Free wedding website in India: what you actually get, and what to check

What “free” usually includes

• The website itself, hosted on the builder’s subdomain (yourname.shaadify.org, yourname.withjoy.com …).
• Templates or themes, an editor, photo uploads, an events/schedule section, a story and a gallery.
• An RSVP form and some form of guest list.

What usually costs extra

• A custom domain (yourname.com): US$17–20 a year on Zola and The Knot; Shaadify does not offer it yet.
• Printed invitations, save-the-dates and thank-you cards sold through the builder.
• Premium templates or “pro” tiers on some platforms.

What an Indian wedding needs that most builders miss

1. A schedule built for five functions, not one. Mehendi, haldi, sangeet, ceremony, reception: each with its own date, time, venue and map. A single “ceremony + reception” layout squeezes the rest into a paragraph.
2. RSVP per event. The sangeet headcount and the reception headcount are different numbers. One yes/no for the whole wedding is useless for the caterer.
3. Different guest lists per function. Colleagues for the reception only; family for the haldi. The builder should let you invite some guests to some events.
4. WhatsApp, not email. Indian invitations travel on WhatsApp. The best flow is a personalised link per guest sent from the chat, opening in WhatsApp’s browser with no app or login.
5. Plus-ones and meal preferences. Families RSVP as a party; Jain/veg/non-veg matters.
6. Themes that look Indian. Maroon and gold, temple motifs, Devanagari-friendly type: not a rustic-barn template with a mandap photo.
7. Light and fast on a phone. Most guests will open the site inside WhatsApp on a mid-range Android on mobile data.

The options, one line each

• Shaadify: free, India-built; multi-event, WhatsApp invites with a personal link per guest, per-event RSVPs, three Indian-wedding themes. No custom domain or password protection yet. Features · live example.
• Joy, Joy is the polished global default with registry, password pages and custom domains. Shaadify vs Joy
• Zola, Zola is a US registry-and-website platform with password protection and paid custom domains. Shaadify vs Zola
• The Knot, The Knot has 100+ templates, a guest-list manager, registry linking and paid custom domains. Shaadify vs The Knot
• WeddingWire India, WeddingWire India bundles a free website with its vendor marketplace (templates, RSVP synced to guest list). Shaadify vs WeddingWire India
• WedMeGood, Different things: WedMeGood’s free e-invite maker produces cards and videos. Shaadify vs WedMeGood

A five-minute test before you commit

1. Create a test site and add three events with different dates and venues. Does each get its own page/card and its own RSVP?
2. Add two guests and invite one to only one event. Can you?
3. Open the site from a WhatsApp message on your phone. Is it fast? Does the RSVP work without logging in?
4. Export the RSVPs. Is it a spreadsheet your caterer can use?
5. Change a venue after “sending”. Does every guest see the new one without you resending anything?