.

Even then, keep the QR tickets switched on: they cost nothing, guests get a clear confirmation with date and place, and you can decide on the day whether to scan. Many organizers start with a list for the first meetups and switch to scanning once queues appear at the door or once tickets become paid.

## How do guests get their QR tickets?

In AET there are two kinds of tickets, and the scanner reads both:

- **Registration tickets.** In **Registration and paid participation**, switch on QR tickets. After registering, the guest sees "Show ticket" on the event page and receives the ticket by email with a PDF. If you hide the place or time until a set moment, the ticket shows when it will become available — see [how to hide the event location until registration](/en/learn/how-to-hide-event-location-until-registration).
- **Seat tickets.** In **Seat tickets**, every purchased ticket is emailed separately with its own QR, and each has a web page (link in the email) with the QR, the seat, the status and a PDF. Setting up sales is covered in [how to sell event tickets without platform fees](/en/learn/how-to-sell-event-tickets-without-platform-fees).
- **Anonymous registrants.** If you allow registration without an account, you can send the QR ticket through WhatsApp from the anonymous entries list and mark "ticket sent".

## How do I set up the door?

1. **Add your door team as co-admins** in the event's Admins mode (by AET login). Co-admins can edit the page, scan tickets and manage sales, but cannot add other admins. Free allows 1 co-admin per event; Pro allows up to 10.
2. **Test before doors open.** Register yourself, open aet.events/qr on the door phone, allow camera access and scan your own ticket. Then undo the check-in.
3. **Check connectivity.** The scanner verifies each ticket against the server, so make sure the door phones have mobile data or reliable venue Wi-Fi.
4. **Plan lanes.** One scanner comfortably handles a steady stream; for a large crowd arriving at once, open two or more lanes with separate phones (see the planning table below).
5. **Prepare a fallback.** Export the participant list to Excel before the event in case a guest cannot open their email at the door.

## How many scanners do I need? Three scenarios

The table below is a planning rule of thumb, not a benchmark: we assume a lane processes about 6–10 guests a minute when people have their tickets ready (scan, a glance at the result, a word of welcome), and that most guests arrive in a short window before the start.

| Scenario | Peak arrivals (assumption) | Lanes to open | AET plan that covers it | Platform cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup, 100 guests | about half in the last 10 minutes, roughly 5 a minute | 1 lane, plus a spare phone | Free: owner + 1 co-admin | 0 USD |
| Conference, 300 guests | about 60% in the last 15 minutes, roughly 12 a minute | 2 lanes | Free: owner + 1 co-admin | 0 USD |
| Concert or festival entrance, 1,000 guests | about half in 20 minutes, roughly 25 a minute | 3–4 lanes, plus a supervisor for problem tickets | Pro: owner + up to 10 co-admins | 29 USD a month (290 USD a year) |

Adjust for your audience: a business conference with registration desks and badges moves slower; a club night with phones in hand moves faster. If you can, open doors earlier and announce it — spreading arrivals is cheaper than adding lanes.

## What does each scan result mean and what should staff do?

| Result on screen | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Valid — checked in | First scan of a valid ticket for this event | Let the guest in |
| Already checked | This code was scanned before | Ask for ID or check the list; it may be a shared screenshot |
| Not this event | The ticket belongs to a different AET event | Ask the guest to find the right ticket |
| Not paid | Payment did not complete | Send the guest to the organizer desk |
| Refunded | The ticket was refunded | Do not admit on this ticket |

The camera keeps running between scans, so staff do not need to tap anything for the next guest. A wrong check-in can be undone, and the counter shows how many tickets were checked during this session.

## How do I handle problem cases without blocking the queue?

Set up a small desk a few steps away from the scanning lanes, staffed by someone who can open the organizer view. Typical cases and what to do:

| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Guest cannot find the ticket email | Ask them to open the event page signed in and tap "Show ticket", or check the exported list and admit by name according to your policy |
| Guest registered with a typo in the email | Find them in the participant list by name; ticket emails for seat orders can be resent from the orders table |
| One person bought tickets for a group | Each ticket has its own QR; the buyer can forward each ticket email or show them one by one |
| "Already checked" on a ticket the guest says is new | Check who was admitted on that ticket and when; ask for ID if names are on the tickets |
| "Not paid" | Payment did not complete; the guest can buy again or you decide case by case |
| Phone battery is dead | Look the guest up in your exported list; decide in advance what proof you accept |
| Guest leaves and comes back | A second scan shows "already checked"; use a wristband or a stamp if you allow re-entry |

Write these rules on one sheet of paper for the desk. Decisions made in advance are faster and fairer than decisions made under a queue.

## What changes at the door for paid, free and sensitive events?

- **Free events.** No-shows are common, so overbooking slightly can be reasonable for open talks; the scanner tells you the real attendance afterwards. The most frequent problem is guests who did not register at all — decide whether you admit walk-ins and register them on the spot.
- **Paid events.** The scanner is also your revenue control: "not paid" and "refunded" results protect you from unpaid entry. Refund before doors open, not at the door.
- **Seated events.** The ticket shows the seat, so door staff can point people in the right direction; put a printed hall plan near the entrance.
- **Sensitive or private events.** If the address is revealed only in tickets, the door team is the last check that the person is on the list. Brief them on what to do with people who arrive without a ticket, and never read the list aloud.
- **Several entrances.** Give each entrance its own scanning phone; all phones check against the same server list, so a ticket used at one door shows "already checked" at another.

## What does check-in cost on other platforms?

Check-in is rarely a separate line item; it comes with the ticketing tool you choose. What differs is who can scan, whether you need an app, and whether it works offline.

| Tool | How check-in works | Cost of check-in itself |
|---|---|---|
| AnyEventTool (AET) | Phone browser at aet.events/qr; owner plus co-admins | Included in Free; more co-admins on Pro (29 USD a month) |
| Luma | Check-in on the free plan; a dedicated check-in manager role is a Luma Plus feature | Plus from 59 USD a month billed annually |
| Ticket Tailor | Free check-in app | Included; you pay per ticket sold |
| Tito | Check-in app on web, iOS and Android | Included; you pay 3% per paid ticket |
| Humanitix | "Humanitix for Hosts" app on iOS and Android that works offline | Included; buyers pay booking fees |
| Hi.Events | Check-in from a link on any phone, no native app | Included; hosted fee per paid ticket |

Sources: [luma.com/pricing](https://luma.com/pricing), [tickettailor.com/pricing](https://www.tickettailor.com/pricing), [Tito help: check-ins](https://help.tito.io/en/articles/2006183-check-ins), [Humanitix help: host app](https://help.humanitix.com/en/articles/8896951), [hi.events/venue-ticketing](https://hi.events/venue-ticketing) (checked 2026-10-01). Fee levels for each are compared in [ticket fees compared](/en/learn/ticket-fee-comparison).

## What are common mistakes at the door?

- **Screen brightness.** Ask guests to turn brightness up; dim phone screens slow scanning down.
- **No test scan.** Camera permissions, a cracked lens or a phone signed in to the wrong account show up only when you try. Test on every door phone.
- **Weak signal in the basement.** Many venues lose mobile data near the entrance. Check in advance and ask for the staff Wi-Fi.
- **Paper tickets.** The PDF from the email can be printed; a printed code scans like a screen.
- **One ticket per person.** For seat orders, each person has their own ticket even if one person bought all of them; the buyer can forward each ticket email.
- **Late changes.** If you refund a ticket, the scanner flags it instantly, so refund before doors open rather than at the door.
- **Arguing at the scanner.** Send "already checked" and "not paid" cases to a separate desk so the lane keeps moving.
- **Privacy.** Do not leave an unlocked door phone unattended; it is signed in to your organizer account.

## What is on the door checklist?

**The day before**

1. QR tickets switched on and a reminder email sent to guests to have the ticket ready.
2. Door team added as co-admins; each has signed in on their phone.
3. Participant list exported to Excel and saved offline.
4. Number of lanes decided from the expected peak.

**One hour before doors**

1. Every door phone charged, brightness up, aet.events/qr open, camera allowed.
2. A test ticket scanned and undone on each phone.
3. Mobile data or Wi-Fi checked at the actual entrance spot.
4. A power bank and a printed list of problem-case rules at the desk.

**After doors close**

1. Check the scanned count against registrations.
2. Send the feedback form while the event is fresh.

## What does the attendance data give me afterwards?

Scanned tickets appear in the counters of the registration or ticket section, and the Overview tab in My workspace shows attendance alongside registrations, tickets sold and revenue for 7, 30 or 90 days or a year. You can export participants to Excel and send a feedback form (8 answer types, including a 0–10 rating) to registered or anonymous guests. People who came are your best audience for the next event: invite them to a [calendar they can subscribe to](/en/learn/how-to-publish-an-event-calendar-people-can-subscribe-to).

## When might I need a different check-in tool?

AET's scanner is a browser page on a phone that needs a connection. Consider other tools if you need:

- **Offline-first scanning.** Humanitix says its host app works offline ([Humanitix help](https://help.humanitix.com/en/articles/8896951), checked 2026-10-01); AET does not.
- **Badge printing on site.** Tito's check-in works with its Badgy badge app ([Tito help](https://help.tito.io/en/articles/2006183-check-ins), checked 2026-10-01), and some Ukrainian conference services offer badges too — see [ticket-selling services in Ukraine](/en/learn/best-ticketing-platforms-ukraine). AET does not print badges.
- **Hardware scanners, turnstiles or access control** for venues with thousands of entrants per hour — specialist event-management and venue systems handle this.
- **Native organizer apps.** Eventbrite and Luma offer apps for check-in; AET is web-only.

## Questions and answers

**Do I need to install an app to scan tickets?**

No. The AET scanner runs in the phone browser at aet.events/qr. Allow camera access and tap Turn on the camera.

**Is QR check-in free in AET?**

Yes. QR tickets and the check-in scanner are part of the Free plan, which costs $0.

**Can several people scan at the same time?**

Yes. Every co-admin can scan on their own phone. Free allows 1 co-admin per event and Pro allows up to 10, plus the owner.

**What happens if someone shows the same QR twice?**

The second scan shows that the ticket was already checked, with a distinct color and sound, so staff can investigate.

**Can I undo a check-in made by mistake?**

Yes. The scanner lets you cancel the last check-in.

**Does the scanner work without internet?**

Plan for a connection. Each scan is verified against the server, so door phones need mobile data or venue Wi-Fi. If the entrance has no signal at all, an offline-capable app from another vendor is the safer choice.

**Can guests print their tickets?**

Yes. Registration tickets come with a PDF in the email, and each seat ticket has a web page with a PDF.

**How many people do I need at the door for 300 guests?**

As a rule of thumb, two scanning lanes plus one person for problem tickets, if most guests arrive in the 15 minutes before the start. On AET Free that is the owner plus one co-admin; more lanes need Pro.

## Related answers

- [How do I create an event registration page for free?](https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-create-an-event-registration-page-for-free.md)
- [How do I sell reserved seats with a seating chart?](https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-sell-reserved-seats-with-a-seating-chart.md)
- [How can I sell event tickets without platform fees?](https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-sell-event-tickets-without-platform-fees.md)
- [How do I hide the event location until people register?](https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-hide-event-location-until-registration.md)
- [How do I organize a meetup, step by step?](https://anyeventtool.com/en/learn/how-to-organize-a-meetup-step-by-step.md)