What each product actually is
Zola (zola.com) is a wedding-industry brand whose flagship is a modern registry — couples can register for cash funds, experiences, and traditional store items in a single list. Around the registry, Zola offers a free wedding website builder, free planning tools (checklist, guest list, budget), and paid invitations.
Lovina (lovina.io) is an editorial wedding planning workspace. There is no registry, no ads, and no vendor marketplace. The product is a shared canvas — guest list, budget, seating chart with a 3D floor plan, vendor management, RSVP collection, a public wedding website, and a guest photo gallery — designed with the same restraint as a printed wedding magazine.
Different products. Zola is registry-first; Lovina is workspace-first.
Side-by-side feature comparison
| Feature | Lovina | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Guest list management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Budget tracker | ✓ · categories + contributors | ✓ · basic |
| Seating chart with 3D floor plan | ✓ | — Partial 2D |
| RSVP collection | ✓ · six themes | ✓ · many templates |
| Public wedding website | ✓ · six themes | ✓ · many templates |
| Guest photo gallery | ✓ | — |
| Planner shared workspace | ✓ | — |
| Registry | — (intentional) | ✓ · class-leading |
| Paper invitations / save-the-dates | — Digital only | ✓ · paid |
| Vendor marketplace | — | Limited |
| Self-hosting / white-label | ✓ · $499 Atelier License | — |
| Starting price | Free · Premium $99 one-time | Free + paid items |
Feature data verified from zola.com and lovina.io as of May 2026.
Where Zola wins
The registry experience is the best in the category. Cash funds, experiences, traditional retail — all in a single list with a clean checkout flow. If the registry is central to your planning, Zola is hard to beat.
Paid stationery integrated with the website. Zola offers paper save-the-dates and invitations whose design coordinates with your wedding website. Convenient if you want a single coherent stationery + digital look.
Brand and design. Zola is one of the better-designed wedding tools — friendly-modern, approachable, well lit. If our editorial direction reads as too restrained for your taste, Zola’s warmer modern style may be a better fit.
Free. The core planning tools and the wedding website are free. Lovina’s Free plan caps at fifty guests.
Where Lovina wins
Real workspace depth. Zola’s planning tools exist to feed the registry. Lovina’s workspace is the product — budget with contributors and split payments, seating chart with a 3D floor plan, vendor pipeline with deposit and balance tracking, run-of-show timeline, full guest segmentation.
Planner shared workspace. Lovina is the only product where the couple and their planner work in the same canvas with different roles. Zola has no planner role.
Editorial design. Zola is friendly-modern. Lovina is editorial — closer to a printed wedding magazine than a SaaS dashboard. If aesthetic is a planning input for you, this is the difference.
No registry-monetized upsell. Zola is free because every interaction nudges toward the registry; the registry is how Zola earns. Lovina is paid because we want to be honest about how the company makes money — you pay us once and we never sell anything else to you or your guests.
Self-hostable for full control. The Atelier License ($499 one-time) gives you the full source and your branding — Zola does not offer this.
Pricing, in plain English
Zola: free core planning + website + registry. Paper invitations are paid (price depends on quantity and design). Revenue comes from registry transactions and paid stationery.
Lovina (current as of May 2026):
- Free — $0. One wedding, up to fifty guests.
- Premium — $99 one-time. Unlimited guests, full feature set.
- Planner — $499 one-time. Unlimited weddings for a single planner.
- Atelier License — $499 one-time. Self-hostable source.
How to decide
Choose Zola if the registry is central to your planning, you want paper stationery integrated with the website, and Lovina’s editorial restraint reads as too quiet for your taste.
Choose Lovina if you want the deepest planning workspace, you are sharing it with a planner, you would rather pay once than be sold to, or the editorial direction matches the wedding you are planning.
Many couples use both. Lovina for the workspace; Zola for the registry; link the registry from Lovina’s public wedding website.
Frequently asked questions
Can I link my Zola registry from Lovina? Yes — paste the link into the registry section of your Lovina wedding website. Done.
Can I import guests from Zola? Yes, via CSV.
Do you offer printed invitations? No — Lovina is digital-first. Use Zola, Minted, or Riley & Grey for paper.
Does Lovina have a vendor marketplace? No, by choice. Find vendors elsewhere; manage them in Lovina.