Wedding Compared
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Updated How we compare

Zola vs Joy vs Vow&Kin for digital wedding invitations

Short answer: These three solve different problems.

  • You want one free place for the website, registry and invitations: Joy. Its core plan is free and includes digital invitations, RSVP and a registry.
  • You want a free website and registry, and you plan to mail paper invitations: Zola. We found no digital wedding invitation product on Zola's own pages, only free digital Save the Dates and paper cards.
  • You want the invitation itself to be private, per household, per person and in each family's language: Vow&Kin, $119 one-time on Complete. It has no registry of its own.

Scores

We use the same seven criteria and the same scores as our US comparison of digital wedding invitations. Each criterion is scored 0–10 and weighted to a total out of 100. We only credit what the provider documents on its own site; anything else is "not stated".

Criterion Weight What earns points Vow&Kin Joy Zola
Personal guest experience 20 Private link per household, greeting by name, only their events, no account or app 10 7 3
RSVP depth 20 Per person and per event, meals, dietary notes, custom questions, plus-ones and children, export 10 8 7
Languages 15 Guest-facing languages, language per household 9 4 1
Price clarity and total cost 15 Model, total for 100 guests, free tier, no surprise renewals 8 9 8
Design and opening 10 Design range, animated opening, Save the Date in the same design 9 6 5
Privacy and data 10 Private or password links, no ads to guests, stated data location 8 6 5
Planning extras 10 Save the Date, reminders, seating, import/export, registry, photos 8 8 8
Total 100 90.5 69.5 51.5

Joy beats Vow&Kin on price, and Joy and Zola match it on planning extras, because both include a registry for free. Vow&Kin's lead comes from the invitation and RSVP criteria.

Side by side (as documented, Oct 13–14, 2026)

Feature Vow&Kin Joy Zola
Digital wedding invitation Yes (paid plans) Yes, free Not stated (digital Save the Date only)
Private link per household Yes By name lookup on the site; personalized link when sent through Joy Not stated
Guests see only their events Yes (Complete) Yes Event-specific invitations
Per-person RSVP with meal choice Yes, kitchen summary on Complete Yes, via custom questions Meal-preference breakdown
Guest-facing languages 2 (Signature), 40+ (Complete) Versions you write yourself Not stated
Animated opening Yes Not stated Not stated
Registry Link only Built in Built in
Website templates 9 invitation designs Not counted on the pages checked 600+
Price model One-time, $59 / $119 / $349 Free core, upgrades (prices not stated) Free, custom domain from $17.99
Cost for 100 guests $119 (Complete) $0 $0 (plus paper if you mail invitations)

Vow&Kin

Price (checked Oct 14, 2026): Free (build, preview and publish a Save the Date), Signature $59, Complete $119, Concierge $349 (set up by the team). One-time per wedding, charged in dollars for US visitors, no subscription.

Strengths: each household gets its own unlisted link that opens addressed to them, in their language. On Complete each household sees only its events. RSVPs are per person and per event, with menu choices, allergies, accessibility needs, children by age group (adult, teen, child, infant) and a children's menu, plus a kitchen summary and CSV exports. Nine designs with animated openings: a wax-sealed envelope, a silk ribbon that unties, or a glide into a painted scene. Guest data is stored in the EU (Ireland).

Weaknesses: the free plan doesn't publish the invitation. No registry, no app, nine designs. Events per household, reminder emails and the seating chart need Complete.

Visit Vow&Kin

Joy

Price (checked Oct 14, 2026): Core plan $0: planning dashboard, website, registry, mobile app, unlimited guests, online RSVP and "hundreds of digital invites". Custom domain, text messaging and premium designs are paid upgrades; prices are not stated on the pricing page.

Strengths: free digital invitations and Save the Dates in the same design as the website and app. Each guest sees only the events they're invited to. Unlimited custom RSVP questions (meal choice, song requests), RSVPs for multiple events, plus-one limits, groups and tags. Password protection for any page; guests don't need an account.

Weaknesses: on the website, guests find their invitation by typing their name. Multiple languages mean writing each version yourself and assigning it by tag. Upgrade prices and an animated opening are not stated.

Visit Joy

Zola

Price (checked Oct 14, 2026): Wedding website free to create and publish; custom domain from $17.99. Digital Save the Dates free. Paper invitations from $1.07 each on sale (shown down from $1.79).

Strengths: 600+ website templates and an integrated registry. Help-center articles cover choosing who's invited to each event, meal-preference breakdowns, families and plus-ones, adult and child counts, and guest list export. Optional password protection.

Weaknesses: no digital wedding invitation product on Zola's own pages when we checked, so guests are invited by paper or by a Save the Date and the website. Private per-household links and languages: not stated.

Visit Zola

Who should pick what

  • Budget is the deciding factor: Joy. You get invitations, RSVP and a registry for $0.
  • You want the registry first and will mail paper: Zola, or Joy if you'd rather send invitations digitally.
  • Guests from several countries: Vow&Kin Complete. Each household opens the invitation in its own language; with Joy you write and assign each version yourself.
  • Ceremony, dinner and brunch for different guests: Vow&Kin Complete or Joy; Zola's event-specific invitations work on the website.
  • Caterer needs exact numbers by dish: Vow&Kin Complete produces a kitchen summary of menu choices; Joy and Zola can collect meal choices through RSVP questions.
  • Both a registry and private household invitations: a Zola or Joy registry plus a Vow&Kin invitation that links to it.

FAQ

Does Zola have digital wedding invitations?

We found digital Save the Dates and printed invitations on Zola's own pages on October 13 and 14, 2026, but no digital wedding invitation product.

Is Joy better than Zola?

For digital invitations, Joy documents more: free invitations, per-event visibility and custom RSVP questions. Zola has more website templates (600+). Both include a registry.

Why would I pay for Vow&Kin when Joy is free?

Only if you need what Joy doesn't document: a private link per household, per-person answers per event, a kitchen summary, or invitations in each family's language. If you don't, Joy is the better value.

Can I combine them?

Yes. Many couples keep a Joy or Zola registry and send a separate invitation; Vow&Kin lets you add a registry link and gift message.

Does Vow&Kin have a subscription?

No. Plans are one-time per wedding ($59, $119 or $349), and published invitations stay online with no time limit for as long as Vow&Kin operates.

Sources (features checked October 13, 2026; prices October 14, 2026)