GRGO Designs Custom vs. template

Custom wedding website vs. The Knot and Zola

The free sites work, and for some couples they're enough. Here's what you get with each, side by side, from the platforms' own help pages and from the sites GRGO builds.

Free has a look.

The Knot and Zola give wedding websites away because their business is registries, invitations, and vendor listings. The website is how your guests get there. It's a fair trade for a lot of couples. It's also why so many wedding websites look alike.

Three couples. One template. Picked from a library and shared with every couple who picks it. Only the names change.
pennyandgeorge.comA GRGO site for Penelope and George: a gilded wreath monogram above their names, for a wedding at The Drake
One couple. One design. Drawn from their venue, their invitations, and their story, and made for no one else.

Which address goes on your invitation?

You chose the paper, the lettering, and every word on your invitations. The address printed at the bottom should look like it belongs there too: just your names, and a code your guests can scan to land on your site.

Penelope & George

JULY 22, 2023

Details and RSVP at

theknot.com/us/penny-and-george-july-2023

The Knot, free

Penelope & George

JULY 22, 2023

Details and RSVP at

zola.com/wedding/pennyandgeorge

Zola, free

Penelope & George

JULY 22, 2023

Scan for details and RSVP

QR code with the couple's monogram

pennyandgeorge.com

GRGO, included

ComparedA free templateA GRGO site
DesignChoose from limited templates.Designed for your wedding only.
Your invitationsMatched to the invitations they sell.Matched to yours, whoever printed them: palette, type, and monogram.
Web addressTheir web address, e.g. https://www.theknot.com/us/penny-and-george-july-2023Your custom domain, e.g. https://pennyandgeorge.com
Built aroundTheir registry, their shop, their vendor listings.Your guests, and nothing else.
After the weddingThe Knot keeps it up a year after the date, then asks you to renew. In its own words, wedding websites were “not meant to be legacy sites.”Online as long as you like.
CostFree.From $950.

If a free site does what you need, use one. GRGO is for couples who have already designed everything else.

Start your wedding website

Details from The Knot's and Zola's own help pages, October 2026. The Knot and Zola are trademarks of their owners. GRGO Designs is not affiliated with either.

Questions couples ask

Straight answers about free wedding websites, custom ones, and what each really costs.

Is a wedding website on The Knot or Zola really free?

Yes. Both companies give wedding websites away. Their business is registries, invitations, and vendor listings, and the free website is how your guests reach them.

Can I use my own web address on The Knot or Zola?

The free site lives on the platform's address, like theknot.com/us/your-names-month-year or zola.com/wedding/yournames. Using your own name is a paid add-on on both, renewed every year. Every GRGO site is built on your own domain.

How long does a free wedding website stay online?

The Knot keeps a wedding website up for a year after the date, then asks you to renew. A GRGO site stays online as long as you want it.

How much does a custom wedding website cost?

GRGO packages start at $950 for Signature, one of three GRGO designs made yours. Bespoke, designed from nothing, is $2,400, and Heirloom is $4,500. A save-the-date page on its own is $250, credited in full if you choose a package within 60 days.

Will my guests still be able to RSVP?

Yes. Every GRGO package includes RSVP. Bespoke and Heirloom include RSVP from your guest list, with a dashboard of who is coming.

Can a custom website match my invitations?

That is the point of it. The palette, typefaces, and monogram come from your stationery, whoever printed it, so the website looks like part of the same suite.

Start with the questionnaire

About twenty minutes, and you don't have to finish in one sitting. It saves as you go.

Start the questionnaire