Joy vs Zola: Which Wedding Website and Planner Is Better in 2026

Pick Joy if you want a free website with a zero-fee registry and an app on both phones, and pick Zola if you want a bigger registry and more templates and you own an iPhone. That is the whole verdict, and the rest of this post is the evidence, taken from what each company says on its own site as of October 2026. I built a planning app too, so read me with that in mind. But I spent nine years filming weddings before I wrote any code, and the guest-facing half of a wedding is the half I watched break most often.

Side by side

Website design, templates, and the guest experience

Both websites are free to build and publish. Zola's own page says over 600 templates; Joy's says hundreds, and Joy's own comparison post claims 601 designs, which I'd treat as marketing. In practice both give you more designs than you'll look at. The difference guests feel is the RSVP flow. Joy lets you tag guests so each household only sees the events it's invited to, and Zola does the same with per-event RSVPs and custom questions, so both handle the rehearsal-dinner problem. Neither company's site says its templates are built for phones first, which matters because nearly every guest opens the site on one. Preview yours logged out, on a phone, before you send the link; here's what goes on the site and when.

The app is a real difference. Joy's help center says its app runs on iOS and Android. Zola's own FAQ says the app is iOS only, and its 2022 announcement said the Android app would shut down on January 1, 2023. If one of you has a Pixel or a Samsung, Zola's planning happens in a browser on that phone.

Registry model, fees, and who makes money

This is where the two actually diverge. Joy's pricing page says it is free to use and that it makes money when guests buy items from the registry that Joy sells, plus optional upgrades like the custom domain, text messaging, and premium designs. Its registry page says cash funds carry zero fees, and its FAQ says guests won't be charged a card processing fee.

Zola's FAQ lists a 2.5 percent fee on credit card contributions to cash funds, with guests covering it by default and a setting that lets the couple absorb it instead. Venmo gifts from a bank account, debit card, or Venmo balance are fee-free; Venmo itself charges 3 percent if the guest uses a credit card. Zola also sells invitations and paper on its site and runs a vendor marketplace where listing is free and vendors pay with credits to connect with couples. None of that is hidden, and none of it is wrong. It just means Zola has more reasons to keep you on Zola, and you should expect the registry and the stationery to show up in the planning tools.

Planning tools: checklist, budget, guest list

Zola's planning page lists a budget tool, a guest list that collects addresses and tracks RSVPs, a checklist, vendor search, and the seating chart. The seating chart is the one to read carefully: its FAQ says you can try it free for up to 15 guests, and past that it requires the Premium version, with the price not shown on the page I read. It runs on the iOS app and desktop.

Joy's pricing page lists a Planning Dashboard, unlimited guests, online RSVP, and multiple editor accounts. I could not find an in-product budget tool or checklist on Joy's product or help pages, only a budget tracker on the blog. A Joy blog post describes a built-in seating chart that syncs with the guest list, but no product or help page documents it, so test it yourself before you count on it. Joy's guest list is strong: a contact collector link, RSVPs for every event, email invitations and reminders from the list, and formatted address export.

So on the planning side, Zola lists more. Joy lists a cleaner guest side. Neither one, from what each lists, connects the guest count to a budget line or seats guests on a floor plan drawn to your room's dimensions, which is the part of planning I watched go wrong on the morning of more weddings than I'd like.

Privacy, briefly

Joy's privacy policy says it sells certain personal data to third parties as the CCPA defines the term, identifiers and internet activity, and shares certain personal information with ad networks for behavioral advertising, with an opt-out page and Global Privacy Control honored. Zola's says it shares with advertising service providers and occasionally gives its postal mailing list to other companies for marketing, with an opt-out for targeted advertising and sale or sharing. Both let you request deletion; Joy by email or form, Zola through its Privacy Center or by phone. If that paragraph bothers you, I wrote the longer version.

Who should pick which

Joy, if the website and the registry are what you need, you want zero fees on cash gifts, and one of you is on Android. Zola, if you want the larger registry, the stationery under the same roof, and a seating chart you're willing to pay for, and you're both on iPhones. Either, if you treat it as the guest-facing half and keep the plan somewhere else.

Where Altessa fits

Altessa doesn't compete with either of these on the registry, because it doesn't have one, and its wedding site is a single page that links out to wherever you registered. What it does is the plan: a budget wired to your vendors' deposits and balances, a guest list with one row per person, a timeline dated to your wedding that pushes to your calendar, and a layout builder that draws the room to scale and seats guests at the seat. It's a one-time purchase, 80 dollars for Core and 120 for Premium with the layout builder, free to start with no card. Plenty of couples run Joy or Zola for the website and Altessa for everything behind it. That's a reasonable setup, and it's the one I'd suggest to a friend.

Questions people ask

Is Joy or Zola better for a wedding website?

Both are free with hundreds of templates. Joy has an app on iOS and Android and zero-fee cash funds; Zola has over 600 templates, a larger registry, and an iOS-only app. Pick on the app and the fees, since the websites are close.

Does Zola charge a fee on cash funds?

Yes, 2.5 percent on credit card contributions as of October 2026, paid by the guest by default, with a setting for the couple to cover it. Venmo gifts from a bank account or debit card are fee-free.

Does Joy have a seating chart?

A Joy blog post says yes, but I could not find it on a product or help page as of October 2026. Test it in your account before relying on it.

Is Zola on Android?

No. Zola's FAQ says the app is iOS only, and the Android app shut down on January 1, 2023. Android users plan on the website.

Can I use Joy or Zola with Altessa?

Yes. Keep the website and registry on either one and run the budget, guest list, timeline, and floor plan in Altessa. Nothing in any of the three requires the others.

Armin Korsos is a filmmaker who spent nine years shooting weddings before building Altessa (altessa.studio), an all-in-one wedding planning workspace that replaces the spreadsheet.