What’s the best invitation app? It depends on who you’re inviting. For a free, ad-free invite where guests don’t need an app or an account, Mixily. For a fun, text-first party invite, Partiful. For designed cards, Paperless Post. For weddings, Greenvelope. If everyone you know has an iPhone, Apple Invites.
I’ve hosted a lot of parties, and I wrote a whole book about it, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. The question I get most isn’t about food or drinks. It’s “what should I send the invite on?”
So I compared the 8 invitation apps people actually use. Every price, guest limit, and ad policy below was checked on October 21, 2026, on each company’s own pricing and help pages. If a company doesn’t say something publicly, I don’t guess. The table says “not stated.”
Fair warning: Mixily is our product. I’ll tell you where every app wins, including where Mixily doesn’t.
Quick verdict: There’s no single best invitation app. Partiful is the fun pick for friends who live in group chats. Paperless Post and Greenvelope win on design and weddings. Evite shows ads unless you pay, and Punchbowl shows them on every plan below Platinum. If you want a free digital invitation platform with RSVP tracking, reminders, no ads, and no guest accounts, start with Mixily. Start free on Mixily →
Key takeaways
- Truly free and ad-free: Mixily (up to 40 RSVPs per event). Partiful is free for hosts but doesn’t publish an ad policy. Greenvelope is ad-free but only free for 10 people.
- Free but with ads: Evite’s free designs show ads and gift suggestions to your guests.
- Not free for hosts: Punchbowl (subscription after a 7-day trial) and Apple Invites (needs iCloud+).
- Charges per guest: Paperless Post’s paid designs (about $0.46 to $1.44 per guest, depending on design and list size).
- No guest account needed: Mixily, Evite, Punchbowl, Apple Invites, and Greenvelope all say so on their own sites.
The best invitation apps compared (October 2026)
Here’s the whole comparison in one table. “Free plan” means what you can send for $0, forever, without a trial clock.
| App | Free plan | Paid from | Ads for guests | Guests need app or account? | RSVPs and reminders | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixily | 50 invites, 40 RSVPs per event, 2 active events | $19/month (Lite) | None on any plan | No app, no account | RSVP tracking and automatic reminders, free | Small parties, recurring groups |
| Partiful | Free event pages | Optional add-ons (Partiful Plus $4.99 in-app) | Not stated | No app (RSVP by link) | RSVPs, text blasts, automated reminders | Casual parties with friends |
| Evite | Free designs, up to 750 guests | $17.99 per event (Premium) | Yes, on free designs | No account | RSVPs, auto reminder 2 days before | Big casual events |
| Paperless Post | Free designs, 50 sends free (unlimited by share link) | From about $0.46 per guest | Not stated | Not stated | RSVP and open tracking, free reminder broadcasts | Designed cards |
| Punchbowl | None (7-day free trial) | $5.99/month (Plus, 50 guests) | Yes, except Platinum | No account | RSVP tracking | Kids’ parties |
| Apple Invites | None for hosts | iCloud+ from $0.99/month | Not stated | No Apple Account or device | RSVP tracking | iPhone friend groups |
| Canva | Free design plan | Pro US$144/year | n/a | Depends on how you send | Through an add-on app or export to Paperless Post | Designing the card itself |
| Greenvelope | Trial mode, up to 10 people | $19 per mailing (one-time) | None | No account | RSVP tracking, auto-reminders | Weddings |
Checked October 21, 2026, on each company’s own pricing and help pages. Paperless Post’s price is for its Basic tier. Punchbowl’s upgrade page also shows lower promo prices next to each plan.
The two columns that matter most are the ones nobody puts in their ads: what your guests see and what your guests have to do. A pretty card doesn’t help if half your list bounces off a sign-up screen.
The 8 best invitation apps, one by one
1. Mixily: best free, ad-free invitation app
Mixily makes an event page with your photo, your details, and an RSVP button. You invite people by email or share one link.
- Free plan: 2 active events, 50 invites and 40 RSVPs per event, 200 emails a week.
- Paid: Lite $19/month (100 invites and RSVPs), Pro $29/month (250), Plus $79/month (1,500).
- Ads: None, on any plan.
- Guests: No app to install and no account. They RSVP in one click from the email or on your page.
- RSVPs and reminders: RSVP tracking, automatic reminders to people who haven’t replied, custom questions, guest messaging, date polls, and co-hosts are all on the free plan.
Where it wins: the free plan isn’t a trial. Nobody sees ads, and nobody has to download anything.
The catch: the free plan caps at 40 RSVPs, so it’s built for dinners and house parties, not a 200-person wedding. Mixily doesn’t sell tickets or collect payments. And it’s an event page, not a fancy animated card. (Our full head-to-head is Mixily vs Evite.)
2. Partiful: best for casual parties with friends
Partiful is the fun one. It calls itself “fun, free event pages,” and the design leans playful.
- Free plan: free event pages for hosts.
- Paid: optional extras. Its App Store listing shows in-app purchases like Partiful Plus ($4.99) and a Premium Add-On ($4.95).
- Guests: “Send them a link. No app needed.”
- RSVPs and reminders: RSVP tracking, Text Blasts to every guest, and automated reminders. It can also sell free or paid tickets.
Where it wins: it’s built for phones and group chats. For a birthday or a rooftop hang with friends in their 20s and 30s, it feels native.
The catch: Partiful doesn’t publish a guest limit or an ad policy on its site, so I can’t tell you either. It’s also very text-first. If your guest list includes your aunt who only checks email, that matters. We cover more options in our Partiful alternatives guide.
3. Evite: best for big casual events (if you accept ads)
Evite basically invented the digital invitation. It’s still the name most people know.
- Free plan: any design labeled Free, up to 750 guests.
- Paid: Premium is priced per event: Silver $17.99 (12 guests), Gold $36.99 (30), Platinum $68.99 (75), Diamond $99.99 (750). Evite Pro is $249.99 a year for up to 2,500 guests per invitation.
- Ads: Evite’s own Free vs Premium chart lists “No ads” as Premium only. Free invitations also show your guests gift ideas by default.
- Guests: Evite says guests don’t need an account to RSVP.
- Reminders: one automatic reminder 2 days before the event, and you can schedule up to 5.
Where it wins: a huge free guest limit and a familiar brand.
The catch: the ads. And adding an envelope, sticker, background, or back-side text to a free design turns it into a paid Premium invite. Every tier is broken down in Evite pricing.
4. Paperless Post: best for designed cards
If you want an invitation that looks like stationery, this is it. Envelopes, liners, real designer cards.
- Free plan: free designs can go to 50 recipients by email or text through the site. After that, it’s 1 Coin per extra recipient. A free design sent by Shareable Link is free for unlimited RSVPs.
- Paid: per guest. At 50 guests: Basic $0.50, Premium $1.05, All Access $1.44 each, and less per guest on bigger lists (Premium is $85 for 100). Paperless Pro starts at $250 a year for 250 guests.
- RSVPs and reminders: RSVP and open tracking, plus free broadcast messages like “Reminder to RSVP.” It also re-sends unopened email invitations once after 2 days.
Where it wins: design, hands down. It even has a direct export from Canva.
The catch: the per-guest math. A 50-person party on Premium is $52.50. Paperless Post doesn’t say on its pricing page whether free cards carry ads or branding, or whether guests need an account. Compare it head-to-head in Evite vs Paperless Post.
5. Punchbowl: best for kids’ parties
Punchbowl’s big draw is licensed characters, including Disney. Parents planning a 6th birthday love that.
- Free plan: none. You get a 7-day free trial, then a monthly membership.
- Paid: Plus $5.99/month (50 guests), Premium $9.99/month (100), Platinum $11.99/month (500), Business $79.99/month (5,000). The page shows lower promo prices next to each, from $2.99.
- Ads: to remove advertising “for you and your guests,” Punchbowl says you need Platinum.
- Guests: no Punchbowl account needed to RSVP.
Where it wins: themed kids’ invitations, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The catch: you pay monthly, and the two cheaper plans still show ads. Set a reminder to cancel. More in Evite vs Punchbowl.
6. Apple Invites: best if everyone has an iPhone
Apple’s own invitation app is polished. Each invite gets a Shared Album for photos, and Apple Music subscribers can add a shared playlist.
- Cost: you need iCloud+ to create an invitation. The US plan starts at $0.99 a month.
- Guests: Apple says “anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device,” in the app or on the web.
Where it wins: if you already pay for iCloud+, it’s effectively free and looks great.
The catch: hosts have to pay Apple. Apple doesn’t publish a guest limit or reminder details on the pages I checked.
7. Canva: best for designing the invitation itself
Canva isn’t really an invitation app. It’s a design tool, and a great one.
- Cost: Canva Free is $0. Canva Pro is US$144 a year for one person.
- RSVPs: Canva’s pricing page doesn’t list RSVP tracking. Canva’s own guides point you to exporting your design to Paperless Post, or adding an RSVP app from the Canva Apps Marketplace. One example, Easy RSVP from a third-party developer, is listed as free with any Canva plan.
Where it wins: total design control. Make the card in Canva, then send it through whatever handles RSVPs.
The catch: you’re stitching two tools together. That’s fine for one wedding. It’s a lot for a monthly dinner.
8. Greenvelope: best for weddings
Greenvelope is the polished, ad-free wedding pick. Animated envelopes, real designer cards.
- Free: trial mode for up to 10 people. Anything bigger needs an upgrade.
- Paid: a flat one-time price per mailing, set by guest count, starting at $19. No subscription and no coins. Annual memberships exist if you send a lot.
- Ads: “Greenvelope shows no ads to you or to your guests.”
- Guests: “Guests never need an account to reply.”
- RSVPs and reminders: RSVP tracking with open rates, Auto-Reminders, and up to 500 text messages on paid accounts.
Where it wins: weddings and formal events where the card is part of the experience.
The catch: it isn’t free past 10 people. See Greenvelope vs Paperless Post for the wedding showdown.
Which invitation app should you use? Picks by situation
The best invitation app is the one that fits the event. Here’s how I’d choose.
For a casual party (birthday, dinner, housewarming)
Pick Partiful or Mixily. Partiful if your crowd lives in group texts and you want the playful look. Mixily if your list mixes friends, coworkers, and family who live in email, or if you just don’t want ads or sign-up screens in front of anyone.
Whatever you pick, the tool matters less than the ask. My guide to getting people to actually RSVP works on any app. And start with who to invite before you open any of them.
Send the invite 2 to 3 weeks out, then turn on an automatic reminder for people who haven’t replied.
Pick an app that makes guests download something for a 12-person dinner. Every extra step costs you RSVPs.
This is exactly the job we built Mixily for: free, no ads, no guest accounts, reminders included. Start free on Mixily →
For a wedding
Pick Greenvelope or Paperless Post. Both look the part and track RSVPs and opens. Greenvelope’s flat price per mailing is easier to budget for a big list. Paperless Post has a free tier for small sends and the deepest stationery look.
Trying to keep it at $0? We compared the options in free digital wedding invitations.
For a recurring group (book club, monthly dinner, run club)
Pick Mixily. Recurring groups need reminders, a guest list you can reuse, and co-hosts. Mixily’s free plan covers 2 active events at a time. Paid plans add listing pages that show all your upcoming events on one link.
Partiful works here too if your group is small and text-happy. Need ideas for what to run? Here are some community event ideas that work every month.
For a kids’ party
Pick Punchbowl if character themes matter and you’ll host several parties this year. Pick Evite if you want free and can live with ads.
For an iPhone friend group
Pick Apple Invites if you already pay for iCloud+. The Shared Album is a genuinely nice touch after the party.
Is there a free invitation app with no ads?
Yes. Mixily and Greenvelope both say plainly that they show no ads, and Mixily’s free plan isn’t time-limited. Partiful is free for hosts, but it doesn’t publish an ad policy, so I’m not counting it.
Here’s what “free” means at each app, in plain English:
- Free with no catch for small events: Mixily (up to 40 RSVPs).
- Free with ads: Evite.
- Free for small sends, then per guest: Paperless Post.
- Free trial only: Punchbowl (7 days) and Greenvelope (10 people).
- Paid by the host: Apple Invites (iCloud+).
How do free invitation websites make money?
Three ways, mostly. Ads (Evite’s free designs, Punchbowl below Platinum). Upgrades (Evite Premium, Paperless Post Coins, Partiful’s add-ons). Subscriptions (Punchbowl, Apple’s iCloud+, Mixily’s paid plans for bigger events).
None of these are evil. But you should know which one you’re paying with before you send 60 people an invitation.
Do online invitation sites charge per guest?
Some do. Paperless Post charges per guest on paid designs. Evite Premium and Greenvelope price by guest-count tiers. Mixily and Punchbowl cap guests by plan instead.
Count your full guest list, including the “maybe add later” people, before you pick a plan.
Add an envelope or background to a free Evite design “just to make it nicer.” That flips it to a paid Premium invite.
What to look for in a digital invitation platform
Before you commit to any invite app, check these five things:
- What guests see. Ads, gift suggestions, or a clean page?
- What guests have to do. One click, or an app download and a sign-up?
- Reminders. In my experience, automatic RSVP reminders do more for your response rate than anything else.
- Real limits. Guests per event, active events, and what happens when you go over.
- The design you need. A stationery card for a wedding, a fun page for a party.
If you’re shopping because Evite annoyed you, our list of Evite alternatives goes deeper on the swap.
Best invitation apps FAQ
What is the best free invitation app?
Do guests need to download an app to RSVP?
Which invitation apps have no ads?
Is Apple Invites free?
Which digital wedding invitation platforms track opens and RSVPs?
Can I use Canva for invitations with RSVPs?
The bottom line
There isn’t one best invitation app. There’s a best app for your party.
Weddings: Greenvelope or Paperless Post. Kids’ parties: Punchbowl. iPhone crowd: Apple Invites. Group-chat friends: Partiful. And if you want free, ad-free invitations where nobody has to sign up for anything, that’s what we built Mixily to do.
Now go send that invite. Start free on Mixily →
Related reading: Evite vs Paperless Post | Partiful Alternatives | Mixily vs Evite
