The Knot Is Buying Zola: What It Means for Your Registry (2026)

Short answer: The Knot Worldwide has signed an agreement to buy Zola, announced on October 14, 2026. As of October 25 the sale hasn't closed, no price or closing date has been made public, and Zola is set to stay a separate brand. Nothing about your Zola registry, cash funds, website or guest list has changed. Don't rush to switch; do save copies of your data.

What did The Knot and Zola announce?

Reuters reported the deal on October 14, citing two people familiar with it. The same day, The Knot Worldwide confirmed it in a press release: it "has entered into a definitive agreement with Zola". That's a signed contract, but the sale isn't finished. The release says it's "subject to customary closing conditions, including any required regulatory clearances", and "Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed."

The line that matters most to couples is this one: "The Knot and Zola will continue as distinct consumer brands, preserving choice for couples." After closing, Zola would sit next to The Knot, WeddingWire, The Bump and Hitched in one group, which Reuters describes as owned by investment firm Permira.

The release says nothing about accounts, registries, websites, cash funds, guest data or fees, and as of October 25 we found no help-center article about the deal from either company. The only extra detail is aimed at vendors. According to the New York Post, as summarized by PYMNTS, internal Zola communications say co-CEOs Shan-Lyn Ma and Rachel Jarrett are expected to keep running Zola, and business customers will get advance notice before significant integration changes. Offbeat Wed, quoting Zola's email to vendors, reports that storefronts, billing and pricing "remain as they are today".

What's confirmed and what isn't (as of October 25, 2026)

Will my Zola registry and website keep working?

Yes. As of October 25, nothing about them has changed. Until the sale closes, Zola and The Knot are separate companies, and the announced plan after closing is to keep Zola as its own brand. Guests can keep buying gifts and sending cash at the same address.

The closest precedent is the deal that created The Knot Worldwide. In September 2018, XO Group, then The Knot's parent company, agreed to merge with WeddingWire. Eight years later WeddingWire still offers its own free wedding websites under its own name. Offbeat Wed's analysis of the Zola deal points out that the bigger change back then came on the vendor side, where advertising for both brands moved into one marketplace, WeddingPro, in 2019. That isn't a promise about Zola, but it's the closest history there is.

Our guess, and it is only a guess: if couples notice anything first, it will be links between the two, like The Knot's vendor listings showing up inside Zola, which fits the "more connected experiences for couples" the release mentions. Nothing of the sort has been announced.

You may see The Knot's past tool retirements mentioned alongside this news, so here they are exactly. In October 2024, The Knot replaced its old Budgeter tool with a new Budget Advisor, and its help center said saved budgets would stay viewable in the old tool until July 31, 2025. In May 2025 it posted a notice that Spur Experiences registries would stop syncing with The Knot on August 17, 2025, asking couples to download their gift list from Track Gifts first; the link to each Spur registry stayed on couples' websites. Both were single tools inside The Knot, not a brand it bought, so they say nothing about Zola's future. They only show what a notice from this company has looked like: a dated help-center article, months ahead.

What happens to my Zola guest list and data?

For now, Zola's privacy policy (last updated October 9, 2025) still applies. Three lines in it are worth knowing:

• Zola may disclose information "in the event we reorganize, sell, merge, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose all or a portion of our business or assets". Most privacy policies have a clause like this.
• For the details you enter about your guests, Zola calls itself "a data processor" that "only acts on this information on your behalf".
• If the policy changes materially, Zola "will notify you either through the Website or Services or by email", and "where required by applicable law" give you a chance to opt out first.

The Knot Worldwide's privacy policy (effective September 16, 2026) is written for a group of brands. It covers the sites that link to it and says "We may disclose information we collect within the TKWW family of companies" and "All categories of information we collect may be disclosed to our Affiliates." For registry users, it also allows sharing with affiliates and other companies "for their marketing and other purposes". To be even-handed, Zola's policy also says it shares personal information today with third parties "that provide advertising-related services".

Nobody has said whether Zola will move to The Knot Worldwide's policy after closing. If it did, your Zola data could be shared across the group's brands, and under Zola's current policy you'd hear about a material change on the site or by email. Read that email instead of archiving it. If you'd rather your guests' addresses didn't stay on Zola at all, its Privacy Center takes access and deletion requests (the policy lists these as rights for residents of certain US states). Do that only after your cash is in your bank and you've downloaded your lists.

If you plan on The Knot, nothing announced changes for you: your account is already under The Knot Worldwide's policy. The checklist below still applies, and our comparison with The Knot covers it on its own terms.

Will Zola's fees or features change?

Nothing has been announced. Here's where things stand on October 25, 2026, so you can spot a change later:

• Cash fund fee: 2.5% on card gifts. Guests pay it by default and you can choose to cover it in your settings. Zola also has a zero-fee option where guests send money straight to your Venmo.
• Completion discount: 20% off gifts still on your registry that Zola sells itself (with brand exclusions), for six months after the wedding. You qualify if the registry was created 30 or more days before the date, got at least one gift before it, and has your wedding date in Registry Settings. Zola's terms say it "reserves the right to modify or discontinue the Completion Discount at any time". That was true before the deal too.
• Store credit: you can convert cash gifts to Zola store credit with a 5% bonus. The bonus expires 180 days after you convert; the original amount never does.

Since Zola could already change the discount at any time, we'd plan around money you've already received rather than a discount you hope to use next spring.

What should Zola users do now?

None of this assumes anything will go wrong. It's what we'd do on any platform holding a year of wedding plans.

1. Export your guest list. On a computer, open your Guest List, click the dots in the top right corner and pick the format: the full list or just addresses. For RSVPs with meal choices, go to Track RSVPs and click Export RSVPs for a .csv or Excel file. Zola's help page says the app can't do this. Save a dated copy somewhere that isn't Zola.
2. Download your gift list. The Gift Tracker exports a .CSV with each gift, its value, the message, the giver's address and your thank-you status.
3. Move your cash gifts to your bank. Zola has no deadline, so money can sit in the Gift Tracker for months. Add a US checking account (from the primary account), then click Transfer Now next to each gift. Zola says to allow up to 10 business days for the first transfer and about 2-3 for later ones, and gifts from the last 4-5 days show as Funds Pending. There's no sign your money is at risk; this is just good housekeeping.
4. Think before converting cash to store credit. The 5% is real, but it keeps the money inside Zola's store.
5. Screenshot your settings. Cash fund names, goals and descriptions, who covers the card fee, your RSVP questions and each website page. If you ever rebuild elsewhere, that saves an evening.
6. Check what's printed. If your save-the-dates already show your zola.com address, that's the address guests will type for months, which is a strong reason to stay put.
7. Watch your inbox. A privacy policy or terms email from Zola is the signal that something is actually changing.

Should I switch from Zola, and when?

The deal on its own isn't a reason to move, because nothing has changed yet. Where you are in planning matters more than the headline:

Some couples already had reasons to leave that have nothing to do with the deal: Zola's app is iPhone-only, cash transfers need a US checking account, and its website buttons stay in English. If one of those bothered you before, this is a natural moment to act on it.

If you decide to switch

You can keep your Zola registry and move only the website: Zola publishes how-tos for adding its registry to other wedding sites. Our Zola alternatives guide compares eight options with costs, card fees and the order to do the move in, so we won't repeat it here.

A few things to know. The Knot and WeddingWire have the parent Zola will have once the sale closes, so moving there doesn't step outside the deal. Joy is the closest like-for-like swap: free, with a registry, cash funds and an Android app. BrideSpark (ours) is free with no premium plan, can link your Zola registry, and its guest list imports a CSV like the one you exported, with a column picker and a preview, reading households, meals and RSVP answers. It has no custom domain and doesn't handle money, so a cash fund means linking PayPal, Venmo or a fund site. Our side-by-side with Zola has the details, and free wedding websites without ads covers how each free site makes its money.

Frequently asked questions

Is The Knot buying Zola?

Yes. The Knot Worldwide announced on October 14, 2026 that it has signed a definitive agreement to add Zola to its brands. As of October 25, 2026 the sale hasn't closed: it still depends on customary closing conditions and any required regulatory clearances, and no price or closing date has been made public.

Will my Zola registry still work after The Knot deal?

Yes, for now nothing has changed: Zola registries and cash funds work as before, and the companies say Zola will stay a separate consumer brand after the sale. Neither has said anything specific about registries yet. To be safe, transfer cash gifts to your bank (the first transfer takes up to 10 business days) and download your gift list for thank-you notes.

Will my Zola wedding website address change?

No change has been announced. Zola wedding websites are still at their zola.com addresses, and Zola is set to keep its own name after the sale. If your save-the-dates already show that address, it's a good reason not to move your website mid-planning.

Will Zola share my data with The Knot?

Nothing has been announced. Zola's privacy policy already allows passing data to a buyer in a sale, and The Knot Worldwide's own policy lets it share information across its brands. If Zola makes a material change to its policy, it says it will tell you on the site or by email. Zola's Privacy Center takes requests for a copy or deletion of your data.

Should I move my wedding website off Zola now?

Not because of the deal alone, since nothing has changed yet. If you haven't printed save-the-dates and already had reasons to leave, such as needing an Android app or a bank outside the US, now is an easy time. If your RSVPs are open or the wedding is close, stay and export your guest list and gift list instead.

Is Zola still free?

Mostly, as of October 25, 2026. The website, guest list, RSVPs and registry are free; a custom domain and the seating chart past 15 guests cost extra. Guests pay a 2.5% fee on card gifts to cash funds unless you choose to cover it, and Zola's Venmo option has no fee.