Honest, feature-by-feature comparisons against every seating tool couples usually consider — so you can pick with confidence.
The short version — click any row for the full comparison.
Competitor pricing and free tiers below were last checked in September 2026. Other companies change their terms without telling us — check their own site before making a decision on price alone.
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Sync | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat the Day | $14 one-time, per wedding | 5 tables, unlimited guests | Live, two-way Google Sheets | Couples who want their guest list and chart to stay in sync |
| Canva | Free, or Pro $12.99/mo | Yes (general design tool, not seating-specific) | No — guest names are manually typed text boxes | Design tool |
| PerfectTablePlan | $29.95 one-time, per license | Trial only | No — CSV import | Desktop software |
| Plan Seats | Free | Yes, fully free | No — manual entry | Free & simple |
| Planning.Wedding | $28, bundled suite | None stated | Limited | All-in-one suite |
| Please Find Your Seat | Free to 50 guests, paid beyond | Up to 50 guests | N/A — guest display, not a planning tool | Guest display |
| Seat Puzzle | App Store subscription | Not stated | iCloud only (Apple devices) | iOS only |
| Seating Hero | $11.90–$14.90/month, or $99/year | No free plan | No — spreadsheet import | Monthly subscription |
| SeatPlanning.com | Free to 5 tables, paid beyond | 5 tables (same cap as us) | No — manual entry | Free to start |
| Simplify Tables | Subscription | None stated | Limited | Mobile-first |
| Tableplan.io | £15/event, or £75/yr for planners | None stated | No — CSV import | Per-event pricing |
| WeddingWire Seating | Free, inside WeddingWire account | Yes, but locked to their marketplace | No — import from WeddingWire only | Marketplace tool |
| Zola | Free to 15 guests, then bundled with registry plan | 15 guests | No — import from Zola registry only | Registry platform |
Canva treats guest names as text boxes you edit by hand. We treat your guest list as data, synced live to your Google Sheet.
Desktop softwarePerfectTablePlan means installing desktop software and paying for version upgrades. We're free to try in any browser, no installs.
Free & simplePlan Seats is free but solo-only, with no dietary tracking. We add live collaboration and per-table dietary exports.
All-in-one suitePlanning.Wedding bundles seating into a $28 all-in-one suite. We charge for seating alone — keep the other tools you already use.
Guest displayPlease Find Your Seat is a QR display for guests to find their table. It's not a planning tool — that's us.
iOS onlySeat Puzzle is a beautiful iOS and Mac app, but it locks out any collaborator on Android or Windows. We work everywhere.
Monthly subscriptionSeating Hero is a capable drag-and-drop tool billed monthly, with no free plan. We're free to five tables, then $14 once.
Free to startSeatPlanning.com caps free at 5 tables. So do we — the difference is your guest list syncs live instead of you typing it in twice.
Mobile-firstSimplify Tables is mobile-first. But mobile-only has limits at large weddings.
Per-event pricingTableplan.io charges £15 per event, which adds up fast if you plan more than one wedding. We're a one-time $14 fee per wedding.
Marketplace toolWeddingWire's seating tool is free, but only inside their marketplace account. We work standalone — sync any Google Sheet, with no marketplace account around it.
Registry platformZola's seating tool only works well inside Zola's full ecosystem. We're standalone — sync with any Google Sheet.
No seating toolThe Knot gives you printable templates to fill in by hand, not a seating tool. We seat your guest list from a Google Sheet.
No seating toolJoy runs your website and RSVPs but has no seating chart. Export the guest list once and seat it here.
Printed signsMinted makes the seating sign, not the plan. Decide who sits where here, then put it on a Minted design.
These tools all make seating charts. Seat the Day treats your guest list as the thing you keep, and seating as one of the things it builds.
The same list also builds a photography shot list covering the whole celebration, and Who’s Who, a printed face-reference sheet so your photographer can find your 93-year-old grandmother and tell the mother of the bride from her sister. Neither has an equivalent in the tools above.