Seatbay guide
Free seating chart maker
A seating chart says who sits at which table. In Seatbay you add your guests, pick a room layout, drag each name to a seat and print the chart as a PDF. It is free for one event of up to 60 guests, there is no account, and the guest list never leaves your device.
Make a seating chartOpens Seatbay in your browser. Nothing to download.
How it works
Guests: type names, or paste a list with one name on each line. Each guest can have a party (a couple or a family who came on one invitation), a group, an answer to the invitation, a meal choice, dietary needs and notes.
Room: start from a layout such as round tables, banquet rows or a head table, then move, turn, add and remove tables until the room looks like yours. A dance floor, a bar, a stage and doors are plain shapes you can place.
Seats: drag a name from the list onto a seat. A party moves as one. The list shows who is still without a seat.
Rules, so nobody is forgotten
Four rules cover most of what a host has to remember: keep together, keep apart, wants to be near, and must be at this table. When a rule is broken, both seats are marked and the reason is given, so you can see the problem at a glance instead of holding it in your head.
Seatbay Pro can also seat everyone for you. It fills the tables to your rules, leaves any seat you have locked alone, and one Undo puts everything back.
What you can print
The chart prints by table, or from A to Z so guests find their name first and then their table. A list for the venue goes table by table with meals, allergens and needs, and the floor plan shows the room on one sheet. These are free, on A4 or US Letter.
Pro adds place cards, table numbers, A3 and 18 by 24 inch posters, more looks for the chart, and a Find your seat link with a QR code for the door.
Layouts to start from
Each of these opens ready to fill.
- Head table and rounds: a top table, round tables and a dance floor
- Sweetheart table: the couple alone, guests on round tables
- Round tables: the classic banquet room, tables staggered
- Banquet rows: long tables side by side
- Head table and long tables: banquet rows facing the top table
- One long table: dinner parties and feasts
- U-shaped table: meetings and workshops
- Cabaret: half-round tables, everyone facing the stage
- Quiz night: teams round small tables
Questions
Is Seatbay free?
Yes. One event or class with up to 60 guests is free: the room, dragging, rules, the chart as a PDF on A4 or US Letter, the venue’s list, the floor plan and backups. Seatbay Pro ($2.99, paid once) adds more events and guests, Seat everyone for me, place cards, table numbers, poster sizes and looks, the Find your seat link and QR code, and spreadsheet export.
Where does my guest list go?
Nowhere. There is no account, and the list stays in your browser on your own device. You can save a backup file to move a plan to another device or pass it to someone helping you.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. With a mouse you drag a name onto a seat. With a finger you tap a name, then tap the seat or the table.
Can I use it for a classroom?
Yes. Choose Classroom and the tables become desks in rows, pairs, groups or a horseshoe, with rules such as keep apart and near the front.