Paperless Post is pretty. It’s also surprisingly expensive once you add a backdrop, liner, and stamp to your invite design. A 100-guest premium send can cost $84–$114 in coins — and that’s just one mailing. Save-the-dates, reminders, and thank-you notes add up fast.
The good news: there are excellent alternatives. Some are genuinely free. Some charge a flat monthly rate you can cancel after one month. Some charge per send, which gets pricey across a full wedding communication cycle.
This guide ranks the best Paperless Post alternatives for weddings from most free to most expensive — with honest notes on the catches.
Why look beyond Paperless Post?
Paperless Post uses a coin system: basic designs cost 2 coins per guest, but add-ons like a liner, backdrop, and stamp each cost 1 extra coin. A fully dressed invite runs about 6 coins per guest. Coin packs range from $0.48/coin (25-pack) down to $0.14/coin (1,000-pack), per the Paperless Post Help Center. At bulk rates, 100 premium invitations cost roughly $84–$114.
That’s one send. If you’re doing save-the-dates, the invitation, a reminder, and a thank-you note — which many couples do — the costs multiply.
Meanwhile, digital invitations are becoming the norm. According to The Knot’s 2025 Real Weddings Study, 49% of couples now use QR codes on save-the-dates or invitations, up 42% since 2021. And digital RSVPs achieve 85–95% response rates compared to 60–75% for mailed cards, per data compiled by RSVPify. There’s real money and response-rate upside in going digital.
Quick comparison table
| Platform | Free Tier | Paid Starting At | Guest-Facing Ads? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withjoy (Joy) | Yes — unlimited guests | $0 (free) | No | Couples who want $0 total spend |
| Mixily | 40 RSVPs/event | $19/mo (Lite) | No | Affordable all-in-one; cancel after |
| Evite | Yes — with ads | $99.99/event | Yes (free tier) | Casual sends where ads are OK |
| Greenvelope | No | $0.99–$1.18/recipient | No | One mailing; premium feel |
| Partiful | Yes — limited | Free (growing) | No | Casual / Gen Z aesthetic |
| Paperless Post | 50 guests/basic designs | Coins from $0.14 each | No | Premium stationery look |
1. Withjoy (Joy) — best fully-free option
Withjoy is genuinely free for digital invitations. No coin system, no per-guest fee, no ads shown to your guests. If you want to spend $0 on digital invites, this is the strongest option available right now.
Withjoy is built around the wedding website experience — the digital invite is one piece of a larger hub that includes your registry, photos, and schedule. That’s a plus for many couples. But it does mean the platform is optimized for the full wedding website, not for standalone email delivery of invitations.
The honest catch: Withjoy invitations can land in spam. Guests sometimes receive them from a generic sender address rather than yours, and some platforms report deliverability friction. The experience is also somewhat tied to the Withjoy ecosystem — guests may be prompted to create an account to RSVP. Worth testing with a small group before your full send.
Withjoy is best for: Couples who want zero cost and are willing to follow up with guests who miss the invite.
2. Mixily — best for affordable all-in-one
Mixily’s free tier covers up to 40 RSVPs per event — enough for a micro-wedding or elopement celebration. For most weddings, you’ll want a paid tier, and Mixily keeps those prices flat: $29/month for Pro (250 RSVPs), which you can cancel after your wedding month. One month of Pro costs $29 total.
That flat-rate structure matters. The Knot reports the average U.S. wedding has 117 guests. If you’re doing save-the-dates, invitations, a reminder, and a thank-you note, a per-send platform like Greenvelope charges you separately for each mailing. Mixily charges you once per month regardless of how many events or sends you run.
Mixily pricing breakdown:
– Free: 2 active events, 50 invites/event, 40 RSVPs/event — fits intimate weddings under ~40 guests
– Lite ($19/mo): 100 invites + 100 RSVPs per event — small weddings
– Pro ($29/mo): 250 invites + 250 RSVPs per event — most popular for weddings
– Plus ($79/mo): 1,500 invites + 1,500 RSVPs per event — large weddings
The “cancel after” strategy: If your full wedding communication runs across three months (save-the-dates, invitations, thank-yous), that’s $87 total on Pro — still well below what Greenvelope charges for a single 100-guest mailing with premium add-ons.
Mixily is best for: Couples who want to manage RSVPs, send multiple rounds of communication, and keep total costs under $100 without per-guest math.
3. Evite — free but with guest-facing ads
Evite’s free tier is real — you can send invitations to any number of guests without paying. But there’s a significant catch: the free tier displays banner advertisements to your guests on the invitation page and RSVP form. For a birthday party or holiday gathering, that’s probably fine. For a wedding, many couples find it cheapens the experience.
Evite Premium removes ads and unlocks more design options. For up to 750 guests, it’s $99.99 per event, per Evite’s pricing page. That’s a one-time fee per event, not per mailing — which makes the math simpler than Greenvelope, though it’s event-scoped rather than calendar-month-scoped like Mixily.
The honest take on Evite: It’s a solid tool for casual events. For weddings, the free tier feels mismatched with the occasion. If you’re going to pay $99.99 for Premium, compare that against Mixily Pro at $29/month — especially if your wedding communication spans multiple months.
Evite is best for: Couples on a tight budget who are OK with ads on the free tier, or who want a familiar platform for less formal pre-wedding events (bridal shower, rehearsal dinner).
4. Greenvelope — most polished, pay per mailing
Greenvelope has the most premium look of any platform on this list. The designs are beautiful, the delivery experience feels close to a printed mailing, and guests receive a genuinely impressive digital envelope-opening animation. If the aesthetic experience matters most, Greenvelope is the standout.
The pricing model is per-recipient, per-mailing. According to the Greenvelope blog, that’s $0.99–$1.18 per recipient per send. For 100 guests across a save-the-date, invitation, reminder, and thank-you note, you’re paying four times — totaling $400–$475 without an annual plan.
Greenvelope’s annual unlimited plan is $125/year, which changes the math dramatically if you’re doing multiple mailings. If you’re only sending one or two items, the per-send pricing is fine. If you’re doing the full communication cycle, the annual plan pays for itself quickly.
The Zola note: Zola frequently appears in “digital invitation” roundups, but this is worth clarifying. Zola offers digital save-the-dates, but full invitations on Zola are print-only. If you’re planning to use Zola for digital invitations, check that your specific use case is actually supported before committing.
Greenvelope is best for: Couples who want a premium stationery feel digitally and are sending one or two mailings — or who can commit to the annual plan for the full communication cycle.
5. Partiful — best for casual/modern weddings
Partiful started as a Gen Z party app and has grown into a genuine wedding tool, particularly for couples who want a modern, social-feed aesthetic rather than a traditional stationery look. It’s free for most use cases, with premium features rolling out gradually.
The vibe is deliberately casual — bright colors, personality-forward design, social sharing. That’s a feature, not a bug, for the right couple. If your wedding aesthetic is more “downtown loft reception” than “traditional ballroom,” Partiful’s look fits.
The honest catch: Partiful’s feature set for weddings is less mature than Withjoy or Mixily. RSVP management, dietary tracking, and multi-event coordination are not as robust. If you want to manage a complex wedding with multiple events, check the current feature set before committing.
Partiful is best for: Couples with a casual, modern aesthetic who don’t need heavy RSVP management features.
How to choose
The right platform depends on two things: how many guests you have, and how many separate mailings you’re planning to send.
If your guest list is under 40 and you’re sending one round of digital invites: Withjoy or Mixily’s free tier. Both are genuinely free for small weddings.
If your guest list is 40–250 and you want to manage everything in one place: Mixily Pro at $29/month. Start free to test, upgrade for the month of your send, cancel after. Total cost: $29–$87 depending on your timeline.
If you want the most premium look and money isn’t the primary concern: Greenvelope. Buy the annual plan if you’re sending 3–4 communications.
If your aesthetic is modern and casual: Partiful, especially if you have Withjoy as a backup for any deliverability issues.
If you need something your older relatives will find familiar: Evite Premium at $99.99 removes ads and has broad name recognition.
A note on the “subscribe and cancel” strategy: Several platforms — Mixily, and others with monthly subscriptions — are well-suited to a one-month or two-month subscription. You pay for the months you need, send everything, and cancel. This often beats per-mailing pricing for couples doing multiple communication rounds. Always check cancellation terms before subscribing.
FAQ
Is Paperless Post really free for wedding invitations?
Paperless Post has a free tier, but it’s limited to basic designs and covers roughly 50 guests. Most wedding-appropriate designs require coins. A premium 100-guest send (with backdrop, liner, and stamp) costs $84–$114 in coins at bulk coin-pack rates, per Paperless Post’s official pricing.
What is the best completely free digital wedding invitation site with no ads?
Withjoy (Joy) is the strongest fully-free option with no guest-facing ads. It handles unlimited guests at no cost. The main caveats are email deliverability (invites can land in spam) and the platform’s focus on the wedding website experience rather than standalone email delivery.
How much does Greenvelope cost for a 100-person wedding with save-the-dates and invitations?
At $0.99–$1.18 per recipient per mailing, two mailings to 100 guests costs roughly $198–$236. If you add a reminder and a thank-you note, you’re at $400–$475 total. The $125/year unlimited plan is the better deal if you’re doing 3–4 mailings.
Does Zola have digital wedding invitations?
Zola offers digital save-the-dates, but not digital invitations. Full invitations on Zola are print-only. This is a common point of confusion in wedding planning roundups — verify your specific use case on Zola’s site before committing to it for invitations.
Which platforms let guests RSVP without creating an account?
Mixily and Evite both allow guests to RSVP without creating an account. Withjoy sometimes prompts guests to create a Joy account to RSVP, depending on how the invitation is configured — this is one of its known friction points for guests.
What’s the cheapest way to send 150 wedding invitations digitally without ads?
Withjoy is free with no ads. For 150 guests, Withjoy covers everyone at $0. If you want more RSVP management features, Mixily Pro at $29/month handles 250 invites and RSVPs — making it the most affordable ad-free option with full RSVP tools for a 150-person wedding.
Is Evite appropriate for weddings, or does it feel too casual?
The free tier — with banner ads shown to guests — tends to feel casual for a wedding. Evite Premium ($99.99/event) removes ads and adds more refined designs. Whether the designs feel wedding-appropriate is a matter of taste; Evite’s aesthetic is generally more playful than Greenvelope or Paperless Post.
Can I send digital invitations and then cancel my subscription after the wedding?
Yes, for monthly subscription platforms like Mixily. Subscribe for the month(s) you need, send your communications, and cancel. Mixily Pro is $29/month with no annual commitment required. Always confirm the current cancellation policy on the platform’s site before subscribing.
