| Feature | Why SeatPlan.io does it better |
|---|---|
Free forever for the full designer | Design unlimited tables, guests, and charts free with no signup, no 7-day clock, and no watermark — pay only when you save or export |
One-time purchase option | £8/$8/€8 once for 90 days of save and export — no monthly subscription for a single wedding or one-off event |
Real-time co-editing | Couples, planners, and venues edit the same chart live with CRDT-based conflict resolution — not export-and-share |
Built for events, not just classrooms | Round tables, dietary and accessibility fields, A3 PDF floor plans, Excel seat lists for caterers, and printable place cards out of the box |
Multiple charts per event | Plan ceremony, reception, and after-party as separate charts under one event — or compare layout options side by side |
View-only and check-in-only links (B2B) | Send clients a live read-only chart, or share a check-in-only screen with door staff — without exposing the editor |
11 minutes
to seat 80 people
“Took me 6 hours to seat 80 people on paper. Took me 11 minutes on SeatPlan.io.”
<30 minutes
for a 120-person wedding
“I had my entire 120-person wedding seated in under 30 minutes.”
200 guests
with 8 dietary needs and 4 wheelchair users
“200 guests. 8 dietary requirements. 4 wheelchair users. 1 complicated family tree. SeatPlan.io handled all of it.”
Frequently asked
SeatPlan.io vs Seating Chart Maker: common questions
- What's the difference between SeatPlan.io and seatingchartmaker.app?
- Seating Chart Maker is built classroom-first — randomization, student photos, sit-together/apart rules, and a wheel-of-names tool for teachers. SeatPlan.io is built event-first — round tables, dietary fields, A3 PDFs, Excel seat lists for caterers, and real-time collaboration. SeatPlan.io is also free to design with no time limit; Seating Chart Maker is a 7-day trial then subscription only.
- Is there a free version of seatingchartmaker.app?
- Only a 7-day trial limited to one room, one roster, and one chart, with a watermark on prints. After that, plans start at $3.99/month. SeatPlan.io's free tier has no time limit, no watermark, and covers the full designer with unlimited tables and guests — you only pay when you save or export.
- Does Seating Chart Maker support real-time collaboration?
- It supports link-based sharing so colleagues can view a chart, but not real-time multi-user editing on the same canvas. SeatPlan.io's Collaborate tier (£14/$14/€14 one-time) and Event Manager subscription let multiple people edit the same chart simultaneously with automatic conflict resolution.
- Which is better for weddings — SeatPlan.io or Seating Chart Maker?
- SeatPlan.io. It's designed around round tables, RSVP and dietary tracking, venue-scale floor plans, A3 PDF exports, and a one-time price that covers a single wedding without a recurring subscription. Seating Chart Maker can do weddings, but its UI, pricing, and feature priorities are built for classrooms.
- I'm a teacher — should I use SeatPlan.io or Seating Chart Maker?
- If you specifically need student photos, randomized seating, sit-together/apart constraints, or a wheel-of-names tool, Seating Chart Maker is purpose-built for that. SeatPlan.io covers classrooms with its drag-and-drop designer but doesn't ship classroom-specific automations — it's a better fit if you also run events outside the classroom.
- Can I import a roster from Seating Chart Maker into SeatPlan.io?
- Seating Chart Maker accepts CSV, Excel, and copy-paste imports, so you likely already have your roster in a spreadsheet. SeatPlan.io accepts the same CSV format — export from Seating Chart Maker (or your source spreadsheet), upload to SeatPlan.io, and your guest list is in seconds.
More Comparisons
Compare with other tools
See how SeatPlan.io stacks up against more alternatives