Best Digital Invitation Apps for iPhone and Android
I've sent a lot of invitations. Birthday parties, dinner parties, housewarming events, baby showers. Every time, I go through the same mental exercise: which invitation app should I use this time? Over the years, I've tried basically all of them. Some are great at one thing and terrible at another. Some look beautiful but make the RSVP process a nightmare. Some are free but turn your invitation into an ad billboard.
So I put together an honest breakdown of the best digital invitation apps available right now, what they do well, where they fall short, and which one I actually recommend.
What to look for in an invitation app
Before getting into the individual apps, here's what actually matters when you're choosing one:
- Delivery method: Will your guests actually see the invitation? Email open rates hover around 20%. SMS sits at 98%. This matters more than most people realize.
- Design quality: Does the invitation look like something you're proud to send, or does it scream "I grabbed a template in 30 seconds"?
- Guest experience: Can guests RSVP without downloading an app or creating an account? Every extra step kills your response rate.
- Host tools: RSVP tracking, guest messaging, co-hosting. These are the things that make your life easier on event day.
- Pricing: Is it genuinely free, or is "free" code for "your guests will see ads"?
With that framework, here's how the top invitation apps stack up.
The five apps side by side
This table shows what each app charges for the same party at three sizes, and what you get for it.
| Lemonvite | Evite | Paperless Post | Hobnob | Punchbowl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 guests, no ads | $5 | $36.99 | $0 to $50.40 | Not published | Platinum subscription |
| 75 guests, no ads | $5 to $10 | $68.99 | $12.00 to $96.00 | Not published | Platinum subscription |
| 150 guests, no ads | $5 to $15 | $99.99 | $25.00 to $168.00 | Not published | Platinum subscription |
| Free option | Designing only | Yes, with ads | First 50 invites | Free plan | 7-day trial |
| Ads on the invitation | None | On free invitations | None | Not published | Below Platinum |
| Subscription required | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Delivery | Email, text, WhatsApp, link | Email, text, link | Email, text, link | Text, email, link | Text, email |
| Guests need an account | No | No | No | Not published (no app needed) | No |
| Guest limit per event | 150 | 750 (2,500 on Evite Pro) | Not published | Not published | 50 to 5,000 by plan |
Some notes on the numbers. Lemonvite's $5 covers 150 guests including 50 with a phone number, and each extra batch of 50 phone guests is another $5, which is where the ranges come from. The Paperless Post ranges run from its Free feature set to All Access for a Card, read from the calculator on its pricing page. Punchbowl's upgrade page lists Platinum "from $5.99" and "from $11.99" a month without saying which one you'll pay. Lemonvite and Evite send texts to US and Canada numbers only, and Hobnob says it is available only in those two countries. Lemonvite uses WhatsApp for phone numbers everywhere else. Hobnob's help pages list an Essentials plan at $19.99 a year and a Premium plan at $59.99 a year, each with a set number of text-invite credits, and a free plan with 10 text credits a month and free email invites. They don't say whether invitations carry ads, so I couldn't price the no-ads rows for Hobnob. "Not published" means I couldn't find the figure on the company's own site.
Two places where Lemonvite is not the cheapest: a free Paperless Post design sent to 50 guests or fewer costs nothing and carries no ads, and Evite's free invitations cost nothing if you accept the ads. For everything else in the table, Lemonvite is $5 and you can design the invitation before you pay.
Evite
Evite is the name everyone knows. They've been around since 1998, and "sending an Evite" has become shorthand for sending any online invitation. That brand recognition is real and earned.
The good: Evite has a massive template library covering virtually every occasion. Their free tier means you can send invitations without spending anything. They support both email and SMS delivery.
The not-so-good: The free tier comes with ads. Your guests open what should be a personal moment and get hit with banner ads and sponsored content. The templates are extensive but many feel dated. And the platform carries the weight of decades of feature creep, making the experience feel cluttered on mobile.
Evite's Premium packages remove the ads and unlock better designs. They're priced per event by guest count: $17.99 for up to 12 guests, $36.99 for up to 30, $68.99 for up to 75 and $99.99 for up to 750.
Paperless Post
Paperless Post positioned itself as the upscale alternative to Evite, and in many ways it delivers on that promise. Their designs are genuinely beautiful, often created in collaboration with well-known designers and brands.
The good: Stunning design library with a polished, premium feel. The envelope-opening animation is a nice touch. Great for formal events like weddings, galas, and milestone celebrations.
The not-so-good: Paperless Post uses a coin-based pricing system that can be confusing. Free options exist but are limited. Only the first 50 invitations by text or email are free, and most card designs cost Coins for every guest. The rate per guest changes with the size of your list, so you have to run your own numbers through the calculator on their pricing page.
If aesthetics are your top priority for a formal event and you're willing to pay for premium templates, Paperless Post is solid. But for casual gatherings, paying per guest is harder to justify.
Hobnob
Hobnob built its reputation on being SMS-first, which was a smart move. They recognized early that text messages get opened and emails often don't.
The good: SMS delivery means your invitations actually reach people. The app has a clean, modern interface. They offer decent customization options for casual events.
The not-so-good: Hobnob is a native app, which means you need to download it to create invitations. Guests can reply without the app, but hosts run the event from it. Text invitations only work in the US and Canada. The free plan includes 10 text invites a month, and the paid plans ($19.99 and $59.99 a year) add more text credits. The design options, while clean, can feel limited compared to platforms with larger libraries or custom design capabilities.
Hobnob works well for quick, casual invitations where speed matters more than design polish.
Punchbowl
Punchbowl positions itself as a family-friendly invitation platform with a strong focus on kids' parties and holiday events.
The good: Solid template selection, especially for children's events and seasonal celebrations. They offer party planning tools beyond just invitations, like thank-you notes and greeting cards. The interface is approachable and easy to navigate.
The not-so-good: There is no free plan for new events, only a 7-day free trial that asks for payment details and turns into a subscription, and ads are removed only on the Platinum and Business plans. The design aesthetic skews toward a specific demographic, so it might not fit if you're hosting a sleek dinner party or a more sophisticated event.
Punchbowl is a reasonable choice if you're planning a kids' birthday party and want a template-driven experience. For other event types, you might feel limited.
Lemonvite
Full disclosure: this is our platform. But I'm including it because it genuinely solves problems that the other apps don't, and I think the approach is worth understanding even if you end up choosing something else.
Lemonvite is a web-based invitation platform. There's no app to download, not for you as a host, and not for your guests. Everything runs in the browser, optimized for mobile. That might sound like a small detail, but it eliminates one of the biggest friction points in the invitation process. Your guests tap a link and they're there. No app store, no updates, no storage space on their phone.
Custom design, not templates. Instead of scrolling through a library of pre-made designs, you describe your event and what you want. The design engine creates a unique invitation based on your description. You can upload reference images to guide the style. The result is something that actually feels like yours, not like a template 500 other people also used this month.
Text, email and WhatsApp delivery. Invitations go out via text message with a 98% open rate. Email is available too, and guests with a phone number outside the US and Canada get theirs on WhatsApp. No more "I never got it" or "it went to spam."
Frictionless RSVPs. Guests tap the link, see the invitation, and RSVP. No account creation, no app download, no sign-up form. They choose Attending, Maybe, or Declined, optionally add a note, answer any questions you set up (a meal choice, an allergy list), and they're done.
Broadcast messaging. Need to update all your guests about a venue change or a time shift? Send a broadcast message to everyone, or filter by RSVP status. No more texting people one by one.
Co-hosting. Add up to 10 co-hosts who can manage RSVPs and send updates. Perfect for events planned by couples, friend groups, or committees.
"What to Bring" section. Built right into the event page. Guests can claim items so you don't end up with seven bags of chips and no plates.
$5 per event. Every feature included. No tiers, no coins, no hidden upgrades, no ads. Five dollars gets you everything for up to 150 guests, including 50 with a phone number. Each extra batch of 50 phone guests costs another $5 to cover texting costs.
The verdict
Every app on this list can send an invitation. The real question is: what kind of experience do you want for yourself and your guests?
If you want free and don't mind ads, Evite will get the job done. If you have 50 guests or fewer and like one of Paperless Post's free designs, that costs nothing and has no ads. If you're planning a kids' party and don't mind a subscription, Punchbowl is a reasonable choice. If you want beautiful templates for a formal event and don't mind paying per guest, Paperless Post is elegant. If you want SMS delivery from a native app, Hobnob is worth a look.
But if you want a custom-designed invitation that reaches your guests via SMS, lets them RSVP without downloading anything or creating an account, and gives you real hosting tools like broadcast messaging, co-hosting and your own RSVP questions, all for $5 per event, that's what Lemonvite was built for. More than 50 phone guests costs $5 per extra batch of 50.
No app to download. No templates to settle for. No ads your guests have to scroll past.
Create your invitation on Lemonvite and see what a modern invitation experience actually looks like.
Keep Reading
Once you have picked your app, plan the event:
- Food-forward gatherings are having a moment — see the themed dinner party trend and our guides to Friendsgiving and wine tasting parties.
- Expecting? Start with how to plan a baby shower or how to plan a gender reveal party, then browse baby shower invitations.
- Not sure what style fits your event? Browse invitations by occasion.