What actually happens
after you send an invitation
Benchmarks for digital invitations, measured across thousands of events rather than estimated. Free to cite. The method, including what we exclude and why, is stated in full at the bottom.
| Benchmark | Measured | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Response rate | 51% | Share of individually sent invitations that receive any reply at all. |
| Acceptance rate | 78% | Share of replies that are a yes. About 22% decline and well under one percent choose maybe. |
| Replies within 1 hour | 23% | Share of all replies that arrive in the first hour after sending. |
| Replies within 24 hours | 46% | Share of all replies arriving on day one. The median reply takes about 39 hours. |
| Replies within 7 days | 70% | Share of all replies arriving in the first week. The curve is close to flat after this. |
| Plus-one rate | 34% | Share of accepting guests who bring at least one other person, averaging about 1.5 extra people each. |
| Sent to phone only | 42% | Against 41% sent to an email address only and 17% carrying both. |
| Guest lists of 25 or fewer | 75% | About 96% of guest lists are 100 people or fewer. |
| Median lead time | 43 days | Days between creating an event and the event happening, among hosts who set a date and sent. |
| Shared-link acceptance | 91% | Acceptance among guests who arrived by forwarded link rather than a direct send. Excluded from every other row on this page, because it is self-selected. |
What the numbers mean
Each finding stated as one complete thought, so it stays true if you quote it on its own.
- 51%of sent invitations get a reply1
About 51% of digital invitations sent through InviteDrop receive a reply. Roughly half of any guest list never responds, which is why a platform that shows you who has not answered matters more than one that only counts the yeses.
- 78%of replies are an acceptance2
When a guest does reply, about 78% accept and about 22% decline. Almost nobody picks maybe, at well under one percent of replies, so a maybe option is a nicety rather than a deciding feature.
- 42%of invitations go to a phone, not an inbox3
Delivery is close to an even split. About 41% of invitations are addressed to an email address only, about 42% to a phone number only, and about 17% carry both. A platform that sends by email alone is unreachable for roughly two in five guests.
- 46%of replies arrive in the first day4
Replies arrive fast or not at all. About 23% land within an hour of sending and about 46% within 24 hours, but only 70% within a week. The median reply takes about 39 hours. A guest who has not answered in the first day is unlikely to answer without a reminder.
- 34%of accepting guests bring someone5
About 34% of guests who accept bring at least one other person, and those who do bring about 1.5 extra people on average. A headcount taken from acceptances alone runs meaningfully low, so decide the plus-one policy before you send.
- 75%of guest lists are 25 people or fewer6
Most events are small. About 75% of guest lists are 25 people or fewer and about 96% are 100 or fewer. Pricing that charges per recipient punishes the rare large list, while a flat price per event suits the common small one.
- 43days ahead the median host sends7
Among hosts who set a date and sent their invitations, the median goes out about 43 days before the event, with about 35% sending two months or more ahead and only about 7% inside the final week. Hosts plan further ahead than the last-minute reputation of digital invitations suggests.
- 91%acceptance from shared links, and why that number misleads8
Guests who arrive by following a shared link accept at about 91%, against about 78% for guests who were sent the invitation directly. That gap is selection, not enthusiasm: a person who is not coming usually never opens a link they were forwarded, so their decline never gets recorded. Any platform quoting an acceptance rate from link traffic is quoting a survivorship artefact.
How this was measured
Measured on September 10, 2026 across thousands of events sent through InviteDrop. Every rate below counts only guests who were individually sent an invitation, because that is the only complete list: it contains everyone the host meant to invite, including the people who decline and the people who never answer. Guests who arrived instead by following a shared link are excluded from both the numerator and the denominator. They are real guests, but they are self-selected, since someone who is not coming rarely opens the link at all, and counting them would raise the acceptance rate by several points without a single extra guest saying yes.
We publish rates and shares rather than counts. That is a deliberate choice: a sample size tells a competitor how large this business is, and it is not needed to use a rate. Where a figure rests on a noticeably smaller population, such as lead time, the page says so on that row rather than burying it here.
These figures describe invitations sent through InviteDrop. They are not an industry average, and we make no claim about what other platforms would measure. An earlier version of this data, published on our blog, contained several figures that were not supported by the underlying records. Those were corrected on September 10, 2026 rather than quietly removed, and the corrections are noted in the post itself.
Citing these numbers is welcome, with attribution to InviteDrop and a link to this page. If you need a figure that is not here, or want to know the population behind one, ask us and we will tell you.
Common questions
What is a normal RSVP response rate for a digital invitation?
About 51% of individually sent digital invitations receive a reply, measured across thousands of events on InviteDrop on September 10, 2026. Close to half of a typical guest list never responds without a reminder. If you are seeing a materially higher figure quoted somewhere, check which guests were counted: rates computed over people who arrived by a shared link run far higher because non-attendees never open the link in the first place.
What percentage of RSVPs are yes?
About 78% of replies are an acceptance and about 22% are a decline, with well under one percent choosing maybe. That is measured over guests who were individually sent an invitation, which is the only complete guest list. Blending in guests who arrived by shared link raises the figure to about 91%, but that number describes self-selected traffic rather than an invited guest list.
How quickly do guests RSVP to a digital invitation?
Fast, or not at all. About 23% of replies arrive within an hour of sending, about 46% within 24 hours, and about 70% within a week. The median reply takes roughly 39 hours. Because the curve flattens hard after the first week, a guest who has not answered by then is unlikely to answer without a reminder.
Do more people get invitations by text or by email?
It is close to an even split. About 41% of invitations are addressed to an email address only, about 42% to a phone number only, and about 17% carry both. Text is not a minority channel. A platform that can only send by email cannot reach roughly two in five of the guests hosts actually want to invite.
How many guests bring a plus-one?
About 34% of guests who accept bring at least one other person, and those who do bring about 1.5 extra people on average. A headcount taken from acceptances alone therefore runs low. Deciding a plus-one policy and setting a per-guest limit before sending keeps the final number predictable.
How big is a typical digital invitation guest list?
Smaller than most pricing pages assume. About 75% of guest lists are 25 people or fewer and about 96% are 100 or fewer. This is why per-recipient pricing, including coin and credit systems, tends to look expensive on a typical list: those models are built around the rare large event.
How far in advance do people send digital invitations?
Among hosts who set an event date and sent their invitations, the median goes out about 43 days ahead, with roughly a third sending two months or more in advance and under one in ten sending inside the final week. Digital invitations are commonly described as the last-minute option, but most hosts choosing them are planning over a month out.
How were these RSVP benchmarks measured?
Measured on September 10, 2026 across thousands of events sent through InviteDrop. Every rate below counts only guests who were individually sent an invitation, because that is the only complete list: it contains everyone the host meant to invite, including the people who decline and the people who never answer. Guests who arrived instead by following a shared link are excluded from both the numerator and the denominator. They are real guests, but they are self-selected, since someone who is not coming rarely opens the link at all, and counting them would raise the acceptance rate by several points without a single extra guest saying yes.
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