Paperless Post Alternative: Free Invitations Without Per-Guest Pricing (2026)

Paperless Post is free for the first 50 invitations if you pick a free design and send them through their site. Past that, or with a paid design, you pay per guest: $0.50, $1.05 or $1.44 depending on the tier (as of October 2026).

Paperless Post makes the best-looking online invitations I know of. If you're sending wedding invitations and want them to feel like paper, it's hard to beat. That part isn't up for debate.

Is Paperless Post free?

The part people search "Paperless Post alternative" for is the bill. Their pricing is per guest, per send. On their pricing page the tiers are $0.50, $1.05 and $1.44 per guest, depending on the design and add-ons. The first 50 invitations with a free design sent through their site cost nothing, which covers a lot of small parties. Above that, a 120-person invite lands somewhere between $60 and $173 depending on the tier, and you pay again for the next event.

For a wedding, fine. For a kids' birthday, a team lunch and a Friendsgiving in the same season, it adds up.

What the price buys you, and what it doesn't

The money goes into design: envelopes, liners, stamps, animation, fonts from real designers. If that's what you're after, pay for it and enjoy it.

What it doesn't change is the RSVP part. Guests still open a link, type a name and pick yes or no. That part works the same on a free tool.

So the question is what kind of event you have. If the invite itself is part of the occasion, Paperless Post. If the invite just has to look decent and get you a headcount, there are cheaper ways.

What to look for in an alternative

• A flat price, or free. Not one that grows with the guest list.
• Guests reply with a name only. No account, no app.
• A live guest list with plus-ones and the questions you need (allergies, kids' names, meal choice).
• A card you can download as an image, for the group chat or to print.
• No ads.

JoinMyEvent

JoinMyEvent is free with no per-guest pricing. You pick an occasion, design a card (colors, a photo, an emoji, a short animation), share one link, and guests RSVP with their name. Plus-ones, custom questions, a potluck sign-up and a calendar file are all included. There's no limit on guests or events.

The card can be downloaded as an image, GIF or short video, so it works in a chat group and on paper. Free cards carry a small "Made on joinmyevent.co" credit. Removing it costs $2.99 for one event, or $5.99 with the animated version. No monthly plan, no ads.

To be clear about the trade: the designs are simpler than Paperless Post's. There are no envelopes or liners. What you get is a clean card that moves, and RSVPs that don't cost anything extra when the guest list grows.

Other alternatives worth a look

Evite. Free designs show ads to your guests. Ad-free is a per-invite purchase, from $17.99 for up to 12 guests, so it's flat per event rather than per guest.

Partiful. Free and fun, aimed at house parties. Guests verify with a phone number and a text code, which some guests won't do.

Canva. Great for making the picture. Canva cards don't collect RSVPs on their own, so you pair the card with something else for the headcount.

Google Forms. Free and everyone can use it. Doesn't look like an invitation, and you count replies in a spreadsheet.

When to stay with Paperless Post

Weddings, milestone anniversaries, anything where the invite is a keepsake. Also any event with 50 guests or fewer and a free design, since that's free on their site as well.

For everything in between, the birthday, the class party, the office lunch, make a free invite and see if the simpler card does the job. Guests won't miss the envelope.