WedSites vs Hitchd

Trying to decide between wedding planning platforms? WedSites and Hitchd serve different primary purposes: Hitchd specializes in honeymoon registries and cash funds, while WedSites offers wedding planning tools centered around a wedding website. Understanding this distinction will help you choose the right platform for your needs, and in many cases, couples use both platforms together as complementary tools.

Hitchd is an Australian-based honeymoon registry platform founded in Sydney in 2016. They've built an excellent reputation with over 50,000 couples and are highly rated by users. Their focus is providing a beautiful, seamless experience for couples who want to fund their honeymoon through guest contributions. They charge a 4.98% fee on cash gifts and registry purchases, with no hidden fees for guests. Hitchd also supports multi-currency contributions, which is a standout feature for couples with international guest lists.

WedSites is a wedding planning platform built around one-time pricing with no registry commissions. While Hitchd excels at honeymoon registries, WedSites provides a planning suite including timeline builders, payment tracking, seating charts, digital stationery with email tracking, and guest management, all integrated into one system. WedSites has a smaller template library than some competitors and does not include a dedicated mobile app (though the site is mobile-responsive). If you want planning depth beyond a registry, here's how the two platforms compare.

Quick Comparison

Pricing Comparison

Hitchd's wedding website is completely free to use, which makes it attractive for couples on tight budgets. Their business model is built around their integrated gift registry, where they charge a 4.98% fee on all cash gifts and registry purchases. Hitchd is transparent about this fee structure and doesn't add hidden charges for your guests. The fee can be absorbed by the couple or passed on to guests at checkout.

WedSites offers three tiers with one-time payments and zero registry fees:
- Basic Plan: $39 one-time gets you started with core website features
- Standard Plan: $99 one-time includes digital stationery, email tracking, and advanced guest management
- Pro Plan: $199 one-time unlocks the planning suite with checklist, budget, vendors, payment tracking, seating chart, and timeline builder. Planning tools are only available on the Pro plan.

The WedSites pricing philosophy is straightforward: pay once for planning tools. There are no recurring charges. WedSites is completely neutral about where you register. Link to any registry service you choose, and WedSites doesn't take a percentage.

For a typical wedding with $5,000-$10,000 in registry gifts, Hitchd's 4.98% fee comes to $249-$498. For couples who value Hitchd's specialized honeymoon registry experience, including their beautiful presentation, multi-currency support, and ease of use, this fee covers the platform and payment processing that makes the experience possible.

Custom Domain & Technical Capabilities

Hitchd offers custom domain options for couples who want their own URL. The platform supports custom domains, though the setup process and technical details aren't extensively documented on their public site.

WedSites provides native custom domain integration with DNS configuration and SSL certificates included at no additional cost. If you already own a domain from any registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.), you can connect it directly to WedSites using DNS records. SSL certificates are provided automatically.

Native DNS integration means faster loading times and complete ownership of your domain configuration. There are no recurring hosting fees from WedSites; everything is included in your one-time payment.

Design Flexibility & Customization

Hitchd has built a strong reputation for beautiful, modern design. Users consistently praise their aesthetic in reviews, and their templates are professionally designed with a focus on visual appeal. They support custom fonts, allowing couples to incorporate their chosen typography into their wedding website. If design simplicity and modern aesthetics are your priority, Hitchd delivers a polished experience.

WedSites provides design control across multiple dimensions, though with a smaller template library than some competitors. The font library includes hundreds of typefaces. WedSites also supports full custom CSS, giving you control over every visual element of your site for those who want deeper customization.

You can switch between design templates at any time without losing your content or customizations. Many couples start with one design and change to another as their wedding style evolves, and all content transfers seamlessly.

Multi-Language & Multi-Currency Support

Hitchd includes multi-language and multi-currency support, both of which are standout features. Multi-currency is particularly valuable for couples with international guest lists, as it allows guests to contribute in their local currency. Being based in Sydney, Australia, Hitchd has experience serving couples with diverse international backgrounds and understands the needs of destination weddings.

WedSites includes website translation functionality. Create a full version of your wedding website in another language, and guests can toggle between languages with a simple switcher. All your RSVP forms, event details, timeline, and site content work seamlessly in multiple languages. The multi-language capabilities extend to the integrated email tracking and digital stationery systems as well, creating a bilingual communication experience.

Both platforms are well-equipped for multicultural weddings. If multi-currency support for registry contributions is important to you, Hitchd has a clear advantage here with their specialized registry focus.

Digital Stationery & Guest Communication

Hitchd focuses primarily on the honeymoon registry experience. For save-the-dates and invitations, you'd typically need to use separate services like Paperless Post, design your own in Canva, or purchase physical stationery. There's no integrated digital stationery platform or email tracking system built into Hitchd. This is expected, since stationery is outside Hitchd's core product focus.

WedSites Standard and Pro plans include a digital stationery platform integrated with your wedding website and guest list. Design save-the-dates and invitations that match your website, customize the wording, and send them directly to your guest list.

Every email you send is tracked automatically. See who opened your save-the-date, who clicked through to RSVP, and who needs a reminder. This tracking data flows directly into your guest list database, so each guest's communication history is always visible. You can save email drafts for messages you're working on and access your complete outbox to see everything you've sent and when.

Advanced Guest List Management

Hitchd provides guest list management with RSVP tracking capabilities. Their platform covers the essential functionality most couples need for managing responses, and users report the experience is straightforward and easy to use.

WedSites takes guest management further with features designed for complex modern weddings. The household system groups families and couples together so they can RSVP as one unit, suitable for families with children or couples with plus-ones. Organize your guests into custom groups like "College Friends" or "Family" for strategic planning and easy filtering.

The A/B list functionality helps you manage large guest lists tactfully. Send invitations to your must-have guests first, then invite your B-list as you receive regrets, all tracked seamlessly.

The "Collect Guest Details" feature lets you create a custom form and send it to your friends and family to gather email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses before sending save-the-dates.

Planning Tools

Hitchd focuses on the honeymoon registry experience, and they do it well. Their platform doesn't include planning tools like checklists, budget trackers, vendor management, payment tracking, seating charts, or timeline builders. This reflects their specialized focus as a registry platform rather than a planning platform.

WedSites Pro plan ($199) includes a planning suite:

Pre-Populated Checklist: Generates automatically based on your wedding date with recommended deadlines for every task. Add unlimited custom tasks and reminders.

Budget Calculator: Expense tracking with customizable categories. See how much you've allocated, spent, and have remaining in each category. Easily reallocate funds between budget categories as your priorities evolve.

Vendor Management: Store all your vendor contacts, contracts, files, and notes in organized profiles. Keep track of who's been booked and all the details for each vendor relationship.

Payment Tracking: Set up payment reminders linked directly to your vendor profiles and budget categories. This three-way integration gives you financial visibility without juggling multiple spreadsheets.

Seating Chart Builder: Drag-and-drop tool that uses the groups you've created in your guest list. Each guest gets a color-coded label based on their group, making table arrangements intuitive.

Timeline Builder: Create your day-of wedding runsheet with time blocks for every event. Use the virtual highlighter to mark critical moments, add notes for vendors and your bridal party, and print copies.

Note that these planning tools are only available on the Pro plan ($199). Couples on the Basic or Standard plans won't have access to them.

The Registry Question

Hitchd specializes in honeymoon registries and cash funds. Their beautiful presentation of honeymoon experiences, transparent fee structure (no hidden fees for guests), multi-currency support, and consistently high user ratings make them excellent at what they do. If a honeymoon fund is your primary registry goal, Hitchd provides a focused, highly-rated experience specifically designed for that purpose.

WedSites is completely neutral about where you register. Link to Hitchd's registry if you love it, or link to Amazon, Target, Zola, a honeymoon fund, or any combination of registries you choose. WedSites does not have a built-in gift registry feature; it simply links out to whichever registries you prefer.

Many couples use both platforms together: Hitchd for their honeymoon registry and WedSites for their wedding website and planning. Since the platforms serve complementary purposes, this combination can give you the best of both worlds.

Privacy & Security

Hitchd offers password protection for your wedding website, covering privacy needs for couples who want to keep their site private from the general public.

WedSites provides privacy controls including password protection for your entire site or specific pages, the ability to block search engines from indexing your wedding website, and granular control over what information is visible. SSL certificates ensure your site is secure when collecting guest information through RSVP forms or guest detail collection.

Who Should Choose Hitchd

Hitchd is the better choice if you:

• Primarily want a honeymoon fund: Hitchd's entire platform is optimized for this specific use case
• Value multi-currency support: Guests can contribute in their local currency, which is ideal for international guest lists
• Want a beautiful, simple registry experience: Their modern design and ease of use are consistently praised in reviews
• Have international guests: Their Australian-based platform understands destination and multicultural weddings
• Prefer focused simplicity: If you don't need planning tools and just want an excellent registry, Hitchd delivers
• Appreciate highly-rated user experience: Consistently positive reviews from over 50,000 couples

Who Should Choose WedSites

WedSites is the better choice if you:

• Want planning tools: The Pro plan includes checklist, budget, vendors, payment tracking, seating chart, and timeline builder
• Need integrated email tracking: See who opened your save-the-dates and invitations, connected to your guest list
• Prefer no registry fees: Link to any registry you choose without platform fees
• Need guest organization: Households, groups, A/B lists, and custom forms to collect guest details
• Value integrated stationery: Send tracked save-the-dates and invitations from the same platform as your website
• Want design control: Extensive fonts and full CSS on all templates
• Need native custom domain integration: DNS control and SSL certificates included
• Prefer one-time payments: Pay once instead of ongoing fees or gift commissions

Keep in mind that WedSites has a smaller template library than some competitors, does not have a dedicated mobile app (though the website is mobile-responsive), and does not include a built-in gift registry.

Making Your Decision

Hitchd and WedSites serve different purposes, and for many couples, the choice isn't either/or. Hitchd excels at honeymoon registries with beautiful design and multi-currency support. WedSites provides wedding planning tools and website building with one-time pricing. If you need both a registry and a planning platform, consider using them together. We recommend trying both platforms to see which combination works best for your wedding.

This comparison is based on publicly available information as of February 2025. Features and pricing may change. We recommend visiting both platforms to confirm current offerings before making your decision.