Evite vs. Paperless Post: Which Digital Invitation Platform is Better in 2025?

Last updated: May 12, 2025

Trying to decide between Evite and Paperless Post for your next event?

In 2025, digital invitations are the go-to for 75% of event planners, prized for their convenience and eco-friendliness. Evite and Paperless Post lead the market, perfect for everything from casual birthdays to elegant weddings.

Quick Answer: Evite is best for free, casual invites; Paperless Post shines for premium, formal events; Partiful suits Gen Z with text-based invites.

In this article, I’ll compare the free and paid options of both platforms. Plus, I’ll introduce some newer alternatives, like Partiful (for Gen Z) and Mixily (a Facebook event alternative).

Why you should listen to me: Hi! My name is Nick Gray. I’ve hosted hundreds of events, including cocktail parties, housewarming parties, and happy hours. I’ve used almost all of the online event platforms - including Evite and Paperless Post. This is an unbiased and unsponsored review.

Evite Overview: The Former Leader

For years, Evite was the go-to platform, even for my mom’s Parents Party. Established in 1998, it’s one of the oldest digital invitation platforms.

Evite has grown under David Yeom’s leadership (who acquired it in 2020), adding mobile apps and premium tiers by 2025. Evite is known for its familiarity.

However, its heavy use of banner ads and pop-ups, along with registration requirements leading to spam, are notable drawbacks.

Here are my favorite features of Evite:

• Free and paid invitations with ads on free plans.
• RSVP tracking and guest messaging (with helpful group chat for families). 
• Mobile-friendly design with a 2025-updated app. 
• Easy guest management that allows you to add additional guests, which is helpful for families and birthday parties.

Best For: Casual events like kids’ birthdays, BBQs, and family gatherings.

Paperless Post: The New Contender

Founded in 2008 by siblings James and Alexa Hirschfield, Paperless Post emerged from a desire for modern invitation designs. Renowned for sleek and trendy designs, often featuring famous designers and brands, they’ve expanded to include a mobile app and lighter invitation styles.

Here are some of the key features:

• Premium, elegant digital invitations with designer templates (e.g., Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co.). 
• Coin-based pricing for customization with premium templates.
• RSVP tracking with superior email integration for formal events.
• Physical goods (as of July 2022) including decorations, tableware, and balloons through their e-commerce platform.

Best For: Weddings, corporate events, formal parties, and upscale gatherings.

Comparison of Evite vs. Paperless Post

Feature	Evite	Paperless Post
Free Plan	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (limited designs)
Customization	Moderate	High
RSVP Tracking	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Premium Options	✅ Yes (ads-free, premium invites)	✅ Yes (coin-based pricing)
Max Attendees	2,500	15,000
Best For	Casual parties, birthdays	Formal events, elegant invitations
Mobile App	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
SMS (Text) Invites	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Ability to Charge	❌ No	✅ Yes

Evite Paid Upgrades

Both of these platforms also include paid options where you can upgrade your account. Here, I’ll list the comparison of what both offer.

• Beautiful, cool templates that look like a real card that you can send digitally via email
• Customizable fonts, colors, and formatting
• A “Design Your Own” option that allows you to upload your custom designs
• No-ad experience for guests

Here’s their premium invitation pricing:

• Small Package (Up to 15 guests): $15.99
• Medium Package (Up to 40 guests): $32.99
• Large Package (Up to 100 guests): $64.99

Note that their premium products are digital and sent via email. They are also non-transferable and can only be used for the event that they are purchased for.

Paperless Post Paid Upgrades

Paperless Post uses a system of coins to allow you to use their premium cards. You must spend up to two coins per recipient in order to send some of these premium cards that have more nicely designed envelopes, backdrops, and logos.

These coins are sold in packages and can vary in pricing. There is a maximum of 15,000 guest emails that can be sent for each of your events. Most people will never get anywhere near to this limit, so it is not really an issue.

Paperless Post:

• Free plan: Limited designs, up to 50 guests via Flyer.
• Coins: ~$10 for 25 coins, 2 coins per premium invite (e.g., $0.80/invite for 10 guests).

I should also note that Paperless Post has a product called Paperless Post Flyer. Using this, you can send 50 invitations for free through the Paperless Post website.

Their flyer products were meant to be a reboot that offered fewer advertisements and cleaner design. This is the one that I most often recommend to people.

Customization & Design Quality 

Here is a breakdown of what you get and can do with the platforms:

Evite 

• Moderate customization (colors, fonts) 
• Many cute options available for design purposes
• “Design Your Own” option to upload custom designs
• Designs tend to feel more casual and family-oriented 

Paperless Post

• Highly customizable with premium templates
• Sleek and trendy designs, often featuring famous designers and brands
• Premium options for envelopes, backdrops, and logos
• More elegant overall aesthetic suitable for formal occasions

RSVP Tracking & Event Management 

Evite

• Reliable RSVP tracking
• Guest messaging and reminders
• Group messaging functionality ideal for families
• Maximum of 2,500 guests on standard plans 

Paperless Post

•  Superior email integration (branded email headers) for formal events
• RSVP tracking with detailed guest management
• Supports charging for tickets (unlike Evite)
• Supports up to 15,000 guests, making it better for large events 

Ease of Use & Mobile Experience 

Evite

• Simple and straightforward interface
• Better for quick, casual invites
• Mobile app updated for 2025
• Ad-heavy experience on free plans can be distracting 

Paperless Post

• Slightly more complex due to the coin system
• Premium feel with an elegant user experience
• Mobile app provides a smooth experience for hosts and guests
• Flyer product offers a clean, ad-free alternative

Alternatives and Other Platforms

But these aren’t the only two ways to collect RSVPs online. And they’re not even the best.

As of February 2023, my favorite platforms to use for hosting events include:

• Partiful: good for younger audiences. Uses text messages exclusively.
• Mixily: an excellent replacement for Facebook Events or Eventbrite. This is what I use and recommend to most.
• Eventbrite: still a very popular option, especially if you’re charging for attendance, but requires guest registration. Be sure to disable some of their default settings if you use this.
• Punchbowl: recently received a $4 million investment from party retailer Party City.
• Luma: forever free plan and great UI.

Platform	Best For	Free Plan	Key Feature
Partiful	Gen Z events	✅ Yes	SMS invites
Mixily	Facebook alternative	✅ Yes	Ad-free RSVPs
Eventbrite	Ticketed events	✅ Yes	Payment processing
Punchbowl	Kid’s parties	✅ Yes	Party City designs
Luma	Small events	✅ Yes	Sleek UI

Pros & Cons of Each Platform

Here is a list of pros and cons for Evite and Paperless Post.

Evite Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free plan supports up to 2,500 guests  
• Easy to use for families and casual events  
• Mobile app updated for 2025 
• Many template options for various casual events  

Cons

• Free version has intrusive ads  
• Designs feel dated compared to premium platforms 

Paperless Post Pros & Cons

Pros

• Elegant, high-quality invitations
• Flyer free for 50 guests, ad-free 
• Supports up to 15,000 guests and ticket charging  
• Highly customizable premium designs  

Cons

• Coin system can be confusing 
• Premium designs are costly for large guest lists

Which One Should You Choose? 

Here are my recommendations for which app you should go for.

Choose Evite if:

• You need a free, quick, and simple invite solution for casual events like birthdays, BBQs, or family gatherings. 

Choose Paperless Post if:

• You want a premium, customizable digital invitation for weddings, formal gatherings, or corporate events. 

Choose Partiful if:

• You’re targeting a younger audience or prefer text-based invites with a modern interface.

Choose Mixily if:

• You want a clean, ad-free alternative to Facebook Events with simple RSVP functionality.

Conclusion

These days in 2023, I believe that Paperless Post is the best option for most people who are considering it versus Evite.

I do not like Evite because of its reliance on digital ads and advertising and the confusing design.

See more of my platform recommendations here, including my thoughts on Partiful, Mixily, Eventbrite, and more.

Specifically, my suggestion is to use the Paperless Post Flyer. This is a clean, sleek design that is free for up to 50 attendees and will fit most people’s needs. It also looks the best on mobile and loads quickly from most cell phones.

Evite Vs. Paperless Post FAQ

Q: Can I send physical cards with Paperless Post?

A: Yes, select designs offer printed cards starting at approximately $2 per card. 

Q: Does Evite have guest list limits?  

A: The free plan supports up to 2,500 guests; premium plans allow more.

Q: How does Paperless Post’s coin system work?

A: You buy coins (e.g., 25 for $10); premium invites cost approximately 2 coins per guest. 

Q: Are Evite’s ads intrusive?

A: Free plan ads can be distracting, but premium plans remove them completely. 

Q: What’s the best free alternative?

A: Mixily offers ad-free RSVPs; Partiful uses SMS for Gen Z audiences.

Q: Can I charge for events? 

A: Paperless Post and Eventbrite support ticketing; Evite does not. 

Q: Which platform is best for wedding invitations?

A: Paperless Post offers the most elegant designs and formal features for weddings.