SeatPlan.io

SeatPlan.io is a web-based seating chart and event-planning service for weddings, classrooms, venues, and professional planners. It fits users who need more than a static diagram, particularly shared planning, guest check-in, or repeat events. The right plan depends on whether you need to save and export one chart or run a collaborative event operation.

Overview

The central designer uses drag-and-drop placement around round or rectangular tables. Guest lists can come in through CSV, while Event Manager can export them to Excel. Floor-plan imports accept photos, screenshots, PDFs, and CAD DXF files; DXF drawings retain exact scale, which is useful when a layout must match a venue blueprint. CSV and Excel guest-list files cannot exceed 5MB, so very large rosters may need preparation before import.

People who do not create an account have their chart kept in browser local storage, deleted at midnight, and not sent to SeatPlan.io's servers. That is a sensible privacy boundary for a quick draft, but it is not a dependable archive. SeatPlan.io says it does not sell or rent personal information, and optional analytics and advertising cookies remain off until accepted in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland.

Key features

Collaboration and check-in

Event Manager supports links with view-only, editing, or check-in-only permissions and updates changes in real time. Door staff can check guests in from a phone through a link without an account. This role separation is practical for clients and temporary staff who should not receive full workspace access. Event Manager allows unlimited collaborators; the one-time Collaborate plan allows two.

Guest-facing tools and integration

Eligible plans provide QR seat finding plus Apple and Google Wallet seat passes, turning a seating assignment into something guests can retrieve on their phones. The Event Temple integration imports booking guests and refreshes the roster when an event is reopened, but assignments do not write back to Event Temple. Eligible Event Temple accounts receive a 14-day SeatPlan.io trial without a card; anyone who has already used a trial cannot start another.

Pricing

The Free plan costs £0 forever and includes full design, guest-list import, and one AI floor-plan import to try. It does not save work or export PDFs, so it suits experimentation or a chart you can finish and use immediately rather than preserve.

Pro costs £8 as a one-time payment, not a subscription. It saves work for 90 days, adds version history and restore, PDF export, and three AI floor-plan imports per month. It is the economical choice for an individual who needs a printable chart, though the 90-day retention limits long-term reuse.

Collaborate costs £14 once and adds up to two collaborators, real-time editing, share links, QR seat finding, Apple and Google Wallet passes, plus the same 90-day saving period and three monthly AI imports. Choose it for a small planning group; larger teams need Event Manager.

Classroom costs £29 per school year when billed annually. It includes unlimited saved classes, rule-based shuffling, PDF export, and one AI floor-plan import to try, making it the focused option for educators managing recurring classes rather than events.

Event Manager costs £35 per month when billed annually. It includes unlimited events and templates, unlimited collaborators, ten AI floor-plan imports per month, free CAD/DXF import, an event workspace, priority email support, and the check-in and permission controls. It is aimed at wedding planners, venues, and event professionals managing multiple events. Support enquiries can also be sent to [email protected].

Platforms

SeatPlan.io runs on the web. Phone-based check-in works through a link, while guest wallet passes target Apple and Google Wallet on eligible plans.

Who it's for

Pick SeatPlan.io for event teams that need real-time coordination, controlled client access, venue-scale floor plans, or guest-facing seat discovery. It is less suitable if you only want a permanently saved PDF at no cost, or if a 5MB roster-import ceiling is too restrictive.

Pros and cons

• Pros: exact-scale DXF imports help align seating with real spaces; role-specific links and account-free check-in fit mixed event teams; one-time Pro and Collaborate payments avoid subscriptions.
• Cons: the free tier cannot save work or export PDF; paid individual plans retain work for only 90 days; large guest-list files are limited to 5MB; Event Temple does not receive seating assignments back.

Alternatives

For a free tool with PDF export and no signup, choose Event Floor Planner; it runs on Android, iOS, and the web. Table-Plan.com suits desktop users who need up to 30 guests free or up to 250 guests for $29 once, valid for three months. Choose EventDiagram for an API-enabled web option. Eventscript is worth considering when one upcoming event is enough on its free plan. OnePlan fits teams needing event plans and objects, with its free tier limited to one event and 25 objects. SeatChart.io offers a free web editor with three AI imports, sharing, QR, and export. SeatPlanning is a choice for a tightly capped free project of 40 seats. TablePlan.io provides a browser-only free demo for one event, with a one-event paid option.

Verdict

SeatPlan.io is a strong choice for planners and venues that need collaborative permissions, check-in, and repeat-event management, with Event Manager providing the broadest operational toolkit. Choose Pro or Collaborate for a single saved, printable project at a one-time price. Look elsewhere if a free, permanent PDF workflow or larger import files matter more than live event coordination.