letsparty vs Apple Invites
Apple Invites is built into the iPhone: free to use if you pay for iCloud+, sent from your own Messages, with a shared photo album. letsparty needs no subscription, and it’s built around what a family party needs: one invite per household, kids counted on their own, a what-to-bring list and nudges.
From each one’s own pages, checked October 25, 2026. Sources are at the bottom.
The short version
- Pick Apple Invites if you and your guests live on iPhones and you already pay for iCloud+.
- Pick letsparty for meal choices by name, a head-count limit with a waitlist, a what-to-bring list, or an address book you reuse every party.
What one party costs
| Invitations | letsparty | Apple Invites |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Free | Free to use with iCloud+, from $0.99 a month |
| 30 | $29 (Party) | Free to use with iCloud+, from $0.99 a month |
| 50 | $29 (Party) | Free to use with iCloud+, from $0.99 a month |
| 100 | $29 (Party) | Free to use with iCloud+, from $0.99 a month |
letsparty counts invitations: one per household or couple, however many people are on it. letsparty’s launch prices are being finalized.
Where letsparty is different
- A free plan for small parties (up to 15 invitations). Apple Invites has no free plan for sending.
Where Apple Invites is better
- Built by Apple and part of iPhone; hosts trust it and may already pay for iCloud+
- Native Messages integration: invites come from the host's own phone
- Shared Photos albums and Apple Music playlists
- 4.7 stars from about 22K App Store ratings
Sending, and what guests need
| letsparty | Apple Invites | |
|---|---|---|
| A free plan | Yes Up to 15 invitations a party. | No Hosts must pay for iCloud+ (from $0.99/month). Guests pay nothing. Collaborative playlists need Apple Music. |
| Ads on free invitations | No | Not confirmed Not stated |
| Texts are sent from | Your own phone One tap sends them all from an iPhone after a one-time setup, or one at a time from any phone. | Your own phone Public link shared through Messages, Mail or any app; per-person one-time links ('Invite Individuals'); email invites from the app; invitation links can be added inside Messages conversations. Apple's guide lists no service-number SMS. |
| Invitations by email | Yes | Yes |
| Guests need an app | No | No Guests can RSVP on iCloud.com from any device. Without an Apple Account they verify by email code, and they can't add to the shared album or playlist. |
| Guests sign up or verify to answer | No Each household’s own link already knows who they are. | No Guests can RSVP on iCloud.com from any device. Without an Apple Account they verify by email code, and they can't add to the shared album or playlist. |
Features side by side
“Not confirmed” means we couldn’t find it on their pages, not that it’s missing.
| letsparty | Apple Invites | |
|---|---|---|
| RSVPs tracked as they come in | Yes Sent, opened and answered, for every household. | Yes Going, Not Going or Maybe; host can manually add guests and set their RSVP |
| A meal choice for each person | Yes A question beside each name, with choices like “Chicken, Fish, Veggie”. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Kids counted on their own | Yes Asked on every RSVP unless you turn it off. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Plus-ones limited or off | Yes How many guests each invitation can bring, or none, and a plus-one for one guest alone. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| A head-count limit and waitlist | Yes · Party plan Past the limit, yeses join a waitlist you let in. | Partly 'Approve Guests' lets the host approve or deny requests; no cap or waitlist documented |
| Reminders and nudges | Yes A “can you make it?” email before the RSVP date and a reminder before the party. | Not confirmed Host can send notes to guests; automatic reminders not documented |
| A date poll | Yes Guests mark the dates that work; you pick, and the poll turns into the RSVP. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Co-hosts | Yes Plan together in a shared group with one address book, or add a co-host to one party. | Yes 'Add a cohost' in Apple's guide |
| A what-to-bring sign-up | Yes · Party plan A sign-up with limits, and write-ins. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Guests’ photos in one place | Yes · Party plan A photo wall from a table QR code, with a slideshow. | Yes Shared Photos album that guests with an Apple Account can add to |
| Guest comments or a wall | Yes · Party plan Notes from guests before the party. | Partly RSVP notes are visible to the host and other guests |
| Your own photo on the card | Yes Photo designs put your picture on the card. | Yes Photo or camera background, preset backgrounds, or Image Playground AI image |
| An invite that opens like an envelope | Yes Every invite opens like an envelope with their name on it; other openings (a wax-sealed letter, a gift box, French doors) are on the Party plan. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Designs | 334 On the design wall today, each one a live invite you can open. | Not confirmed Preset emoji, photo and color backgrounds; no template catalog |
| Save-the-dates | Yes Save-the-date designs and a save-the-date start in the planner. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Several events on one invite | Yes · Host Pass plan Make it a weekend: each guest gets one link to the parties they’re invited to, and answers each one. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| A wedding website | Yes · Wedding plan Your story, every event, travel, the registry and questions, with an optional password; guests RSVP on their own invites. | Not confirmed Not offered as far as documented |
| Thank-yous | Yes · Party plan A thank-you message to everyone who came; thank-you cards in your designs with the Host Pass. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Guests confirm their address | Yes Guests confirm their own address and phone. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Printed invitations | No Digital only. | Not confirmed Not documented |
| Add to calendar | Yes Apple, Google and Outlook, plus a feed that keeps every party current. | Not confirmed Not documented in the guide |
Questions
Is Apple Invites free?
The app is free, but hosting needs an iCloud+ subscription (from $0.99 a month). Guests answer for free, even without an Apple Account.
Can Android users RSVP to Apple Invites?
Yes, on iCloud.com in any browser, confirming by email code if they don’t have an Apple Account.
Sources
Apple Invites
- iCloud+ needed to host; guests free; Apple Account optional; feature list including cohost (2026-10-25)
- Backgrounds (photo, Image Playground), shared album, playlist, links (2026-10-25)
- Public link, Invite Individuals, email invites, Approve Guests, Messages integration (2026-10-25)
- Guest RSVP on iCloud.com without an Apple Account; notes visible to others (2026-10-25)
- US iCloud+ monthly prices (2026-10-25)
- Free app, iCloud+ requirement, ratings, version 1.12.1 (2026-10-25)
Apple Invites is a trademark of its owner; letsparty isn’t affiliated with it. Prices and features change: check their sites before you choose. See something out of date? Write to invites@letsparty.rsvp and we’ll fix it.