Free vs paid RSVP websites: what you actually get

Who pays when it's free

A wedding website costs money to run, so when the couple doesn't pay, someone else does. That shapes what the tool is built to do.

• Registry sales and upgrades. Joy says on its pricing page that it earns when guests buy registry gifts it sells, from optional upgrades, and by connecting couples with vendors. Zola's App Store listing shows a registry, invitations and paid in-app extras.
• Advertising. The Knot's App Store listing says the app contains advertising. Easy Weddings sells advertising to wedding suppliers.
• The couple. WedBuild, Say I Do and WedSites charge couples directly, with one-time payments.

None of these is wrong. It just tells you what sits next to your RSVPs: a shop, a vendor directory, or nothing.

What each option gives you free, and where the paywall sits

Prices change. Every price here comes from the provider's own pricing page or App Store listing; where a price isn't shown, we say where to check. The full scoring is on How we rank.

The four paywalls to look for

1. A guest cap. Count every adult and child you'll invite, not households. If you're near a cap, you'll hit it once plus-ones are added.
2. Seating. Some free plans collect RSVPs but charge for the seating chart. If you'll seat more than a few tables, this is the step where a disconnected tool sends you back to a spreadsheet.
3. Reminders and texts. Chasing late replies by email or SMS is often paid. You can chase by hand, but it's the slowest part of RSVPs.
4. Publishing and domains. Some tools let you design for free but charge to publish, and a custom domain (yournames.com) is almost always extra.

Pay once or subscribe?

A wedding has an end date, so a one-time payment usually fits better than a subscription you have to remember to cancel. Before paying either way, ask three things:

• How long does access last? WedBuild's paid plans run two years from purchase; WedSites' plans include 6, 12 or 24 months of hosting; Say I Do's FAQ says accounts stay active until 90 days after the wedding.
• What happens to the site after? You may want it up for thank-yous and photos. Check whether it goes offline, turns read-only or needs an extension.
• Is there a refund window? WedBuild and WedSites both state a 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, and Say I Do's FAQ offers refunds within 14 days on purchases other than domain names.

When paying is worth it

• You're inviting more than a free plan's cap, and the paid plan is cheaper than your time spent working around it.
• You need a seating chart that reads the same guest list as your RSVPs, so dietary answers reach the caterer without retyping.
• You want reminders sent for you, because chasing 30 households by hand takes evenings.
• You'd rather not have vendor marketing beside your planning.

If none of those apply (a small wedding, a simple meal, no seating), a free plan is enough. For a free plan that still files replies against your guest list, WedBuild Essentials covers up to 50 guests with no time limit.