Registry comparisons
Best cash registry sites compared: fees, payouts and who they suit
An honest comparison of the most popular cash registries: what each charges on cash gifts, how the money reaches you, and where each one is the better choice.
Updated · 6 min read · by Presentou
The best cash registry depends on what you want most. Zola and The Knot are strongest if you want store products and cash funds in one place. Joy is good if guests will mostly use Venmo or PayPal. Honeyfund is built around honeymoons. Presentou suits couples who want every gift paid straight to their own account with no fee on gifts.
The differences that matter most are not the designs — they are how much of each gift reaches you, how the money gets to you, and how easy it is for guests. This guide compares those three things as of October 2026. Fees change, so check each site's current fee page before you decide.
Cash registry fees compared
| Registry | Fee on cash gifts | How the money reaches you | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zola | About 2.5% on card contributions (who pays can depend on your settings) | Transferred from Zola to your bank | Mixing store products and cash funds |
| The Knot | About 2.5% card processing fee, generally paid by the guest | Transferred from The Knot to your bank | Couples already using The Knot for planning |
| Joy | Free when guests use Venmo, PayPal or Cash App; card contributions carry a processing fee (around 3.5%) | Direct via the payment app, or by card through Joy | Free option with mostly app-based guests |
| Honeyfund | Guest card payments carry a fee (around 2.8%); free options vary | Transferred, or direct depending on the method | Honeymoon-focused registries |
| Presentou | 0% on gifts; $19 one-time to publish for 12 months | Direct to your own Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App or bank | Keeping 100% of every gift |
How much do cash registry fees really cost?
A 2.5% fee sounds small until you apply it to a whole wedding. If guests send $8,000 in cash gifts, 2.5% is $200 — paid either by you or by your guests on top of their gift. At $15,000 it is $375. A flat publishing price works the other way: the more your guests give, the more you save.
| Total cash gifts | 2.5% fee | 3.5% fee | Flat $19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $50 | $70 | $19 |
| $5,000 | $125 | $175 | $19 |
| $8,000 | $200 | $280 | $19 |
| $15,000 | $375 | $525 | $19 |
One caveat: when guests pay you directly through Venmo, PayPal or Cash App, those apps have their own rules. Personal payments from a balance, bank account or debit card are usually free, while credit card payments typically cost around 3% and business or goods-and-services payments carry fees. Zelle and bank transfers are typically free. Check each app's current fee page.
Where each cash registry is the better choice
No single site wins for everyone. Here is where each one shines.
- Zola — the most complete if you also want physical gifts from many stores, shipping management and a free wedding website.
- The Knot — convenient if you already use its vendor marketplace and planning tools; registry and website are free.
- Joy — a generous free plan and a fee-free path when guests use payment apps.
- Honeyfund — long track record with honeymoon registries and lots of travel-themed templates.
- Presentou — best when you want cash gifts only, with 0% on gifts and the money going straight to you, plus a website with RSVP. The trade-off: it is not a store registry, and you confirm each gift yourself when it arrives.
Direct payment vs. platform payouts: what is the difference?
There are two ways a cash registry can handle money:
- Platform payout. The guest pays by card on the registry site. The platform collects the money, takes its fee, and transfers it to you later. Easy for guests, but you wait for the transfer and lose a percentage.
- Direct payment. The guest pays you with their own app — Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, a bank transfer. The money arrives immediately and in full. The registry's job is to show the gift, collect the guest's name and message, and keep track of what was given.
Direct payment means nobody holds your money and nothing can be frozen. The trade-off is that you confirm each gift when you see it in your account, instead of the registry doing it automatically. If you're wondering about safety, read is it safe to use Venmo for wedding gifts.
What to look for in a cash registry
- Fees on gifts — percentage, flat price, or free with conditions.
- Who pays the fee — you, or your guests on top of their gift.
- Payout speed — immediate, or days after the gift.
- Guest experience — do guests need an account? Can they leave a message?
- Gift types — set prices, gifts split into shares, and "any amount" funds.
- Tracking — every gift with a name and message, ready for thank-you notes.
- Extras — wedding website, RSVP, photos, and the currency you need.
Is a free cash registry really free?
Often the registry itself is free, and the cost appears as a processing fee on each card contribution — paid by you, or added to your guests' total. That's a reasonable business model, but it means "free" scales with your gifts. Read the fee page for three things: the percentage, who pays it by default, and whether any payout or transfer fee applies when the money moves to your bank.
Do guests need to create an account?
This matters more than it seems. Every extra step — creating a login, confirming an email, typing card details — loses some guests, especially older relatives. Most registries let guests give without an account, but the experience varies: card checkouts ask for billing details, while direct-payment registries hand guests off to the app they already have on their phone. Test your registry on your own phone, as a guest would, before you share it.
Can you use more than one cash registry?
You can, but keep it simple. A common setup is a store registry for physical items plus one cash registry for funds and experiences, both linked from the same wedding website. More than two registries usually confuses guests and splits your gift tracking across several places, which makes thank-you notes harder.
Honeyfund vs. Zola: which is better for a honeymoon fund?
If your registry is only a honeymoon fund, Honeyfund is purpose-built for it, with travel templates. If you also want store products and planning tools, Zola keeps everything together. If what matters most is that every dollar reaches you, compare fees first — and see our honeymoon fund ideas for how to structure the gifts.