Short answer: the free invitation tools split into three groups that are not really competing with each other. Invitation products (RSVora, Evite, Partiful, Mixily, Paperless Post) make the card and collect the replies. Design tools (Canva, Adobe Express) make a beautiful card and stop there — no guest list, no RSVP, no delivery. Form builders (Google Forms, Jotform, RSVPify, SignUpGenius) collect answers with no design worth sending. Pick the group first, then the product.
If you want one recommendation: RSVora for sending an invitation and getting a real headcount back, free at any list size with no ads and no watermark. Canva if the artwork is the point and you will handle sending yourself.
The three groups
Invitation products — card plus replies
These are the ones that do the whole job. You pick a design, add details, share a link, and the replies come back into a dashboard.
| Product | Price | Ads to guests | Free-tier limit | Guest needs an account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSVora | Free, one tier | None | None | No |
| Evite | Free designs; Premium $17.99–$99.99 by guest band | Yes, on free designs | Premium bands top out at 750 | No |
| Partiful | Free | None | None published | Phone number and a texted code |
| Mixily | Free; Lite $19/mo, Pro $29/mo | None | 50 invites, 40 RSVPs, 2 events | No |
| Paperless Post | Coins per recipient, ~$0.50–$1.44 a guest | None | First 50 invitations | No |
| Punchbowl | 7-day trial then $5.99–$11.99/mo | Yes, unless Platinum | No permanent free plan | No |
| Greetings Island | Free designs; premium ~$26.99/yr | Yes, on free tier | Watermark on free designs | No |
| Hobnob | Free to start, in-app purchases | None | Limited invites | No, app is for the host |
Design tools — card only
| Tool | Price | Guest list | RSVP | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Free; Pro ~$18/mo or ~$144/yr | None | None | Premium elements cannot be exported free |
| Adobe Express | Permanent free plan; Premium $9.99/mo | None | None | Over 100,000 free templates, but nothing to send with |
| Smilebox | ~$10–15/mo, ~$39.99/yr | Limited | Limited | Watermark without a plan |
| Zazzle | Digital invitations free to create and send | Yes, in Zazzle Events | Yes | Printed range is the main business |
Canva and Adobe Express are genuinely better at making a picture than any invitation product, including this one. They are not invitation products. If you design in Canva, you still need to send the file, chase the answers and count the heads yourself — or upload the exported image into an invitation product, which works fine and is what a lot of people do.
Form builders — replies only
| Tool | Free-tier limit | Per-guest private links | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Forms | No response limit for ordinary use | No — one URL for everyone | None |
| Jotform | 5 forms, 100 submissions a month, 500 stored | No | Jotform branding on free |
| RSVPify | 100 guests, 1 event, 100 registrations a month | Yes | None |
| SignUpGenius | Unlimited sign-ups | No | Yes, on the free tier |
| Doodle | 1 active poll, 10 slots | No | Yes, to everyone who opens the link |
The thing that makes form builders frustrating for invitations is the missing per-guest link. One URL goes to everybody, so you cannot tell who replied except by asking them to type their name and trusting them to spell it the same way twice. Jotform's free plan also has a lifetime cap of 500 stored submissions, independent of the monthly one, which surprises people.
How to choose
- You want to send it and know who is coming — an invitation product. RSVora if you want it free at any size with no ads; Partiful if your guests are young and mobile and you want date polling; Paperless Post if the card itself is part of the occasion.
- You want to design something specific and you will send it yourself — Canva or Adobe Express, then upload the export into an invitation product for the RSVP side.
- You do not need a design, you need structured answers — Google Forms if it is genuinely free-form, RSVPify if you want an RSVP-shaped form with per-guest links and your list is under 100.
- You are selling tickets — none of the above. Eventbrite or Luma, both free for genuinely free events.
What to check before you commit
Four questions catch almost every unpleasant surprise:
- Will my guests see advertising? Free is often paid for on their screen. Details in which invitation sites show ads.
- Is there a number attached? Invites, replies, events or stored submissions. Details in how many guests can you invite for free.
- What do my guests have to hand over? An account, a phone number, a code. Details in which apps make guests sign up.
- Is anything watermarked? Details in free invitation makers with no watermark.
All prices and limits on this page were checked on 25 August 2026 against each company's own published pricing, and are cited with source links on the individual comparison pages. All trademarks belong to their owners.