A Zola alternative for spreadsheet planners
Last checked October 9, 2026. Facts about Zola come from its own website and help pages on that date. Prices and features change, so check Zola’s site before you decide.
Zola is one of the best-known names in US wedding planning, and for good reason: it puts a wedding website, a registry, a vendor marketplace and planning tools under one free account. Linenfold is narrower on purpose. It is the planning workbook only (budget, guest list, seating, vendors and checklist), built for couples who would otherwise run their wedding from a spreadsheet.
If you're weighing the two, the question is less "which is better" and more "which half of the job do you need help with". Here is what each one offers, from Zola's own pages and from what Linenfold ships today.
At a glance
| Feature | Linenfold | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan with no time limit. Complete is US$99 once per wedding (US$79 founding price). | Planning tools are free. |
| Phone apps | Web app that works in phone and desktop browsers. No native app. | Free iOS app. No Android app; Android users use zola.com. |
| Wedding website and RSVP | Not offered. You record each guest's RSVP in the guest list. | Free website with online RSVP. Custom domain from $17.99. |
| Registry | Not offered. | Gifts, experiences and cash funds. Guests pay a 2.5% fee on card gifts to cash funds unless the couple absorbs it. |
| Vendor marketplace | None. Vendors can't pay for placement. | Yes. Listing is free for vendors, who pay to connect with couples. |
| Guest list | RSVP, sides, groups, tiers and dietary needs; a row can be a household. Free holds 75 rows, Complete is unlimited. | Free guest list that tracks RSVPs. No limit stated. |
| Address collection | A shareable form link on every plan, matched to your list for review. | A contact collector link guests fill in themselves. |
| Budget and payments | Category targets, contract and paid totals, charts and a headcount what-if. Logging payments needs Complete. | Free budget tool with expense tracking and due-date reminders. |
| Checklist | 111 tasks dated from your wedding date, plus your own. | Customizable checklist about 12 months back from the date. |
| Seating chart | Unlimited tables on every plan, drag and drop, waiting list, print. | On the iOS app and desktop, with a print-ready PDF. |
| Vendor tracking | Comparison grid, weighted venue rating, confirmed list. Free holds 5 vendors. | Favourite vendors, mark them booked, add booked US-based vendors not on Zola. |
| Partner and helpers | Separate logins with roles. Free: your partner. Complete: four people. | A joint account for the couple. No planner logins. |
| Export | Whole wedding as JSON or CSVs, on every plan. | Guest list, addresses and RSVPs as .csv or Excel, from a desktop. |
Where Zola is the better fit
- You want one account for the guest-facing side. Zola gives you a free wedding website with online RSVP, a registry with cash funds, and a marketplace to find vendors. Linenfold does none of those things.
- You plan on an iPhone. Zola has a native iOS app. Linenfold runs in the browser.
- You want to pay nothing at all. Zola's planning tools are free. Linenfold's free plan covers a lot, but some things (more than 75 guest rows, more than five vendors, logging payments) need Complete.
Where Linenfold fits
- You track money like a spreadsheet does. Linenfold's budget works from category targets and confirmed vendor contracts, and shows what's left to spend and what's left to budget. The headcount what-if shows how many guests your budget can carry.
- You want to compare vendors before you book. The vendor grid puts quotes side by side, and the venue rating lets the two of you weight what matters.
- You'd rather nobody sells to you. There is no marketplace and no paid placement, and you can export the whole wedding or delete it at any time.
- You're not in the US, or not only in the US. Each wedding picks its own currency.
The short version
Choose Zola if you want your website, registry and vendor search in one free place, especially on iOS. Choose Linenfold if those are sorted and what you need is a calm, shared workbook for the budget, guest list, seating and vendors. Many couples will use a website and registry from one company and plan in another; nothing stops you doing both.
Questions
- Is Linenfold free like Zola?
- Zola's planning tools are free. Linenfold has a free plan with no time limit that covers the budget, seating plan, checklist, address form, 75 guest rows and five vendors. Complete is a one-time US$99 per wedding (US$79 founding price) for unlimited guests and vendors, payment logging and more collaborators.
- Does Linenfold have a wedding website or registry?
- No. Linenfold is the planning side only. Zola offers a free wedding website with online RSVP and a registry, and plenty of couples use a website from one company and plan in another.
- Can I move my guest list from Zola to Linenfold?
- Zola exports the guest list, addresses and RSVPs as .csv or Excel from a desktop computer. Linenfold imports a CSV with column matching and a review of duplicates, so you can bring the list across.
- Does Linenfold have an app?
- Linenfold is a web app that works in phone and desktop browsers; there is no native app. Zola has a native iOS app and no Android app.