Your guests did not sign up for anything — they got an invitation. So it is fair to ask, for each way of collecting replies: what do they type, who sees it, is anything watching, do they need an account, and will anyone email them. Compared by approach, not by brand; a named vendor would need its own policy quoted and dated, and none is here.
By the maker of Vowlist — guest list, budget and checklist free; the RSVP link is $79 once, no subscription. We name a competitor only with a link to their own page and the date we checked it.
| Paper card | Shared spreadsheet / form | Vendor wedding site | Vowlist (per-household link) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What the guest types | Names, tick boxes, sometimes a meal — on paper | Whatever the form asks: names, email, phone, meals, "message to the couple" | Often an account or email first, then names, meals, sometimes address, sometimes a registry visit | Who is coming, meal, dietary note, optional message. Names are already there — typed by you. No email, phone or address is ever asked |
| Who can see it | You (and whoever opens the post) | Anyone with edit access to the sheet; often anyone with the link can submit | The vendor, and their subprocessors under their policy | You (the couple). Each household sees only its own names and its own previous answers; the wedding-wide link shows names only, never anyone's answers |
| Trackers on the guest page | None (paper) | Depends on the form provider — usually their own analytics; check their policy | Commonly the vendor's analytics and ad pixels — check their policy | Zero ad or third-party trackers on guest pages; the only measurement is an aggregate count per wedding per day (page opened / reply sent) — no cookie, no id, no IP stored |
| Does the guest need an account? | No | Usually not | Sometimes — some ask guests to sign in to RSVP or view the site | Never — no app, no login, no password |
| Is the guest ever emailed or messaged? | No | Not by the form, unless you configure it | Depends — some vendors email guests reminders or marketing under their policy | Never — Vowlist collects no guest emails or phone numbers, so it cannot. You send the link |
| Can the guest be removed? | You tear up the card | You delete the row | Ask the couple, then the vendor | Any guest can ask you or us to remove their row and we will comply |
| What happens after the wedding | A drawer | The sheet lives on | Under the vendor's retention policy | Your data, yours: export or delete it any time; "Delete my account" removes every guest row and reply at once |
The Vowlist column repeats what our security and privacy pages promise, checked August 18, 2026. The other columns describe the approach in general — your form provider or vendor may do better or worse; their own policy is the source.
Most RSVP privacy problems come from one design choice: a single form or page for everybody. Then either guests type their own names (and you reconcile spellings, and anyone with the link can submit anything), or the page lists everyone (and every guest can see who else is invited and, sometimes, who has declined). A link per household avoids both. The family opens their link, sees their names, answers, and is done. The wedding-wide link — for the card or the QR — shows names only, so a guest can find their household, and never anyone's answers.
The second choice is what the guest is asked for. Vowlist asks for nothing that identifies a guest beyond the name you already typed: no email, no phone, no address. That is why we can say, plainly, that we never email or message guests — we could not if we wanted to. Reminders and chasing are yours to send, from your own phone, with the chase text if you like.
The third is measurement. Guest pages carry no ad pixel and no third-party script; the only count is an aggregate "page opened / reply sent" per wedding per day, with no cookie, id or IP address stored — enough for you to see the page is working, nothing that follows a guest around.
The demo is the real guest page with demo data — no pixel, no trackers, household view by default. Guest list, budget and checklist are free; the RSVP link (one per household, no app or account for guests, we never email them) is $79 once. Start free →