Last updated: December 12, 2024
There are many different platforms you can use to share the details of your party.
These include Facebook, Paperless Post, Splash, Evite, Mixily, and more. They all make it easy to create an attractive information page about your event.
As of February 2023, my favorite service and the one I recommend to my friends is Mixily. See an actual event invite I've used here. The Mixily home page features virtual events, but don't be deterred: the have a completely free product which works great and has zero ads or spam. My second favorite recommendation is Partiful and this is what Gen Z is mostly using now in New York City.
Comparison Table
| PLATFORM | PRO | CON |
|---|---|---|
| Mixily | Super simple setup No ads, no spam Works great on mobile | Less custom and fancy designs Smallest of all listed services. Most have never heard of it |
| Easiest to set up and RSVP Easy to share reminders Guests can connect with each other | Less attendance as guests might not see your event and reminder messages Too informal for work events Some people don’t use Facebook | |
| Paperless Post | Variety of fun party templates New free Flyer product is fast and easy Good mobile app | Sometimes invitations and messages go to spam Certain features require a paid account |
| Evite | Well-known, established brand for events Good for families. Allows RSVPs with number of adults, children | Tons of advertisements on your RSVP page Sometimes invitations and messages go to spam |
| Partiful | Tons of theme and effects to choose from Easy to set up Covid-19 Safety Settings Send guests auto-reminders | You have to create an account and enter your phone number to RSVP which might cause less attendance |
New and Other RSVP Platforms
These are new platforms which I haven’t reviewed yet, but have heard great things about:
- Luma: Free forever plan, supposedly a great UI. Referred to me by Alex Zub (this guy). He said: “I like it 10X better than Mixily.”
- Partiful: People in their early 20s like this! Partiful focuses on text message communication. I found the design distracting, but loved how they hide the details until you RSVP. I don’t like text messages for my style of longer reminder messages (with Guest Bios).
- Invite.social This is a newer platform that has a nice free plan and some added benefits for a reasonable price. Has a bunch of event banners or you can upload your own. You send out your invite yourself via text or email, and it collects the RSVPs.
- Hobnob: My friend Sean Oliver likes Hobnob a lot. I wrote a brief comparison article: Evite vs Hobnob.
Best Practices for Each Platform
Mixily
See my full list of Mixily settings here.
Partiful
See my full list of Partiful settings here.
Featured Images
Check out these great featured images that you can use when you create your own RSVP page to get your guests excited!
Eventbrite
One of the many reasons that I don’t like Eventbrite are the automated emails. For example, 48 hours after your party, Eventbrite will send a survey like this to all of your registered guests:
I’ve found that the engagement rates on these default emails are very low and they are rather annoying to guests. Be sure to disable it! If you want to send a post-event survey, read my advice here.
Loved this post! I’m currently in the process of choosing an event platform for our company’s annual conference and this breakdown was super helpful. I particularly appreciated the pros and cons of each platform, it really helped me to visualize the trade-offs. Has anyone used Unbounce? I’ve heard great things about it but I’m also considering other options like Eventbrite and Whova.
Great insights on event platforms! I particularly appreciate your breakdown of the pros and cons. It’s always a challenge to choose the right one. Your favorites section gave me some new options to consider, especially for my upcoming conference. Thanks for sharing!
It’s really hard to pick but it would be easier if you use the platform you’re interested in for one of your events to see if it’ll fit your RSVP needs. Good luck on your conference!