An alternative to PerfectTablePlan
Updated
PerfectTablePlan is a long-established desktop program for Windows and Mac, sold as a one-time licence. It is thorough and it works offline. Events Planner runs in your browser instead, costs nothing, and adds something a printed plan cannot do: a QR code your guests scan to find their own seat.
| Events Planner | PerfectTablePlan | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | One-time licence: $29.95 Home, $74.95 Advanced, $299.95 Professional |
| Free version | The whole tool | Trial: plans over 30 guests need a licence to save, export or print |
| Runs on | Any modern browser, including phones | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Automatic seating | Yes | Yes |
| Guests find their seat by QR code | Yes, with a room map | Not listed on its site |
| Works offline | No | Yes |
What PerfectTablePlan does well
It has been around a long time and it is deep. It seats guests automatically or by drag and drop, prints floor plans, seating charts and place cards, and the higher editions add custom guest fields and reports across several plans. Because it is desktop software, it works without an internet connection, and the licence is yours to keep: one payment covers any number of plans on up to five of your own computers.
Where they differ
PerfectTablePlan is installed on a computer. Events Planner runs in a browser, so you can start on a laptop and check a table on your phone at the venue. Its free trial lets you build a plan of any size, but saving, exporting or printing one with more than 30 guests needs a licence. Events Planner is free throughout, for any number of guests.
Giving guests their seat on their phone
PerfectTablePlan is built around printed output: floor plans, charts and cards. Events Planner prints those too, and it also makes a link and a QR code from your chart. Guests scan it at the door, type their name and see their table, their seat and a map of the room. The code always shows the chart as it is now, so a guest you move the night before is sent to the right table by the same printed sign.
What you will not find here
Events Planner needs an internet connection, has no place card designer and no multi-plan reports. If you plan many events offline and want those, PerfectTablePlan's Advanced or Professional edition is worth its price. If you are planning one event, the free tool may be all you need.
Moving your plan over
Export your guest list from PerfectTablePlan, or whatever spreadsheet you started from, as a CSV or Excel file and import it. The planner shows each column with sample values so you can match name, group, RSVP, notes and table. Rebuild the room to your venue's measurements, then seat everyone, by hand or automatically.