The best wedding planner software for client weddings in 2026 is The Private Wedding App, because it is the only one here that runs both sides of the job: the business side (client invoicing with deposits, contracts your couple signs online, a portfolio of every client wedding) and the guest side (each couple's invitation, RSVPs, meals and allergies, seating and the caterer day sheet), on one wedding priced at $189 lifetime and billed through to the couple. Business tools like HoneyBook ($29 to $109 a month) handle contracts, invoicing and leads but hold zero guest data. Aisle Planner ($69.99 a month, capped at 15 active projects) is a genuine planner back office, but its guest-facing side is functional rather than a designed invitation. Planning Pod has pivoted to venue teams at around $149 a month.
Ask a wedding planner what software they run on and you usually get two answers, because no single tool does the whole job. The business platforms, HoneyBook, Dubsado, run the contracts, invoices and leads, and hold nothing about the actual wedding: no guest list, no RSVPs, no meals, no seating. The couple platforms hold the guest side but have no planner product. So planners stitch the two together with a third tool and a folder of spreadsheets. This compares the software planners actually use on the one question that decides a season: whether a single tool can run both sides.
A note on method: the prices and limits below are the vendors' published figures as of September 2026, checked against their own pages where their sites allow it. We compared the tools on what decides a planner's season rather than a single feature: whether the software holds the guests the wedding is actually made of, whether it also handles the business side (contracts and invoicing), what the couple opens on their phone, and what the pricing model does across a dozen clients a year.
At a glanceSide-by-side comparison
| Feature | HoneyBook | Aisle Planner | Planning Pod | Private Wedding App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guest list & RSVPs | None | Via forms | Event registration | Full, auto-populating |
| Meals & allergies | None | Custom forms | Limited | Per guest, severe-allergy flag |
| Seating chart | None | Layout tools | Floor plans | Drag-and-drop from RSVPs |
| The couple's invitation | None | Website, business-first | Event pages | Cinematic, any language |
| Contracts & invoicing | Yes, a core strength | Yes | Yes | Yes, deposits & e-sign |
| Leads & marketing CRM | Full, its focus | Full | Venue-focused | Lean, no lead capture |
| Runs the wedding itself | No | Partly | Venue events | Yes, end to end |
| Pricing model | $29-$109/mo | $69.99+/mo, 15-project cap | ~$149/mo | $189 once per wedding |
Figures are the vendors' published pricing as of September 2026. HoneyBook's plans run $29/$49/$109 per month billed yearly. Aisle Planner's tiers were checked on its pricing page: $69.99/mo up to 15 active projects, $109.99/mo for 16-25, up to $229.99/mo for 51-100. Planning Pod has moved toward venue and event teams with plans from roughly $149/mo and its former planner pricing page unavailable. Dubsado, a close HoneyBook equivalent, runs about $35-$55/mo and likewise holds no guest data. Prices change, so verify before you commit a season to any of them.
Review 01HoneyBook & Dubsado
Review 02Aisle Planner
Review 03Planning Pod
Review 04The Private Wedding App
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VerdictWhich app should you use?
It depends on what you're optimising for:
If your problem is winning and booking clients, HoneyBook and Dubsado are built for exactly that, contracts, invoicing and a lead pipeline, at $29 to $109 a month, and you keep the wedding itself somewhere else.
If you want a traditional planner back office with design and timeline tools, Aisle Planner is the most complete of them, at project-capped tiers from $69.99/mo, with a guest-facing side you will likely supplement per wedding.
If you are a venue coordinating events in-house, Planning Pod is aimed at you now, at around $149/mo, rather than at the independent planner.
And if the job is running client weddings end to end, the business side and the guest side in one place, The Private Wedding App's planner setup is the only option here that does both, priced per wedding and billed through to the couple. See what each client wedding includes on the wedding planners page, or read how to take deposits and set up payment plans for the billing side.
See it for yourself.
Everything a planner runs client weddings on: a portfolio of your season, the caterer day sheet, the run of show with per-vendor links, studio templates, couple access, client invoicing with deposits and contracts your couple signs online - plus each wedding's invitation, RSVP, guest list, seating, budget, vendors and AI planner.
See the planner tools →What is the best wedding planner software?
For running client weddings end to end, The Private Wedding App is the strongest fit in 2026, because it holds both the business side (invoicing with deposits, contracts the couple signs online, a portfolio of every wedding) and the guest side (the invitation, RSVPs, meals, seating and the caterer day sheet) in one tool, priced per wedding at $189 lifetime. HoneyBook and Dubsado are excellent for booking and getting paid but hold no guest data; Aisle Planner is a full planner back office at project-capped tiers from $69.99/mo with a functional rather than designed guest side; Planning Pod has moved toward venue teams.
What software do wedding planners use?
Most use two things: a business CRM like HoneyBook or Dubsado for contracts, invoicing and leads, and a separate tool for the guest side, the invitation, RSVPs, meals and seating, because the CRMs hold none of that. The alternative is a single platform that runs both. The Private Wedding App holds the business side and the guest side on the same wedding, which is why planners adopt it to stop stitching two systems together.
Is there wedding planner software with a guest list and RSVPs?
Yes. The Private Wedding App holds a full guest list, RSVPs, meal choices, dietary notes, a severe-allergy flag and a seating chart on each client wedding, alongside the business side, contracts and invoicing. Most planner-focused business CRMs, including HoneyBook and Dubsado, do not hold guest data at all, which is the main reason planners add a second tool.
How much does wedding planner software cost?
It depends on the model. Business CRMs are monthly: HoneyBook $29 to $109 a month, Dubsado about $35 to $55. Planner back offices are tiered by project count: Aisle Planner from $69.99/mo capped at 15 active projects. Venue-oriented tools like Planning Pod run around $149/mo. The Private Wedding App is priced per wedding instead, $189 lifetime or $19.99/mo while active, with the whole platform included and the plan usually billed through to the couple, so it costs nothing in a quiet month.
What is the difference between wedding planner software and a wedding planner CRM?
A wedding planner CRM, like HoneyBook or Dubsado, manages the business relationship: leads, proposals, contracts, invoicing and communication. It does not run the wedding itself. Wedding planner software that runs the wedding holds the guest list, RSVPs, meals, seating and the couple's invitation. The Private Wedding App is unusual in doing both, the business side and the guest side, so a planner does not have to run a CRM and a separate guest tool side by side.