Punchbowl vs Evite
Punchbowl needs a monthly membership to send and counts every person toward its limits; Evite is free with ads or paid per party. Here they are side by side, with letsparty as a third column.
From each one’s own pages, checked October 25, 2026. Sources are at the bottom.
The short version
- Punchbowl: licensed character designs, for frequent senders.
- Evite: free with ads, or one payment per party.
- letsparty: free for small parties, no ads, priced per invitation not per person.
What one party costs
| Invitations | letsparty | Punchbowl | Evite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Free | A membership from $2.99 a month (Plus, up to 50 people); no free plan | Free with ads; $17.99 without (Premium Silver, up to 12 guests) |
| 30 | $29 (Party) | A membership from $2.99 a month (Plus, up to 50 people); no free plan | Free with ads; $36.99 without (Premium Gold, up to 30 guests) |
| 50 | $29 (Party) | A membership from $2.99 a month (Plus, up to 50 people); no free plan | Free with ads; $68.99 without (Premium Platinum, up to 75 guests) |
| 100 | $29 (Party) | A membership from $4.99 a month (Premium, up to 100 people); no free plan | Free with ads; $99.99 without (Premium Diamond, up to 750 guests) |
letsparty counts invitations: one per household or couple, however many people are on it. Punchbowl counts every person, so a family of four is four. letsparty’s launch prices are being finalized.
Where letsparty is different
From Punchbowl
- Texts come from your own phone number, so guests see a name they know. Punchbowl texts from its own number.
- No ads on any invite, free ones included. Punchbowl’s free invitations show ads.
- Priced per invitation, not per person: a family of four on one invite counts once. Punchbowl counts every person.
- A free plan for small parties (up to 15 invitations). Punchbowl has no free plan for sending.
From Evite
- Texts come from your own phone number, so guests see a name they know. Evite texts from its own number.
- No ads on any invite, free ones included. Evite’s free invitations show ads.
Where Punchbowl and Evite are better
Punchbowl
- Exclusive Disney and kids' character designs that parents search for by name
- Mature party tooling: adults, children and infants tracking, potluck, polls, gift registry and money collection
- Low monthly entry price for unlimited events during a busy party season
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Evite
- Household-name brand that guests already recognize in their inbox
- Large catalog (about 4,600 invitation listings)
- Free tier goes up to 750 guests per invitation (with ads)
- Free photo sharing and potluck sign-ups, plus a separate SignUp Sheets product
- Evite Pro ($249.99/yr) is cheap per event for frequent hosts, schools and clubs
Sending, and what guests need
| letsparty | Punchbowl | Evite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A free plan | Yes Up to 15 invitations a party. | No No permanent free plan for sending new invitations. New customers can send free during the 7-day trial. After canceling, the free iOS/Android app can still manage an existing event. | Yes Free designs only, up to 750 guests per invitation, shows ads, and gift suggestions are included automatically. Picking any Premium element (envelope, liner, stamp, background, effect, upload-your-own design) on a free design turns it into a paid Premium invitation. |
| Ads on free invitations | No | Yes There is no free tier, but Plus and Premium invitations show ads; only Platinum and Business remove them for host and guests. | Yes Evite lists 'No ads' as a Premium-only feature; free invitations also include gift suggestions automatically. |
| 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. | Its own number (or paste the link yourself) Texts come from Punchbowl's own number. WhatsApp and Facebook invites are also supported. The shareable link needs a paid membership, and a custom link needs Platinum. | Its own number (or paste the link yourself) Text invitations go out from Evite's short code 296-94 (US and Canada only, and each number needs a name). The free shareable link can be pasted into the host's own texts or social posts. Read receipts don't work for link sends. |
| Invitations by email | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guests need an app | No | No Punchbowl help: guests don't need an account to RSVP. | No Evite help: no account is needed to RSVP; the link is enough. An account is needed to RSVP from the app. |
| Guests sign up or verify to answer | No Each household’s own link already knows who they are. | No Punchbowl help: guests don't need an account to RSVP. | No Evite help: no account is needed to RSVP; the link is enough. An account is needed to RSVP from the app. |
Features side by side
“Not confirmed” means we couldn’t find it on their pages, not that it’s missing.
| letsparty | Punchbowl | Evite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSVPs tracked as they come in | Yes Sent, opened and answered, for every household. | Yes Includes who viewed the invitation | Yes Includes read receipts for invitations sent by email or text |
| A meal choice for each person | Yes A question beside each name, with choices like “Chicken, Fish, Veggie”. | Not confirmed Not found | Partly The Poll feature can ask a meal question at RSVP, answered once per RSVP; per-person meal choice isn't documented |
| Kids counted on their own | Yes Asked on every RSVP unless you turn it off. | Yes 'Track adults, children, and infants' setting | Yes 'Family headcount' splits the RSVP into adults and children |
| Plus-ones limited or off | Yes How many guests each invitation can bring, or none, and a plus-one for one guest alone. | Yes Host can turn off added guests or set how many each guest may bring | Yes Sets the max additional guests per RSVP (up to +9); one setting applies to the whole list |
| A head-count limit and waitlist | Yes · Party plan Past the limit, yeses join a waitlist you let in. | Partly RSVP limit stops 'Yes' replies once reached; no waitlist found | Partly An event capacity closes RSVPs once reached; no waitlist was found |
| Reminders and nudges | Yes A “can you make it?” email before the RSVP date and a reminder before the party. | Yes Multiple reminders can be set; guests receive event reminders | Yes Automatic reminder 2 days before the event or RSVP deadline; up to 5 scheduled reminders, sent by email or SMS; reminder text can't be customized |
| A date poll | Yes Guests mark the dates that work; you pick, and the poll turns into the RSVP. | Not confirmed General guest poll only (Premium and Platinum); no date poll found | Not confirmed Only a general one-question Poll; no date-finding poll was found |
| Co-hosts | Yes Plan together in a shared group with one address book, or add a co-host to one party. | Yes Premium and Platinum | Yes Co-hosts get admin access but can't remove the primary host |
| A what-to-bring sign-up | Yes · Party plan A sign-up with limits, and write-ins. | Yes Potluck list on the invitation | Yes Built-in 'Event Sign-ups' list; there is also a separate SignUp Sheets product |
| Guests’ photos in one place | Yes · Party plan A photo wall from a table QR code, with a slideshow. | Not confirmed Not found | Yes Photo Share lets hosts and guests upload photos on Free, Premium and Pro invitations (on by default for Premium and Pro) |
| Guest comments or a wall | Yes · Party plan Notes from guests before the party. | Partly One-on-one guest chat and broadcast announcements | Partly Guests can leave a note with their RSVP that shows on the guest list; the host can message guests |
| Your own photo on the card | Yes Photo designs put your picture on the card. | Yes Photo-enabled designs take an uploaded photo | Partly Upload-your-own-design templates are Premium (paid); photo design templates exist |
| 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. | Partly Envelope liner and stamp can be customized; animation not confirmed | Yes Premium: envelopes, liners, stamps, and animated effects and reveals |
| Designs | 334 On the design wall today, each one a live invite you can open. | Not confirmed Punchbowl says 'hundreds of free online invitations'; exclusive Disney and character collections | 4,588 'All Invitations' listing showed 4,588 results on 2026-10-25 |
| Save-the-dates | Yes Save-the-date designs and a save-the-date start in the planner. | Yes Save the Dates (can be converted to an invitation) | Yes Wedding Shop includes save the dates |
| 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 Multi-day events supported; multiple sub-events under one invite not found | Not confirmed Not found; Evite sells separate invitations per wedding event (shower, rehearsal dinner, and so on) |
| 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 found | Not confirmed No wedding website product was found; the Wedding Shop is invitations only |
| Thank-yous | Yes · Party plan A thank-you message to everyone who came; thank-you cards in your designs with the Host Pass. | Partly Digital Cards product (separate membership) | Yes Through Evite Greeting Cards (separate product); Evite Pro covers 'post-wedding thank yous' |
| Guests confirm their address | Yes Guests confirm their own address and phone. | Not confirmed Not found | Not confirmed Not found |
| Printed invitations | No Digital only. | Not confirmed Not found | Partly Host can print the design at home with a QR code or link (desktop only); Evite doesn't sell printed cards |
| Add to calendar | Yes Apple, Google and Outlook, plus a feed that keeps every party current. | Yes Help article on adding an invitation to your calendar | Yes A calendar icon on the invitation adds the event to the guest's calendar |
Sources
Punchbowl
- Plan names, list and shown prices, guest limits, features, trial, ads FAQ (A/B variant 'Challenger 1') (2026-10-25)
- Paid membership required for new events (2026-10-25)
- Annual plans charged for the full year up front (2026-10-25)
- Ads removed only on Platinum or Business (2026-10-25)
- Texts sent from Punchbowl's own number (2026-10-25)
- No guest account needed (2026-10-25)
- Share link needs a paid membership (2026-10-25)
- Adults, children, infants tracking (2026-10-25)
- Plus-one controls (2026-10-25)
- RSVP limit (2026-10-25)
- Poll feature (2026-10-25)
- Potluck, co-host, reminders, registry, money collection articles (2026-10-25)
- Own photo on design (2026-10-25)
- Envelope liner and stamp customization (2026-10-25)
Evite
- Premium package prices, guest limits, Evite Pro price (2026-10-25)
- Free vs Premium feature table (No ads is Premium-only) (2026-10-25)
- Premium feature list; digital only, not a printed product (2026-10-25)
- Premium elements on a free design trigger the Premium charge; gifting links auto-included on free (2026-10-25)
- 750-guest free limit, 2,500 on Pro (2026-10-25)
- Texts sent from short code 296-94, US/Canada only (2026-10-25)
- Shareable link (2026-10-25)
- No account needed to RSVP; adults/children split; +9 cap; RSVP note (2026-10-25)
- Family headcount (adults vs children) (2026-10-25)
- Plus-one limit (2026-10-25)
- Event capacity (2026-10-25)
- Reminder schedule (2026-10-25)
- Poll feature (2026-10-25)
- Co-hosts (2026-10-25)
- Event Sign-ups (what-to-bring list) (2026-10-25)
- Photo sharing on all tiers (2026-10-25)
- Upload-your-own design is Premium (2026-10-25)
- Print at home with QR code (2026-10-25)
- Add to calendar (2026-10-25)
- Evite Pro positioning (unlimited events, 2,500 guests, wedding thank-yous covered) (2026-10-25)
- Wedding Shop: save the dates and per-event wedding invitations (2026-10-25)
- Design count (4,588 results) (2026-10-25)
Punchbowl and Evite are trademarks of their owners; letsparty isn’t affiliated with them. 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.