Plan Seats Alternative With Live Google Sheets Sync

Plan Seats is a simple, friendly seating chart maker. Here’s how its free plan and pricing compare, and where a live Google Sheet makes the difference.

Quick Verdict

Plan Seats is easy to pick up: paste your guest list from any spreadsheet, drag guests to tables or let auto-assign fill the seats, then print a PDF or share a live link with anyone helping you plan. It works on laptop, tablet or phone.

Its free Starter plan covers 1 event, up to 20 guests and 4 tables. The couples plan is $8.99 a month or $50 once for 3 events, and PlanSeats Pro is $39.99 a month for planners. We’re free up to 5 tables with unlimited guests, then $14 once per wedding.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Plan Seats	Seat the Day
Free plan	1 event, 20 guests, 4 tables	5 tables, unlimited guests
Paid	$8.99/month or $50 once (3 events); Pro $39.99/month	$14 once per wedding
Guest list source	Paste from a spreadsheet, or CSV import	Live two-way sync with your Google Sheet
Seating rules	Seating rules and auto-assign (paid plans)	Seating notes, checked by a validator
Sharing	Live link for anyone helping you plan	Anyone with access to your Sheet, plus a QR seat finder
Catering counts	Not listed on their site	Whole guest list, including vendor meals
Photographer handoff	Not listed on their site	Shot list and Who’s Who face sheet

Why People Choose Us Over Plan Seats

1. Your Guest List Stays in Your Sheet

Plan Seats takes a copy of your list when you paste or import it. With us, your Google Sheet stays the source of truth and edits flow both ways, so a late RSVP edited there shows up on the chart.

2. A Free Plan That Fits a Real Wedding’s Guest List

Plan Seats’ free plan stops at 20 guests. Ours stops at 5 tables, with no guest limit.

3. Catering Counts for the Whole List

Kitchen numbers come from the whole guest list, vendor meals included, not only the guests already seated.

4. A Handoff for Your Photographer

The same list builds a shot list and a printed Who’s Who sheet.

Where Plan Seats Wins

Simplicity

Plan Seats is genuinely simple. Most couples finish a first chart in one sitting.

Several events for one price

$50 once covers 3 events, so a rehearsal dinner and an engagement party come along with the wedding.

Auto-assign

Plan Seats can fill every open seat for you, with rules to keep families together and exes apart.

When to Use Each

Use Plan Seats if:

• You have 20 guests or fewer and want it free
• You want auto-assign to draft the chart
• You’re seating several events around the wedding

Use us if:

• Your guest list lives in a Google Sheet and is still changing
• You want catering counts, a shot list and Who’s Who from the same list

Real Example

Jamie uses Plan Seats:

• Pastes 45 guest names in from a spreadsheet
• Arranges them across tables
• A guest cancels two weeks later; Jamie updates the spreadsheet and the chart separately

Jamie uses us:

• Connects a Google Sheet with 45 names already in it
• Arranges them across tables
• A guest cancels; Jamie updates the Sheet, and the chart reflects it

Pricing

Scenario	Plan Seats	Seat the Day
Up to 20 guests	Free	Free (up to 5 tables)
100-guest wedding	$50 once, or $8.99/month	$14 once

The Bottom Line

Plan Seats is for:

• Small events, or couples who want auto-assign and several events on one plan

We're for:

• Couples whose guest list lives in a Google Sheet
• Weddings that need catering counts and a photographer handoff from the same list

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