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Which Invitation App Should You Use? Partiful, Evite, Paperless Post, and Hejmo Compared
The best invitation app depends on what can go wrong: weak turnout, the wrong tone, guest friction, or a fuzzy final count.
By Hejmo9 min read
Short answer
The best invitation app depends on what could go wrong at your event. Choose Partiful for free, social party invites with guest activity, text blasts, and broad sharing. Choose Evite for a familiar online-invitation platform with reminders, guest messaging, and a large template catalog. Choose Paperless Post when the invitation should look and feel like stationery. Choose Hejmo when you need an exact headcount: one private link per family, no guest accounts or phone verification, no ads, and a live count of who's coming.
Planning a private family or group event?
Hejmo gives every family its own private link, lets guests answer in two taps without an account, and rolls every reply into one live headcount. It's free for unlimited events. For $12, you can upgrade one event to Plus for invitation styles, a cover photo, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions.
Four invitation apps at a glance
Use the event's biggest risk as the tiebreaker. A house party, a formal shower, and a kids' birthday each fail in a different way, and each points to a different app.
| Compare | Partiful | Evite | Paperless Post | Hejmo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Social, casual parties. | Familiar, template-led invitations. | Design-forward or formal invitations. | Private family and group RSVPs. |
| Guest friction | Phone number and texted verification code. | Reply from the invitation; texted invitations ask for an email address. | Depends on whether the host sends directly or shares a link. | Open a private link and answer in two taps; no account, app, phone number, or email address. |
| Pricing model | Free to host and attend; optional paid designs and Peek, and fees on ticket sales. | Free invitations plus paid upgrades and Premium tiers by guest count. | First 50 direct invites free with free features; paid tiers are per guest. | Free for unlimited events; optional $12 Plus per event adds invitation styles, a cover photo, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions. |
| Main trade-off | Strong social layer; phone verification adds a guest step. | Familiar and broad; ads or paid upgrades can affect the free flow. | Strongest design focus; cost and tracking vary by setup. | Built for headcounts; fewer designs and no social feed. |
Product behavior and pricing models were checked against official sources on August 22, 2026. Verify competitor pricing before sending a paid invitation.
Partiful's approach
Partiful is a free social invitation app, and it's the pick when the invite is part of the fun. Guests can see who's in when the host leaves the guest list visible, the host can send text blasts, and reminders go out automatically. That suits birthdays, house parties, and any night where the guest list itself builds momentum.
The trade-off is the RSVP step: a phone number and a texted code. Fine for a friend group that already plans by text. Heavier for a class party, where parents may be replying to a host they've never met.
- A house party where friends forward the link and a growing guest list sells the night.
- A birthday for a crowd that wants to see who else is going before committing.
- Any event where you'd rather send a text blast than manage a contact list.
Evite's approach
Evite is the name many guests already recognize, and the workflow is the classic one: pick a design, send by email or text, track replies, remind, and message the list from one place. That head start counts when your guests span generations.
The free experience can include ads, and upgrades such as ad removal and an RSVP-by date are paid. The platform also centers on an email-style invitation, which may be more than you need if you plan to drop a link into a group chat.
- A milestone birthday or retirement where older relatives expect an email invitation.
- A themed party where a specific template sets the tone before anyone reads the details.
- A guest list you'll message more than once, with reminders handled for you.
Paperless Post's approach
Paperless Post is strongest when presentation leads. It pairs premium templates with RSVP tracking, reminders, co-hosting, multi-channel sending, and ad-free invites. If the invitation should feel like digital stationery, this is the tool built for it.
Two things to plan around. Design choices can become the bulk of the work, and the sending method changes what you can see: direct sends track sent, opened, viewed, and RSVP statuses, while a shared link doesn't report opens and views the same way.
- A shower, engagement party, or formal dinner where the invitation doubles as a keepsake.
- A host who wants to know who has opened the invitation, not only who has replied.
- An event with a co-host who should see the same tracking you do.
Hejmo's approach
Hejmo is built for a different job: knowing who's coming without chasing replies. Each family or group gets its own private invite link that already lists the people in it. Whoever opens it answers for everyone in two taps, you watch the headcount update live, and Hejmo writes a ready-to-send nudge for anyone who hasn't replied.
That fits kids' birthdays, family reunions, school events, and dinner parties where people come as households. Guests don't need an account, an app, or phone verification, and there are no ads. Hejmo is free for unlimited events. Plus is optional: $12 for one event adds invitation styles, a cover photo, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions. You don't need it to collect RSVPs.
- A kids' birthday where each classmate's parent answers for their own family.
- A family reunion where one relative replies for a carload of cousins.
- A parent group or class event where a public-looking event page would feel wrong.
The simplest rule
Want buzz? Pick the most social tool. Want a formal look? Pick the most design-forward one. Need an accurate private headcount? Pick the tool that invites people the way they attend: as families and groups.
Decision guide by event type
Most hosts don't need the perfect tool. They need the one that fixes the awkward part of their event.
Down to two? Compare them directly: Partiful vs Evite, Partiful vs Paperless Post, or Evite vs Paperless Post.
- House party or casual birthday with lots of friend sharing: Partiful.
- Classic online invitation where guests expect email or text reminders: Evite.
- Baby shower, milestone party, formal dinner, or design-forward invite: Paperless Post.
- Kids' birthday, family reunion, school event, or private dinner where each family answers together: Hejmo.
- Public or ticketed event: consider Luma or Eventbrite instead of any private-invite tool.
Sources checked
We check comparisons and advice against primary or reputable sources, then write from Hejmo's point of view.
- Partiful homepage
Verified Partiful positioning around free online invitations, RSVP tracking, text blasts, reminders, and broad sharing.
- Partiful RSVP help
Verified that Partiful asks guests for name and phone number and uses a texted verification code for RSVP.
- Partiful pricing help
Verified that the core platform is free, premium invite designs and Peek are optional paid features, and paid ticketing carries a fee.
- Partiful Peek help
Verified that Peek is an optional paid feature for viewing event details before RSVPing.
- Evite homepage
Verified Evite positioning around online invitations, RSVP tracking, reminders, guest messaging, email, text, and links.
- Evite pricing help
Verified that some Evite upgrades, including ad removal and RSVP-by date, are paid features.
- Evite text invitation RSVP help
Verified that replying to a texted Evite requires an email address.
- Evite Premium pricing
Verified the current single-invitation packages and Evite Pro annual price.
- Paperless Post homepage
Verified Paperless Post positioning around design, RSVP tracking, reminders, co-hosting, text/email/link sending, and no ads.
- Paperless Post tracking statuses
Verified the difference between direct-send tracking and share-link distribution.
- Paperless Post pricing
Verified the current free allowance and per-guest paid tiers.
Questions
Which invite app should I use?
Choose Partiful for a social event page, Evite for familiar invitation workflows, Paperless Post for stationery-style design, or Hejmo for private family links and an accurate headcount.
Which invite app is best for design-first invitations?
Paperless Post is the strongest fit when stationery-style design matters most. Evite is the more familiar general-purpose option, and Partiful is the more social one.
Which invite app is best for kids' birthday RSVPs?
Pick a tool that counts people, not reply rows. Hejmo gives each family one private link, lets a parent answer for their kids, and shows the host a live headcount.
Which invite app is best if guests shouldn't create accounts?
Hejmo. Guests answer in two taps without an account, app, or phone verification, which suits parent, family, school, and other private events.
More RSVP guides
Comparisons
Free Evite with RSVP: What's Free, What's Not, and Alternatives
A free Evite can work fine. What decides it: ads, whether you can set an RSVP-by date, how many steps guests take to reply, and whether the count matches real people.
Comparisons
Evite vs Paperless Post: Templates, Design, RSVP Tracking, and Cost
Evite is the familiar name with a big template catalog. Paperless Post is built around polished design. Hejmo is the simpler pick when you need to know which families are coming.
Comparisons
Partiful vs Evite: Price, RSVPs, and Guest Experience (2026)
Partiful is social and phone-verified. Evite is familiar and template-led. Compare the guest flow, the cost for one event, and the RSVP trade-offs before you send.
Planning a private family or group event?
Hejmo gives every family its own private link, lets guests answer in two taps without an account, and rolls every reply into one live headcount. It's free for unlimited events. For $12, you can upgrade one event to Plus for invitation styles, a cover photo, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions.
Free · No ads · No guest accounts