What a good guest list app does
“Guest list app” covers a wide range of tools — from a simple shared spreadsheet to enterprise event-management platforms. The right one for you depends on your event size and how much complexity you actually need.
For most personal events (weddings, parties, showers, corporate offsites under 100 people), a good guest list app should handle:
- RSVP collection. A page guests can reach by link or QR code, with a form they fill in once.
- Plus-one tracking. Capture how many additional guests each invitee is bringing.
- Meal preferences and custom questions. Ask whatever you need at RSVP time.
- Dietary needs and allergies. A free-text comments field is usually enough.
- Real-time dashboard. See attending, declined, and outstanding guests at a glance.
- Export to CSV. So you can hand the list to a caterer, vendor, or venue.
- Day-of check-in. A way to confirm guests as they arrive — ideally with a QR code.
How ScanRSVP covers each
ScanRSVP is built for personal events. Every feature above is in the free plan, with a couple of advanced bits on Pro:
- RSVP collection — every event gets a unique themed page and a QR code, both ready in two minutes.
- Plus-one tracking — guests select their party size on the RSVP form, you see the totals roll up in your dashboard.
- Custom questions and meal preferences — built-in for Premium events, free-text comments for everyone.
- Dietary needs and allergies — collected via the comments field; no extra setup.
- Real-time dashboard — every reply lands instantly. Filter by attending, declined, or outstanding.
- CSV export — one click. Includes guest name, status, count, comments, and email delivery state.
- Check-in via QR code — print the QR on badges or the invite, scan at the door for confirmation.
Spreadsheets and paper still work — sort of
If your event is small enough — say, a dinner party for 8 — a shared spreadsheet or a paper notebook is genuinely fine. Once you cross 20 or so guests, the math gets ugly:
- Email and text replies arrive in three places at once.
- Plus-ones get lost between threads.
- Dietary notes pile up across screenshots and DMs.
- You forget who replied yes after first saying no.
- The night before, you can't tell whether you're catering for 38 or 42.
A guest list app collapses all of that into a single source of truth. Guests update their own RSVP through their confirmation email, so even last-minute changes flow into the dashboard automatically.
Free vs paid guest list apps
Most guest list apps offer a free tier, but the limits vary widely. Watch for:
- Per-guest fees. Some platforms charge per RSVP after a low threshold. ScanRSVP doesn't.
- Ads on the invite. Free Evite invites carry ads. ScanRSVP doesn't.
- 14-day trials masquerading as “free.” If a tool wants a credit card up front, it's a trial. ScanRSVP doesn't.
- Caps on event size. RSVPify caps the free tier at 100 guests, with paid tiers above. ScanRSVP's Basic plan is free for events up to 40 attending guests, and Pro (with unlimited responses) is also free while we grow.