The Joy alternative for any event, not just the wedding
Designer invitations for every occasion, from $15.99 per event. No account to commit to.
Your first 5 invites per event are free.
Real human support within 24 hours
An honest comparison of InviteDrop and WithJoy.
Three reasons people switch from WithJoy
Beyond the wedding
Showers, birthdays, holidays and parties sit in the same catalogue, where Joy is built around the wedding itself.
An animated envelope on every card
Each invitation opens from an animated envelope, which Joy does not describe its designs as offering.
Pay for the one event
An Event Pass covers the event you are planning, instead of committing to an account and an ecosystem around it.
Price for your guest count
| Guests | InviteDrop (one-time) |
|---|---|
| 25 | $15.99 |
| 50 | $29.99 |
| 100 | $44.99 |
Joy’s wedding website is free and its site, save-the-date and invitation are tightly integrated, which is a genuine advantage for a couple planning the whole thing in one place. Some premium templates and features are paid add-ons, and we quote no figure for them because we have not verified their current prices today. The column above is what an InviteDrop event costs by itself.
InviteDrop prices are the live Event Pass tiers. Your first 5 invites per event are free.
Summary
InviteDrop and WithJoy are both digital invitation tools, but they differ on occasion coverage: InviteDrop offers Weddings plus every other occasion, while WithJoy offers Wedding-focused. InviteDrop is free to start with an animated envelope on every template; WithJoy describes a free wedding website builder.
Upfront pricing — no coins, no credits, no maths
You see the full price before you start. InviteDrop is free for your first 5 invites on every event. After that it is one flat, one-time Event Pass for the whole guest list — not a virtual currency you buy in packs, and not a subscription that renews.
- $15.99 · Up to 25 invites
- $29.99 · Up to 50 invites
- $44.99 · Up to 100 invites
- $74.99 · Unlimited invites
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | InviteDrop | WithJoy |
|---|---|---|
| Occasion coverage | Weddings plus every other occasion | Wedding-focused |
| Animated envelope | Cinematic animated envelope on every invite | Not described by its maker as offering an animated envelope |
| Price for the host | Free to start — 5 free invites per event, then a flat one-time Event Pass (from $15.99) | Free core + paid premium designs/features |
| Send by SMS or email | Send by SMS or email — guests open in any browser, no app | Email + share link |
| Wedding website builder | Invite-focused | Full free wedding site with custom domain |
| Guest-side mobile app | Browser, no app needed | Native app option for guests |
| Multi-event timelines for one wedding | One invite per event | Built-in across rehearsal, ceremony, brunch |
| Guest limit | Any guest count — the tier sets the price, from $15.99 up to $74.99 for more than 100 guests | Free core with premium designs and features as paid add-ons |
See it
Open any of these and the editor starts on that exact design.
What WithJoy does well
- A free wedding website builder
- Tight integration between site, save-the-date, and invitation
- A mobile app for couples and guests
Where WithJoy falls short
- Wedding-focused, rather than aimed at birthdays, showers or general events
- Not described by its maker as offering an animated envelope
- Some premium templates and features are paid add-ons
- You commit to an account and ecosystem, not just a single invite
Switching takes 5 minutes
- 1Pick a design from the catalogue.
- 2Add your guests — paste a list or upload one.
- 3Send by text or email, and watch RSVPs come in.
Nothing needs to be exported from WithJoy first.
The verdict
WithJoy is a reasonable choice if you are planning a wedding and want a connected site, invite and planner stack, and you accept that the invitation comes with an account and an ecosystem around it. For a single event — wedding or otherwise — InviteDrop is free to start, mobile-first, and includes the animated envelope, with no planner attached and nothing that renews.
Browse the template catalogueQuestions
Do I have to build a wedding website first?
No. The invitation works on its own and guests reply on it directly.
Can I use this for a birthday or a shower?
Yes. Every occasion is in the catalogue, not only weddings.
Do guests need to download anything?
No. The invitation opens in any browser from a text or email link.
Does WithJoy do anything you do not?
Yes — a wedding website with a custom domain, a guest-side mobile app and multi-event timelines across a wedding weekend. We do none of those.
What does it cost to start?
Nothing for the first 5 invites on every event.