How Much Do Online Invitations Cost?
Online invitations cost between $0 and $300 for a typical event, depending on the platform you choose, the design quality you want, and the number of guests you are inviting. Free platforms like InviteDrop, Evite's free tier, and Canva let you send unlimited invitations at no cost. Premium platforms like Paperless Post, Greenvelope, and Minted charge anywhere from $0.30 to $3 per guest, which adds up fast for larger events. The cheapest option is always free; the most expensive realistic option for a 100-guest event is around $250 to $300 on Paperless Post with premium designs and add-ons.
The price you pay depends on three things: whether the platform charges a flat fee or a per-guest "coin" fee, whether you want premium design templates or basic ones, and whether you need add-ons like postage-paid replies, custom envelopes, or RSVP tracking. Below is a complete breakdown of what every major platform actually costs in 2026, with examples for a 50-guest event so you can compare apples to apples.
Are Online Invitations Free?
Yes, online invitations can be completely free. Several platforms charge nothing to design and send digital invitations, including:
- InviteDrop — fully free, unlimited guests, unlimited events, no paywall on any feature including RSVP tracking
- Evite (free tier) — free with ads displayed on the invitation page
- Canva — free design tools, but you handle sending separately via email or text
- Punchbowl (free tier) — limited free templates with watermarks
The catch with free tiers on traditional platforms is that they often display ads, limit your template selection, or cap the number of guests you can invite. InviteDrop is one of the few platforms that does not paywall any feature — the team built it that way deliberately to remove pricing friction from casual hosting.
Are Evite Invitations Free?
Evite offers a free tier, but it shows advertisements on the invitation page that your guests see. To remove ads and unlock premium designs, you need Evite Pro, which costs around $15.99 per event or $89.99 per year for unlimited events. The free version works fine for casual events like backyard barbecues or kids' birthday parties, but most people upgrade for weddings or formal celebrations because the ads feel cheap in those contexts.
Evite also offers Premium invitations, which are individual designs you pay a one-time fee for, ranging from $5 to $30 per invitation set depending on the designer and complexity.
How Much Does Paperless Post Cost?
Paperless Post uses a "coin" system instead of a flat fee, and it is one of the more expensive online invitation platforms. Here is the actual math:
- Free invitations — basic designs cost zero coins, but they include Paperless Post branding
- Premium digital cards — typically 2 to 10 coins per recipient (coins cost roughly $0.10 each in bulk, more in smaller packages)
- Flyer format — free for the host, but limited design options
- Paper cards — start around $1.50 per card and go up to $5+ for premium designs (printing and postage extra)
For a 100-guest digital wedding invitation on Paperless Post with a premium design (around 5 coins per recipient), expect to pay $50 to $150 just for sending. Add envelope liners, custom backers, and matching save-the-dates and the cost climbs to $250 to $400.
Is Canva Invitation Maker Free?
Canva's invitation maker is free to use for designing invitations, and most templates are accessible on the free tier. You can design beautiful invitations in Canva without paying anything. However, Canva is a design tool, not a sending platform — you have to download your finished invitation as an image or PDF and send it yourself via text, email, WhatsApp, or another channel.
Canva Pro costs $14.99 per month ($119.99 per year) and unlocks premium templates, brand kits, background remover, and the Magic Resize feature. Most users do not need Pro just for invitations — the free tier is more than enough for design quality.
If you want all-in-one designing AND sending with RSVP tracking, you will want a dedicated invitation platform like InviteDrop, Evite, or Paperless Post. Canva pairs well with InviteDrop if you have a specific design in mind, but most people just use InviteDrop's built-in templates because the workflow is faster.
2026 Price Comparison: Online Invitation Platforms
Here is what 50 digital invitations actually cost across the major platforms in 2026:
- InviteDrop: $0 (no caps, no ads, RSVP tracking included)
- Evite Free: $0 (ads shown to guests)
- Evite Premium: $15 to $30 per event
- Paperless Post Free: $0 with Paperless Post branding
- Paperless Post Premium: $25 to $75 for 50 guests
- Greenvelope: $25 to $35 flat per event (60-guest tier)
- Punchbowl Premium: $4.99 per month or $34.99 per year
- Minted Digital: $1 to $3 per guest (so $50 to $150 for 50)
- Canva (design only): $0 to $14.99/month
The cheapest realistic option that still looks good is InviteDrop at $0. The most premium option for a polished, ad-free experience is Greenvelope at around $30 per event. Paperless Post lands in the middle for digital, but climbs the highest if you start adding paper-printed extras.
What About Hidden Costs?
Watch out for these extra charges that platforms do not always advertise upfront:
- Photo uploads — some platforms charge extra to add your own photos
- RSVP question add-ons — custom questions sometimes cost extra coins or require an upgrade
- Reminder emails — automatic reminders to non-responders can be a paid feature
- Address book imports — bulk contact uploads sometimes require a paid tier
- SMS delivery — text-message sending often costs more than email-only sending
- Removing platform branding — almost always requires a paid plan
On InviteDrop, none of these are paid features — RSVP tracking, photo uploads, reminders, and SMS delivery are all included. On Paperless Post and Greenvelope, expect to pay extra for premium add-ons.
Should You Pay or Use a Free Platform?
For most events, free platforms work just fine. A casual birthday, baby shower, or housewarming does not need $150 worth of premium design. Save the budget for the actual event.
For weddings and formal milestone celebrations, some hosts prefer to pay for premium platforms because the designs feel more curated and the experience is ad-free. That is a reasonable choice, but it is not necessary — many couples send beautiful wedding invitations from free platforms and put the savings toward flowers, food, or photography.
A practical rule of thumb: if your event budget is over $5,000, paying $50 to $100 for premium invitations is a rounding error. If your event budget is under $1,000, use a free platform and put the money toward the celebration itself.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to send invitations online?
The cheapest way to send invitations online is to use a fully free platform like InviteDrop, which charges nothing for sending, RSVP tracking, or any other feature. Designing in Canva (free) and sending via group text is also $0 but requires manual tracking.
Do you have to pay for Evite?
No, Evite has a free tier that lets you send invitations at no cost. The free version shows ads on the invitation page. Evite Pro removes ads and adds premium templates for $15 to $90 depending on whether you choose per-event or annual pricing.
Why is Paperless Post so expensive?
Paperless Post uses a per-recipient "coin" system instead of a flat fee, which scales the cost with guest count. Premium designs often require 5 to 10 coins per guest, so a 100-person invitation list can cost $50 to $150 just to send. The platform positions itself as the premium tier of the market.
Are there any totally free online invitation platforms in 2026?
Yes. InviteDrop is fully free with no paywall on any feature including RSVP tracking, photo uploads, and SMS delivery. Evite, Punchbowl, and Canva all have free tiers as well, though most show ads or limit features on their free plans.