tableplanner.io
Setting the table…
Setting the table…
tableplanner vs Joy (WithJoy)
Joy might be the best free wedding website going — gorgeous designs, Smart RSVP, a clever guest list with parties and labels, and an app on both iOS and Android. But open it looking for a seating chart and you'll come up empty: as of mid-2026, Joy has no seating tool at all. Its own planning guide is charmingly honest about it — for seating arrangements, it recommends Post-it notes on the kitchen wall, plus a third-party layout app for the floor plan.
tableplanner is the Post-it wall, evolved. Export your guest list from Joy, import it in one step, and auto-seat the whole room in a click — with warnings the moment two people who should stay apart land at the same table, and a chart you and your partner can edit together live, in any browser.
Where we're different
The stuff a bundled seating add-on never bothers with — starting with keeping the peace.
The seating tool Joy never built
Joy's own guest-list guide says it best: when it's time to choose seating arrangements, it recommends Post-its and notecards — because there's nothing in the product for it. tableplanner is that wall of sticky notes turned into software: drag, drop, and undo without the paper cuts.
Conflict detection, built in
Post-its don't know your family history — and neither does any tool in Joy. Mark who must stay apart in tableplanner and it warns you the instant they end up at the same table, weeks before the toast.
Auto-seat your whole list in one click
Instead of shuffling 120 paper squares, press one button: tableplanner arranges every guest — respecting conflicts, keeping plus-ones and families together — and you spend your time fine-tuning, not starting from zero.
Built to sit on top of Joy's guest list
Joy's guest list is genuinely excellent — keep it. Export it to a spreadsheet, import it into tableplanner in one step, and the parties and meal answers you collected become seatable guests with dietary tags on the chart.
Plan it together, in real time
You and your partner (or your planner) open the same chart at once and watch each other's changes live — then send the venue and caterer a read-only link or a print-ready PDF. No photo of a Post-it wall required.
Side by side
| Feature | tableplanner | Joy (WithJoy) |
|---|---|---|
| Digital seating chart builder | Yes — it's the whole product | Not offered — Joy's own guide suggests Post-its |
| Conflict / "keep apart" detection | Built in — automatic warnings | Not offered |
| One-click auto-seating | Yes — respects conflicts & parties | Not offered |
| Guest list & RSVP tracking | Import Joy's export in one step | Excellent — free, with meal questions & spreadsheet export |
| Parties & plus-ones | Kept together at the table, automatically | Great for RSVPs — groups respond together |
| Where it works | Any browser — desktop, tablet, phone | Web + iOS & Android app |
| Dietary & accessibility info | Multi-tag per guest, visible on the chart | Collected via RSVP questions, lives in the list |
| Real-time collaboration | Live co-editing on the chart itself | Admins can manage website & guest list |
| All-in-one suite (website, registry, invites) | Seating only | Full free platform, incl. hotel blocks |
| Pricing | One-time €49 — free up to 30 guests | Free planning tools (no seating tool to buy) |
Being fair
Credit where it's due: Joy is arguably the best free wedding website platform there is. Beautiful customizable designs, Smart RSVP with custom questions (dietary preferences included), digital save-the-dates and invitations, zero-fee cash registry funds, hotel room blocks, and a guest list that handles parties, plus-ones, and labels brilliantly — all free, with an app on iOS and Android.
Its guest list also imports from and exports to spreadsheets cleanly, which is exactly what makes it such a good companion to a dedicated seating tool. Most couples should probably run their wedding on Joy — and seat it somewhere that was built for seating.
The price
Joy's planning tools are free, full stop — and excellent. But there's no seating chart in the bundle at any price: their own planning guide points couples to Post-its and a third-party layout app for that part. tableplanner is free to build a chart of up to 30 guests, then a one-time €49 — no subscription — for unlimited guests, conflict detection, one-click auto-seating, party linking, dietary tags, live collaboration, and print-ready exports. Joy handles the invites; tableplanner handles who sits where.
The nosy section
The verdict
Run your wedding on Joy — sincerely. The website, RSVPs, and guest list are the best free versions of those tools you'll find. Then admit what Joy itself admits: when it's time to seat people, it hands you a pad of Post-its. Export your list, bring it into tableplanner, and get the finale Joy never built — one-click auto-seating, conflict warnings, dietary tags on every seat, and a chart you build together in any browser. One-time €49, free up to 30 guests.
Build your entire chart for free. Pay the one-time €49 only when you're ready to export, print, or share.
50,000+ guests seated · Zero scenes caused
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