Sending an invitation in 2026 used to be free. You used Facebook Events, posted in a WhatsApp group, or sent an Evite. Then somewhere along the way, “digital invitations” became a thing — with premium designs, subscription tiers, and per-guest coin systems.
For most people, the cheapest option isn't free — it's a small flat fee.
This guide breaks down where free actually wins, where free quietly costs you, and which paid options are worth the money.
What you get with truly free options
“Free” in the invitation world usually means one of three things, with very different trade-offs:
- Facebook Events — free, but requires everyone to be on Facebook (which fewer people are each year), and the “going / maybe / no” counts are notoriously unreliable. Decent for casual gatherings, terrible for anything where you need an accurate head count.
- Ad-supported services like Evite's free tier — beautiful invitations, but guests see ads on the RSVP page. Many people now find ads on a wedding or baby shower page tacky.
- Email + spreadsheet — truly free, fully manual. Write the email yourself, track RSVPs in Google Sheets. Works for a small dinner, miserable for anything bigger than ten guests.
For a casual game night with ten close friends, any of these is fine. For a wedding, baby shower, or milestone birthday — not really.
The freemium trap
Most paid services use a freemium model where the free tier is just appealing enough to get you to start. Then you discover:
- The free designs are basic — the beautiful ones cost extra
- You can't send to more than 20 or 50 guests without upgrading
- Every email has a “Sent with X” footer
- RSVP tracking is limited or there's no real-time dashboard
- You can't download a CSV of responses for your caterer
Freemium tiers are designed to teach you what you'd be missing, then nudge you toward upgrading at exactly the wrong moment — when you've already invested time customizing your invite.
Paperless Post — the premium gold standard
Paperless Post pioneered the “digital invitations that feel like real cards” category. Their designs are gorgeous and their delivery experience (animated envelope opening) is unmatched. But their pricing is opaque:
- Free for basic invitations with their branding
- “Premium” designs require coins — sold in packs starting around $0.16 – $0.40 per envelope
- A 100-guest event with a premium design typically costs $20 – $50
- Wedding invitation suites can hit $100+ easily
Worth it if: you're sending invitations for a formal event where every detail matters, you want the most polished delivery experience available, and budget isn't a primary concern.
Evite — the original, now ad-heavy
Evite was the first “send invites by email” service and is still widely recognized. Free tier supported by ads, paid tier (Evite Pro) at $19.99/year or per-event upgrades from $4.99.
- Free tier: ads on the invitation, basic designs, limited customization
- Paid tier: ad-free, premium designs, host messages
- Best for: casual events where the recipient already knows what Evite is
Punchbowl, Greenvelope, Minted
- Punchbowl — subscription model ($59.99/year), good for hosts who throw multiple events per year. Lots of licensed character designs (Disney, etc.) for kids' parties.
- Greenvelope — premium per-event pricing ($19 – $119 depending on complexity), aimed at luxury weddings.
- Minted — digital extension of their paper invitation business; high-end designs, premium pricing.
The flat-fee model — Inviteable's approach
Flat-fee pricing is the simplest option for the typical user — and the lowest total cost for most events.
- $5 per event, up to 100 guests
- All designs included (no coins, no premium upgrade)
- All features included — RSVP dashboard, reminders, thank-you emails, calendar export, gift registry
- No subscription, no recurring charge
- 7-day money-back guarantee
The math: a 100-guest wedding on Paperless Post with premium designs runs $25 – $50. On Inviteable, same event is $5. The reason it's sustainable is volume — we make money on the number of events, not on confusing coin systems.
What to actually look at when comparing
Price alone doesn't tell the story. Here's what matters:
- Total cost for your guest count — multiply per-envelope or per-guest fees out, don't look at sticker price
- Are premium designs really included? Free tiers often lock the good stuff
- RSVP experience for guests — mobile-friendly? Ads? Required login?
- Tracking and dashboard — can you see who hasn't replied and remind them?
- Refund policy — what if you change your mind?
- Email deliverability — does the platform have a clean sender reputation?
- Subscription lock-in — are you signing up for monthly charges you'll forget about?
So which should you pick?
- Game night with 8 friends: WhatsApp group. Don't overthink it.
- Casual birthday for ~25 people: Inviteable's $5 flat. Free preview, test send to yourself, pay only if you like it.
- Baby shower for 30 – 50: Inviteable or Evite Premium. Both work; price difference is meaningful.
- Wedding with 100+ guests: Inviteable for budget-conscious; Paperless Post if you want every visual detail to be Instagram-ready.
- Hosting multiple events per year: subscription services start to make sense, but only if you'd use them more than 4 – 5 times.
The bottom line
Don't pay for “free” with ads on your wedding RSVP page. Don't pay $40 in coins when a $5 flat fee gets you the same beautiful design. And don't lock yourself into a subscription if you only host one or two events a year.
The right invitation is the one your guests open, smile at, and reply to within a day. Any platform — free, paid, flat — that gets you there is the right one.