InviteDrop and Paperless Post are usually compared on price, and in the email scenarios below both are counting the same thing: invitations sent. The difference is what each send costs. InviteDrop charges a fixed one-time Event Pass for the whole event, priced by how many invitations you send, so the design makes no difference to the bill. Paperless Post spends Coins per Card sent, at a rate set by the design’s feature bundle, so the total moves with the features you choose. Greenvelope uses the one genuinely different unit here: it prices by the number of people on the guest list, counting household members individually whether they share an invitation or not. Below, the same 100 people run through two mailing shapes, followed by what each price actually includes.
InviteDrop vs. Paperless Post at a Glance
| Category | InviteDrop | Paperless Post | Greenvelope |
|---|
| What you are billed for | Invitations sent, in fixed event tiers | Cards sent, multiplied by the design’s Coins per recipient | People on the guest list, household members counted individually |
| Published prices | First 5 invitations per event at no cost, then a one-time Event Pass: $15.99 up to 25 invites, $29.99 up to 50, $44.99 up to 100, $74.99 unlimited | Four feature bundles at 0, 2, 5 or 8 Coins per recipient; some designs send at no charge to the first 50 recipients. Dollar rates fall as the count rises, per its pricing calculator | Single mailings start at $19 for a guest list of up to 20 people, $99 for up to 100 and $249 for up to 250, per the Greenvelope pricing guide |
| Does the design change the price | No. InviteDrop states the pass covers guest list size rather than artwork | Yes. A design partner Card carries a starting price, and adding an element raises the price when that element belongs to a higher bundle | No. One Greenvelope mailing price covers any design in the collection |
| Subscription | Not required to send. Optional InviteDrop Pro is $249.99 a year; InviteDrop Cards, the greeting card product, is $27.49 a year | Not required. A Paperless Pro subscription is offered for frequent senders, priced by annual guest count | Not required. Greenvelope offers optional annual memberships from $60 a year |
| RSVP tracking | Included on every event, with custom questions and plus-one limits | Always included on every feature bundle, including Free | Included on every Greenvelope invitation mailing |
| Do guests need an account to reply | No, per its How It Works page | No, per its guest reply article | No; Greenvelope guests reply from the invitation itself |
| Ads shown to guests | States no ads and no watermarks on any tier | States no ads for hosts or guests | None; a Greenvelope guest sees only your invitation and RSVP form |
How Each Platform Prices an Event
InviteDrop prices by invitations sent, in fixed tiers. Every event includes its first five invitations at no cost, and a larger list needs a one-time Event Pass for that event: $15.99 up to 25 invites, $29.99 up to 50, $44.99 up to 100, and $74.99 for an unlimited list, as published on its pricing page and checked October 23, 2026. Its counting rule matters as much as the tiers: one invitation sent counts as one invite whatever the number of names on it, so a couple entered as a single guest list entry is one invite, and the group reports its own headcount when it replies.
Three products share similar names, and InviteDrop separates them itself. Event Pass Pro is the $44.99 one-time pass covering up to 100 invites. InviteDrop Pro is an optional subscription at $249.99 a year covering unlimited events at up to 1,000 guests each. InviteDrop Cards is a $27.49 a year greeting card subscription that an Event Pass does not cover, and which does not cover invitations. Sending an invitation never requires a subscription, but it is not accurate to say the platform has none.
Paperless Post prices in Coins, virtual credits spent per Card sent. Its feature set model groups paid design and event tools into four bundles at 0, 2, 5 and 8 Coins per recipient. The bundle sets the rate per send; the total is that rate multiplied by the number of Cards sent, so both the features and the list size move the Coin count. Adding an element raises the price only when that element belongs to a higher bundle, since everything inside your current bundle is already covered. Free designs work differently: sent directly through Paperless Post, the first 50 sends carry no Coin charge and each send beyond 50 costs 1 Coin, which is not the bundle rate multiplied by the list. Coins can be bought in exactly the quantity a list needs, and unused Coins stay in the account.
Two qualifications. Paperless Post states that the bundled model is being rolled out progressively and that not every Card or Flyer uses it yet, so check the Coins per invite shown for the specific design you are sending. And the dollar cost of a Coin falls as the count rises, which is why its calculator shows $1.05 per guest at 50 recipients and $0.85 at 100 on the same Premium bundle.
Greenvelope prices by guest list size. You buy the smallest package whose capacity covers everyone on the list, every person counts toward it including household members, and the same price covers any design in the collection. Two things sit outside that price. Text messages draw on the account’s SMS allowance, which starts at 500 messages on every paid account; additional blocks cost extra once that allowance is used. And a mailing is one card to one guest list, so a save the date and an invitation are two mailings, each needing its own purchase or an applicable membership.
What the Free Options Cover
| Platform | No-cost option | What it is |
|---|
| InviteDrop | The first 5 invitations on every event | An ongoing per-event allowance, with the full design catalog, the animated envelope and RSVP tracking attached. Five or fewer invitation sends need nothing further |
| Paperless Post | Free designs, sent at no Coin charge to the first 50 recipients through its site | An eligible free design receives its first 50 direct sends without a Coin charge, and each additional direct send costs 1 Coin. A free design is one that starts in the Free bundle; adding a paid element moves it into a higher bundle and it stops being free. Separately, distributing an eligible free design by Shareable Link carries no Coin charge, with the tradeoff that opens and bounces are not tracked off-platform |
| Greenvelope | A trial send to up to 10 people | A trial, not an ongoing allowance: you can build a real invitation, send it to up to 10 people and watch RSVPs come back with no credit card required, per the Greenvelope FAQ. Sending to more than 10 people requires a paid upgrade |
One Guest List of 100, Priced Two Ways
Here is the same set of 100 people under two mailing shapes. Scenario one sends 100 individually addressed invitations. Scenario two arranges the same people as 50 two-person households, each with one shared invitation.
Assumptions for both tables: one invitation mailing, delivered by email, in US dollars, on the plans named, with no promotional discount and no existing Coin balance. Household composition is an illustration, not a measurement of any real guest list. The household scenario assumes one delivery contact per household; grouping people for a shared RSVP does not by itself make them one chargeable send, since what Paperless Post bills is Cards sent. Paperless Post figures are for Cards using the feature set model, which it says is still rolling out, and its dollar totals were read from its own calculator on October 23, 2026.
Scenario one: 100 people, 100 individually addressed invitations.
| Platform and plan | Billable quantity | Coins needed | Cost |
|---|
| Paperless Post, free design | 100 Cards sent, the first 50 at no charge and 50 beyond at 1 Coin each | 50 Coins | $18.50 |
| InviteDrop, Event Pass Pro | 100 invites | Not applicable | $44.99 |
| Paperless Post, Basic | 100 Cards sent at 2 Coins each | 200 Coins | $46.00 |
| Paperless Post, Premium | 100 Cards sent at 5 Coins each | 500 Coins | $85.00 |
| Greenvelope, single mailing | 100 people on the guest list | Not applicable | $99.00 |
| Paperless Post, All Access | 100 Cards sent at 8 Coins each | 800 Coins | $120.00 |
Scenario two: the same 100 people as 50 two-person households, one shared invitation each.
| Platform and plan | Billable quantity | Coins needed | Cost | What the figure depends on |
|---|
| Paperless Post, free design | 50 Cards sent, all inside the first 50 | None | $0.00 | The design must still be in the Free bundle at send time; adding a paid element moves it up and the Cards become chargeable |
| Paperless Post, Basic | 50 Cards sent at 2 Coins each | 100 Coins | $25.00 | One contact per household. Paperless Post lets you link a couple or family into one group that replies together, but it bills Cards sent, so a group carrying two email addresses is two Cards; confirm the Coin count at the Invite Guests checkout |
| InviteDrop, Event Pass Plus | 50 invites | Not applicable | $29.99 | Its published rule counts one invitation sent as one invite whatever the names on it, so this holds as long as each household is one guest list entry |
| Paperless Post, Premium | 50 Cards sent at 5 Coins each | 250 Coins | $52.50 | Same household and bundle conditions as the Basic row |
| Paperless Post, All Access | 50 Cards sent at 8 Coins each | 400 Coins | $72.00 | Same household and bundle conditions as the Basic row |
| Greenvelope, single mailing | 100 people on the guest list | Not applicable | $99.00 | Unchanged from scenario one, because the tier covers people rather than sends; grouping households does not lower it |
In both examples, a Paperless Post free design has the lowest displayed total: $18.50 at 100 individual sends and $0.00 at 50 household sends. The ranking above it changes with the mailing shape and with which paid features the invitation needs, so the order in one table does not carry to the other. In this 100-person, 50-household example, Greenvelope is the highest figure, because its tier counts all 100 people whichever way the list is arranged; at 100 individual sends it sits below Paperless Post All Access.
Price Alone Does Not Make the Packages Equivalent
The same guest list does not buy the same product at each of those prices. On Paperless Post, the presentation and the question formats are what move you between bundles; on the other two they are included at the single price. For Cards using Paperless Post’s feature-set pricing:
| If your invitation needs | On Paperless Post | On InviteDrop | On Greenvelope |
|---|
| RSVP tracking and basic event details | Free bundle, with Essential Blocks and Guest Questions limited to Short Answer and Mailing Address | Included at every tier | Included at every mailing price |
| An envelope, liner, stamp and backdrop presentation | Premium, 5 Coins per recipient, $85.00 at 100 individual sends | States that every envelope, liner and backdrop is available at every tier, including the free invitations | Included at the mailing price; the animated envelope opens on every design |
| Structured multiple choice or checkbox questions | All Access, 8 Coins per recipient, $120.00 at 100 individual sends; Guest Surveys with Multiple Choice and Checkboxes sit only in this bundle | Its RSVP tracking page lists five question types, free text, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown and poll, with custom questions included across tiers | Included at the mailing price, in four documented formats: dropdowns, radio buttons, checkboxes and free response |
| Guest tags for filtering | All Access, listed under Advanced Tools; broadcast recipients can be selected by status and optional guest tags | Not verified in the sources reviewed | Documented: follow-up after on-site check-in filters by tags, and seating charts filter guests by tag |
| Guest check-in on the day | All Access, listed under Advanced Tools; documented on its iOS and Android apps for Card and Flyer invitations, with follow-up broadcasts to guests marked Attended | Not verified in the sources reviewed | Documented as available for any event, through the check-in app. Whether it is included in the $99 mailing quoted above is not stated in the sources reviewed, so confirm that with Greenvelope |
| A custom event URL | All Access, listed under Advanced Tools | Advertises custom URL slugs in its own product comparison | Not verified in the sources reviewed |
| Password protection | Included in All Access, listed under Advanced Tools | Not verified in the sources reviewed | Not verified in the sources reviewed |
Those rows come from each platform’s own documentation, and similarly named features should not be assumed interchangeable without it: supporting a requirement is not the same as implementing it identically. The budgeting consequence is concrete. If your invitation needs the envelope presentation plus structured multiple choice or checkbox questions, all three support it at 100 individual sends, at $44.99 on InviteDrop, $99.00 on Greenvelope and $120.00 on Paperless Post All Access. Greenvelope costs $21 less than Paperless Post for that configuration and does not change price if you add or drop features, but InviteDrop meets the same stated requirement for less than either.
Support Commitments and Company Background
Both competitors publish a support commitment, which is a stated promise rather than a measured outcome. InviteDrop states on its about page that every email to its address gets a reply from a real person within 24 hours, with no support tiers. Paperless Post offers email support on weekdays between 10AM and 6PM Eastern, states a goal of responding within 2 hours during business hours, and schedules phone calls on request rather than taking them immediately. On company background, Paperless Post was founded in 2009 per its co-founder and CEO, and Greenvelope has been sending digital invitations since 2008. This guide makes no claim about how long InviteDrop has operated, and draws no conclusion about reliability from company age in any direction.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Paperless Post when a free design covers what you need, since that is the lowest displayed total in both examples above, or when you want a particular design partner Card, or when you already hold a Coin balance. Its All Access bundle includes password protection.
Choose InviteDrop when its published feature set and collection fit the event, and particularly when your list is household-heavy or very large: its counting rule means 50 households and 50 individuals both cost $29.99, and its unlimited pass caps any event at $74.99. It also meets the envelope-plus-structured-questions requirement for the least of the three in the example above.
Consider Greenvelope if its stationery collection, built-in seating chart and guest-management workflow suit your event, and if you want a price that stays put as the card gains an envelope, a liner or a question format. Paperless Post also documents check-in and targeted follow-up, so compare the specific workflow and its applicable price. Where the deciding factor is which collection your guests open, browse all three and choose on preference rather than on a table. Greenvelope holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating across more than 10,000 reviews on its Trustpilot profile, checked October 23, 2026. In the 100-person, 50-household example above, counting people rather than sends makes Greenvelope the highest figure of the three, and InviteDrop meets the envelope-plus-structured-questions requirement for less.
For more on how one-time passes, Coins, subscriptions and no-cost plans compare, see how digital invitation pricing works, our Greenvelope vs. Paperless Post comparison, our Greenvelope vs. InviteDrop comparison, and our ranking of the 10 best digital invitation platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
InviteDrop vs. Paperless Post: which is better?
Neither is better across the board. Both price by invitations sent, so the real difference is that InviteDrop charges a fixed one-time Event Pass for the event, from $15.99, while Paperless Post spends Coins per Card at a rate set by the design’s feature bundle, so its total moves with both the features and the list size. InviteDrop is the simpler budget, since no design changes the price, and it publishes five RSVP question types including multiple choice and checkboxes. Paperless Post is the stronger choice if you want a specific design partner Card, if a free design covers your needs, or if you need the tools in its All Access bundle such as password protection.
InviteDrop vs. Paperless Post: which is cheaper for one event?
It depends on the configuration. For one email mailing to 100 people in US dollars with no discounts or existing Coins, read from the Paperless Post calculator on October 23, 2026: at 100 individually addressed sends, a Paperless Post free design is $18.50, an InviteDrop Event Pass is $44.99, and Paperless Post costs $46.00 at Basic, $85.00 at Premium and $120.00 at All Access. Regroup the same people as 50 two-person households with one contact each and InviteDrop falls to $29.99 while Paperless Post is $0.00 on a free design, $25.00 at Basic, $52.50 at Premium and $72.00 at All Access. A free Paperless Post design is the lowest displayed total in both, and the order above it changes with the mailing shape. Greenvelope is $99.00 in both, because it prices by the number of people on the list rather than by sends.
What are Paperless Post Coins?
Coins are Paperless Post’s virtual credits, bought on its site and spent per Card sent. Its feature set model groups paid design and event tools into four bundles at 0, 2, 5 and 8 Coins per recipient: the bundle sets the rate per send, and the total is that rate multiplied by the number of Cards you send, so both the features and the list size move the Coin count. Free designs are the exception, with the first 50 sends through the site carrying no Coin charge and each send beyond 50 costing 1 Coin. Coins can be bought in exactly the quantity your list needs, and unused Coins stay in your account. Paperless Post notes that the bundled model is still rolling out and that not every Card or Flyer uses it, so check the Coins per invite shown for your design.
Does Paperless Post charge per guest?
It charges per Card sent, which is not always the same as per guest. The published arithmetic is the design’s Coins per recipient multiplied by the number of Cards sent, and the no-charge allowance on a free design is counted in email addresses and phone numbers, so a couple sharing one contact is one chargeable send while two people with two contacts are two. Linking guests into a couple or family group lets them reply together, but what you are billed for is still the number of Cards that go out, so confirm the count at the Invite Guests checkout. Adding a feature raises the rate only when that feature belongs to a higher bundle, and the dollar cost of a Coin falls as the recipient count rises.
Is InviteDrop legit?
InviteDrop is a real platform with pricing, counting rules, RSVP features and support terms published on its own site, and it describes itself as an independent, self-funded business. It publishes a commitment to reply to every email within 24 hours from a real person, with no support tiers, which is a stated promise rather than a measured outcome, as is the 2-hour business-hours response goal Paperless Post publishes. This guide draws no conclusion about reliability from company age in any direction. Confirm current prices and features on its pricing page before you budget.
Does InviteDrop have a free plan or a subscription?
Both, and they are separate things. Every InviteDrop event includes its first five invitations at no cost as an ongoing per-event allowance, with a one-time Event Pass beyond that at $15.99 for up to 25 invites, $29.99 for up to 50, $44.99 for up to 100 and $74.99 for unlimited. Sending an invitation never requires a subscription, but two optional subscriptions exist: InviteDrop Pro at $249.99 a year for unlimited events at up to 1,000 guests each, and InviteDrop Cards at $27.49 a year for greeting cards, which an Event Pass does not cover. Note that Event Pass Pro is the name of the $44.99 one-time pass and is not the annual plan.
Does Greenvelope use Coins or require a subscription?
No. Greenvelope charges one price per mailing set by the size of your guest list, starting at $19 for a guest list of up to 20 people, with no Coins, no credits and no per-design charges, and no subscription required. Every person on the list counts toward the tier, household members included, so the price follows the guest list rather than how many sends it takes to reach it. Two things sit outside that price. Text messages draw on the account’s SMS allowance, which starts at 500 messages on every paid account, and additional blocks cost extra once it is used. And each card sent to a guest list is its own mailing, needing its own purchase or an applicable membership. Optional annual memberships from $60 a year exist for frequent senders, but a single event never requires one.
Which platform is best for wedding invitations?
Price the communications you actually plan to send, because the three platforms treat a follow-up send differently. The total depends on the communications and workflow you choose. On Greenvelope, each card sent to a guest list is its own mailing, so a save the date and an invitation to a list of up to 100 people are $99 each, or $198; the alternative is the $225 annual membership covering mailings of up to 150 guests, which also covers further eligible mailings such as thank you notes within the membership term. Paperless Post recommends creating a new or cloned draft for an invitation that follows a save the date, and that new mailing is priced under its usual rules and free allowances, while its RSVP reminders and follow-up messages within an event are free. InviteDrop charges per event, and its comparison page describes the save the date, invitation and RSVP sharing one link, so do not assume two Event Passes just because there are two communications; confirm how your own sequence is billed before budgeting. Beyond the arithmetic, weigh how much of your list is couples and families, which favors the platforms counting sends, and browse all three collections, since the design is a preference rather than a feature comparison.
Related Resources
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