Headcount vs Individual Check-In: Which to Use
The trade-off between a quick single number and full per-person accuracy.
The two modes
- Individual Check-In - each attendee is checked in by name (search, QR, or self-scan), building a real per-person attendance record
- Headcount - a single total number is entered for the whole service, with no per-person breakdown
Why the difference matters later
Individual Check-In sessions can be filtered, exported as full attendee/absentee PDF reports, and feed Follow-Up's absentee detection, since Sermfy actually knows who was and wasn't present. Headcount sessions can't produce a full attendee-list export, and they don't feed absentee tracking at all, there's no per-person data to compare against.
Attendance Rate is still calculated for Headcount sessions, using the entered total, but any feature that depends on knowing individual attendees won't work for that session.
Best practice
Use Individual Check-In for your main weekly services if Follow-Up matters to your church, absentee detection depends entirely on it. Reserve Headcount for large one-off events, crusades, outdoor gatherings, where individually checking in every attendee genuinely isn't practical.
Related Articles
Checking People In: QR, Camera Scan, and Kiosk Mode
The three ways to check members and visitors into a service, and when to use each one.
Adding a First-Time Visitor During Check-In
Capture a new guest's details, including where they live and who invited them, right at the point of check-in.
Checking In a Returning Visitor
How Sermfy finds a visitor who's been to your church before, so you're not re-entering their details every time.
Ending a Service Session
Why formally closing a session matters, beyond just walking away from the check-in screen.