Free vs paid wedding planning platforms
Free platforms are paid for by someone: usually vendors buying leads, or the registry and stationery you buy. Paid platforms are paid for by you. Neither is wrong; it changes what the tools are built to do.
The short answer
Start free. Pay only when you need a tool the free plan doesn’t have, usually the seating chart, the budget or more guests, and prefer paying once over a subscription for a wedding that happens once.
What a free plan should cover
Before you pay anything, a free plan should let you:
- Publish a wedding website guests can actually visit, not only preview it.
- Collect RSVPs online, with your own questions, including dietaries.
- Keep the guest list in one place, with households and plus-ones.
- Work through a checklist.
- Export your guest list, so you’re never stuck.
WedBuild’s free Essentials plan covers all of that for up to 50 guests with no time limit. Zola, Joy, The Knot and Easy Weddings are free for couples. WedSites has no free plan you can publish on: its trial can’t publish your site.
Who pays for each platform
| Platform | Who pays for it | Price to the couple |
|---|---|---|
| WedBuild | The couples who use it. No vendor listings, no ads and no registry store. | Essentials free for up to 50 guests, no time limit. Standard A$99 or Pro A$199, paid once for 2 years. Every new account gets 7 days of Pro free, no card. |
| Zola | Free for couples. Zola sells registry gifts, invitations, paper and app extras, and charges vendors for leads. | Free. App extras include a US$14.99 seating chart and Premium SMS from US$59.99 (App Store, US). |
| Joy | Free for couples. Joy's pricing page says it earns from registry gifts it sells, optional upgrades and connecting couples with vendors. | Free. Paid upgrades include custom domains, text messaging and premium designs; prices on withjoy.com/pricing. |
| The Knot | Free for couples. Paid for by vendor advertising and listings through WeddingPro. Its app listing says it contains advertising. | Free. |
| Easy Weddings | Free for couples. Suppliers advertise with it; it says it delivers over 100,000 leads to them a year. It also sells a planning service. | Free tools. A paid planning service at A$1,320 or A$1,980 (incl. GST). |
| Say I Do | The couples who use it: a free plan, then one-time packages and add-ons. | Free for small weddings, then one payment set by package or guest count. Prices vary by region: see sayi.do/pricing. |
| WedSites | Couples, with one-time plans. Its terms say it also sells vendor directory listings and may earn affiliate commission. | Basic, Standard or Pro, paid once: A$59, A$159 or A$319 shown in Australia; $39, $99 or $199 shown to us from outside Australia. 6, 12 or 24 months of hosting, then $10 a month or $60 a year to extend. |
Subscription vs one-time pricing
A subscription charges every month or year until you cancel. Add up what it costs between now and your wedding day, and check what happens to your website when you stop paying.
A one-time price is paid once for a set period. Read three things: how long it lasts, what happens when it ends, and whether you can upgrade by paying the difference.
- WedBuild: Standard A$99 or Pro A$199, once, for 2 years, then an optional monthly extension. Upgrade by paying the difference.
- WedSites: three one-time plans with 6, 12 or 24 months of hosting, then paid extensions; the website goes offline when hosting ends.
- Say I Do: a free plan, then one payment set by package or guest count; prices vary by region.
WedBuild, WedSites and Say I Do all charge couples once rather than by subscription.
When paying is worth it
- Your guest list outgrows the free plan. Count guests before choosing: WedBuild’s free plan stops at 50.
- You need a real seating chart. For a big reception, seating rules and a seat finder for guests save hours. WedBuild has them from A$99; Zola sells its chart as a US$14.99 app extra.
- You’re tracking a budget with deposits and invoices. A budget tied to vendor payments replaces a spreadsheet.
- You don’t want vendor calls. Free platforms paid for by leads pass enquiries to vendors. Couple-paid platforms don’t need to.
If none of these apply, a free plan is enough. Compare what each includes in the main table, or see the best free start.