Methodology
How the RSVP websites are ranked
Each option gets a score from 1 to 5 on five criteria, set by the rubric below. The scores are weighted (cost 25%, meal and dietary questions 20%, guest experience without downloads 20%, guest list handling 20%, Australian fit 15%) into a total out of 100, and the list is sorted by that total.
Last reviewed .
The five criteria and their weighting
These are the things that decide whether guests reply and whether you get usable numbers: what it costs, whether it asks the questions your caterer needs, whether guests can reply without friction, whether replies land on your guest list, and whether it suits a wedding in Australia.
| Criterion | Weight | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 25% | What does it cost to publish a website and collect RSVPs from your whole guest list? |
| Meal and dietary questions | 20% | Can guests choose a meal and tell you their dietary needs, and do the answers stay with each guest? |
| Guest experience without downloads | 20% | Can every guest reply from the phone in their hand, with no app and no account? |
| Guest list handling | 20% | Does each reply land on the right guest in your list, and does the same list carry on to seating? |
| Australian fit | 15% | Does it price in Australian dollars and suit a wedding held in Australia? |
The scoring rubric
Every score is the highest level whose description fits what the provider's own pages state.
Cost (25%)
| 5 | Website and RSVPs are free, with no cap on guests. |
|---|---|
| 4 | Free to start with a guest cap, then a published one-time price. |
| 3 | A free plan with limits and paid tiers; check its pricing page for what each tier includes. |
| 2 | You pay before the website can publish or before RSVPs work. |
| 1 | Subscription only, with no free way to collect RSVPs. |
Meal and dietary questions (20%)
| 5 | Meal choices and dietary requirements are both on the RSVP, saved against each guest, as its own pages state. |
|---|---|
| 4 | One of the two is stated on its pages; the other needs a custom question or isn't confirmed. |
| 3 | Only through questions you build yourself, only on a paid upgrade, or not stated on the pages we could read. |
| 2 | Free-text notes only. |
| 1 | No way to ask. |
Guest experience without downloads (20%)
| 5 | Replies from any browser with no app and no account, with an answer for each event, as its own pages state. |
|---|---|
| 4 | Replies from a browser with no app needed; answers per event aren't confirmed on its pages. |
| 3 | Guests sometimes need to sign in or are pushed toward an app, or how guests reply isn't stated on the pages we could read. |
| 2 | Guests need an app or an account to reply. |
| 1 | No online reply. |
Guest list handling (20%)
| 5 | Replies file themselves against the invited guest or household, names you don't recognise wait for approval, and the same list runs the seating chart. |
|---|---|
| 4 | Replies land on your guest list, and a seating tool (or table tags) works from the same list. |
| 3 | Replies land on your guest list, but seating is missing or a paid extra. |
| 2 | Replies are kept apart from your guest list. |
| 1 | A spreadsheet of responses that you match to your list by hand. |
Australian fit (15%)
| 5 | An Australian company, with prices in Australian dollars or set for your region. |
|---|---|
| 4 | Prices in Australian dollars, from a company based elsewhere. |
| 3 | Offers an Australian English version, but prices aren't shown in AUD. |
| 2 | Listed for the US, with prices in US dollars and no Australian option stated. |
| 1 | Key features don't work for an Australian wedding. |
How the total is worked out
Total = the sum over the five criteria of (score ÷ 5 × weight), rounded to the nearest whole number. A 5 on every criterion scores 100. Where two options tie, the one with the higher guest list score ranks first, then meal and dietary questions, then guest experience, then cost, then Australian fit.
How each option was checked
- Every claim about an option comes from that provider's own pages: its pricing page, feature pages, FAQ, terms or, where its website couldn't be read, its own App Store listing. Each card on the ranking links to the exact pages behind it, and nothing is taken from another company's comparison.
- For each criterion we looked for a statement on those pages, not a guess: whether guests need an app or account, which RSVP questions exist, whether replies land on the guest list, where seating sits, and the currency and country.
- Where a page didn't confirm something, the score drops to the level that says "not stated", and the card says so.
- Prices are copied as each provider publishes them, in its currency. We don't convert them, and where a price isn't public we say where to check it.
- We don't use affiliate links, star ratings or review counts. Nothing on this site is a user review.
How each option could be checked
| Option | Checked through |
|---|---|
| WedBuild | Its own website. |
| Easy Weddings | Its own website. |
| Joy | Its own website. |
| Say I Do | Its own website. |
| WedSites | Its own website. |
| The Knot | Its US App Store listing only: its website turned away our checks. |
| Zola | Its US App Store listing only: its website turned away our checks. |
Zola and The Knot could only be checked through their App Store listings, so anything those listings don't state (how guests reply, dietary questions) is scored as not stated.
Looked at, but not ranked
- RSVPify: Its website turned away our checks and its App Store app is for event check-in, so we couldn't confirm its RSVP features or prices.
- Google Forms: Its pages didn't load for our checks, so we couldn't confirm its terms.
What we don't score
- Design templates: taste is yours, and every option here has some.
- Registries: we note whether each has one, but a registry can be linked from any wedding website.
- Vendor directories, which are about finding suppliers rather than collecting RSVPs.
Every score, and why
#1 WedBuild
95out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 4/5 | 20 | Website and RSVPs free up to 50 guests; A$99 once for unlimited guests. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 5/5 | 20 | Meal choices and a structured dietary library on the RSVP, saved against each guest, on the free plan. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 5/5 | 20 | No app, no account, and answers per event, as its RSVP page states. |
| Guest list handling | 5/5 | 20 | Replies file against the invited guest, unknown names wait in an approvals queue, and the same list runs seating. |
| Australian fit | 5/5 | 15 | Australian-made, priced in AUD; its texts reach Australian mobile numbers. |
Sources: WedBuild pricing, WedBuild online RSVPs
#2 Easy Weddings
88out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 5/5 | 25 | Its website page says the website is free forever; the planning tools are free. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 4/5 | 16 | Special meal requirements are recorded on the guest list; meal choices on the RSVP aren't stated. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 4/5 | 16 | Guests RSVP through your website; answers per event aren't stated. |
| Guest list handling | 4/5 | 16 | The guest list tracks RSVP status, and the seating planner works with it. |
| Australian fit | 5/5 | 15 | An Australian site (.com.au) with prices in AUD. |
Sources: Easy Weddings wedding websites, Easy Weddings guest list, Easy Weddings seating planner, Easy Weddings planning service, Easy Weddings for businesses
#3 Joy
86out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 5/5 | 25 | Website and online RSVP are free with unlimited guests. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 5/5 | 20 | Custom RSVP questions for meal choices and allergies; meals show on each guest in the list. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 4/5 | 16 | Multi-event RSVPs on your website; its pages don't say guests need no app or account. |
| Guest list handling | 4/5 | 16 | Responses land in the guest list, which runs the seating chart; no approval step for unknown names is stated. |
| Australian fit | 3/5 | 9 | Its site has an Australian English version; prices aren't shown in AUD. |
Sources: Joy pricing, and how Joy makes money, Joy online RSVP, Joy guest list and seating
#4 Say I Do
83out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 4/5 | 20 | Website and RSVP are free with every account; whether a guest cap applies isn't stated on the pages we read. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 3/5 | 12 | Meals through custom questions; the dietary question comes with the paid Standard upgrade. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 5/5 | 20 | No guest account, replies from a phone or computer, and RSVPs per event. |
| Guest list handling | 4/5 | 16 | RSVPs come from your uploaded guest list, which runs the seating planner; no approval step for unknown names is stated. |
| Australian fit | 5/5 | 15 | Run by an Australian company (ABN in its terms), with prices set by region. |
Sources: Say I Do FAQ, Say I Do online RSVP, Say I Do pricing, Say I Do terms of service
#5 WedSites
77out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 2/5 | 10 | You pay before the site publishes, and RSVPs start on Standard. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 5/5 | 20 | Meal choices per guest and dietary needs tracked for the caterer. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 4/5 | 16 | Guests RSVP on your website for each event; its pages don't say guests need no app or account. |
| Guest list handling | 4/5 | 16 | Replies save straight to the guest list, and the seating chart auto-assigns confirmed guests; no approval step is stated. |
| Australian fit | 5/5 | 15 | Made in Melbourne, with AUD among its currencies. |
Sources: WedSites pricing, WedSites features, WedSites about
#6 The Knot
75out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 5/5 | 25 | Its listing calls the tools 100% free. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 4/5 | 16 | RSVPs track meal preferences; dietary requirements aren't mentioned. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 3/5 | 12 | How guests reply isn't stated in its listing. |
| Guest list handling | 4/5 | 16 | Guest list with RSVPs, and interactive seating arrangements. |
| Australian fit | 2/5 | 6 | Listed in the US App Store, with US-dollar figures and no Australian option stated. |
Sources: The Knot on the App Store
#7 Zola
67out of 100
| Criterion | Score | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 5/5 | 25 | The website and RSVP tracker are free. |
| Meal and dietary questions | 3/5 | 12 | Meal and dietary questions aren't mentioned in its listing. |
| Guest experience without downloads | 3/5 | 12 | How guests reply isn't stated in its listing. |
| Guest list handling | 3/5 | 12 | The seating chart pulls from your guest list, but is also sold as an in-app purchase. |
| Australian fit | 2/5 | 6 | Listed in the US App Store, with prices in US dollars. |
Sources: Zola on the App Store
Spotted something out of date?
Providers change their plans. Tell us what's changed and where to see it, and we'll re-check the score against the provider's own pages.