Free save the date platforms such as Zola, The Knot and Joy cost nothing per guest but stop at the card, while paid ones charge every time you send: on October 14, 2026, Paperless Post priced 100 guests at $46 a card on Basic and $85 on Premium, and Greenvelope at €99 per mailing for up to 100 people, so a save the date plus an invitation roughly doubles it. The Private Wedding App takes another route: it has no separate save-the-date card, and you send your invitation link itself early, with its cinematic opening, schedule, travel notes and RSVP, which then runs your whole wedding plan from the same guest list, for $19.99/month or $189 once with no per-guest fees. 3-day free trial.
A save the date has one job: make sure people keep the day free and book their travel. Free platforms do that well enough, with limits on how they send and what you can track. Paid platforms charge per guest or per mailing, and the bill grows each time you send again to the same people, first the save the date, then the invitation, sometimes a reminder. I read the pricing pages of ten platforms on October 14, 2026, priced a 100-guest wedding on the two that couples compare most, Greenvelope and Paperless Post, and set them next to The Private Wedding App, where the invitation link itself goes out early and stays the same link through the RSVP and the wedding day.
A note on method: every price and feature below was read on the platform's own pricing page, product page or help center on October 14, 2026. My location showed Greenvelope, Canva and Greetings Island in euros, so those prices are in euros; Greenvelope's own page also says its mailings start at $19. Basic Invite could not be checked and is left out. I priced each paid platform for 100 guests, because per-guest pricing drops as the list grows and the 50-guest figures most articles quote are the highest rate.
At a glanceSide-by-side comparison
| Platform | Free option | Paid price | How it sends | Limits on the free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Private Wedding App | 3-day free trial | $19.99/mo or $189 once, any guest count, full planner | Your link by WhatsApp, text or email, printable QR card | No separate save-the-date card, the invitation goes out early |
| Paperless Post | Free designs, first 50 sends free | 100 guests: $0.46 (Basic) to $1.20 (All Access) per guest per card | Email, text or shareable link | Past 50 sends, $0.37 a guest |
| Greenvelope | Trial up to 10 people | €99 per mailing up to 100 people, or €225 a year | Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, link | 10 people only |
| Evite | Free designs | $99.99 per event up to 750 guests, Pro $249.99 a year | Email, text or shareable link | Upgrades sold per event |
| Zola | Free digital save the dates | Paper from $0.99 a card | Copy the link or download the image and send it yourself | No sending or open tracking described |
| The Knot | 86 free digital designs | Not applicable | Shareable link by email or text | Open tracking not described |
| Joy | Basic digital cards free | Premium digital, price not shown | Link, or emails sent by Joy with opens | Premium only in some countries |
| Minted | No digital save the dates | Paper only | Printed and mailed | Not applicable |
| Canva | Free plan | Pro €110 a year | You download and send the file | No RSVP or guest list |
| Punchbowl | 7-day free trial | From $2.99 to $11.99 a month, by guest tier | Text or email | Free only during the trial |
| Greetings Island | Most features free | €25.49 a year or €3.29 a month | Email or QR code | Watermark on free designs |
Checked October 14, 2026 on each platform's own pages. Paperless Post: paperlesspost.com/pricing (Free $0, Basic $0.50, Premium $1.05, All Access $1.44 per guest per event at 50 guests; at 100 guests the calculator showed $0.37, $0.46, $0.85 and $1.20; "the first 50 invitations sent via email or phone number ... can be sent without purchase"; Paperless Pro $250 a year for 250 guests, each guest counted once per event). Greenvelope: greenvelope.com/pricing ("a flat one-time amount for each mailing ... starting at $19", shown to me in euros: €99 up to 100 people, Unlimited Mailings membership €225 a year up to 150 people per mailing, trial up to 10 people). Evite: its help center premium pricing page. Zola: its digital save the date product page and FAQ. The Knot: theknot.com digital save the date cards. Joy: its save the date page and help article on digital cards. Minted: its save the dates FAQ ("we don't currently offer digital save the dates"). Canva: canva.com/pricing (in euros). Punchbowl: punchbowl.com/upgrade. Greetings Island: its premium page (in euros). Prices change, so check before you buy.
Review 01Paperless Post
Review 02Greenvelope
Review 03Zola and The Knot
Review 04Joy
Review 05Evite and Punchbowl
Review 06Minted, Canva and Greetings Island
Review 07The Private Wedding App
The invitation below is live. Click around and see exactly what your guests will experience:
VerdictWhich app should you use?
It depends on what you're optimising for:
If you want the first thing guests receive to be the link they will use until the wedding day, The Private Wedding App sends your invitation early and keeps the RSVP, schedule and planning on that same link.
If you want a separate save-the-date card at no cost, Zola, The Knot and Joy have free digital designs, with sending and tracking limited as shown above.
The paid card services price every send: Greenvelope per mailing and Paperless Post per guest per card, and both charge again for the invitation, with no guest list, seating or budget behind the card.
See how guests open the link in the live demo wedding, read when to send save the dates and invitations, then start the free trial.
01Greenvelope vs Paperless Post pricing, for 100 guests
Both are paid per send, but they count differently. Paperless Post charges per guest per event, in Coins, and the rate drops as the list grows. Greenvelope charges a flat amount per mailing, set by the size of the list. Here is the same 100-guest wedding on both, a save the date plus an invitation, as their pricing pages showed on October 14, 2026. Greenvelope was shown to me in euros.
Two things to know before reading the totals. On Paperless Post, only the first 50 sends are free, and its page does not say whether that is per card or once, so the Free row assumes each card is priced at its 100-guest rate. On Greenvelope, its FAQ treats a save the date as its own mailing and each card version as a separate single mailing.
02Free vs paid: what you actually give up
Free save the dates cost nothing because the work moves to you. On the free platforms above, you often copy the link and send it yourself, cannot see who opened it, and have nothing connected to your guest list. Paid platforms add sending, open rates and replies, then charge again for the invitation.
If you use The Private Wedding App, set up your guest list once and send the invitation link early as your save the date: guests see the date and the travel details now, and the RSVP, meals and seating build up on the same guest list as answers come in.
- Free: a design and a link, sent by you
- Paid per send: sending, tracking, then a new charge for the invitation
- One invitation link: the date now, the RSVP on the same link, the planning behind it
- Paper guests: print a QR card that opens the link
- Guests in other languages: up to three languages on one link
See it for yourself.
Explore the whole platform: cinematic invitation, RSVP with meals and allergies, guest list, seating chart, budget, vendors, checklist, moodboard, photo sharing and the AI planner. No account needed.
Try the full planner →What are the best free save the date platforms?
If you want the save the date to become your invitation and RSVP, The Private Wedding App lets you send your invitation link early, with no per-guest fees, for $19.99/month or $189 once. 3-day free trial. For a separate free card: Zola's digital save the dates are free but you share the link or image yourself, The Knot has 86 free designs without open tracking described, and Joy's basic cards are free with opens shown only on emails Joy sends.
Greenvelope vs Paperless Post: which is cheaper?
The Private Wedding App has no per-send price at all: $19.99/month or $189 once for the invitation link and the full planner. Between the two, for 100 guests on October 14, 2026, both charge again for every card: Paperless Post at $18.50 (Free designs), $46 (Basic), $85 (Premium) or $120 (All Access) a card, and Greenvelope at €99 a mailing. A save the date plus an invitation comes to $37 to $240 on Paperless Post, or $250 a year on Paperless Pro, and €198 on Greenvelope, or €225 a year on its membership.
How much does Paperless Post cost for a save the date?
Its pricing page lists Free $0, Basic $0.50, Premium $1.05 and All Access $1.44 per guest per event at 50 guests, with the first 50 sends free, and lower rates as the list grows: at 100 guests, $0.37, $0.46, $0.85 and $1.20. Paperless Pro is $250 a year for 250 guests. A save the date and an invitation are two events.
How much does Greenvelope cost?
Greenvelope charges a flat one-time amount per mailing, starting at $19 and set by the size of your list. Shown in euros on October 14, 2026, up to 100 people was €99 per mailing, and the Unlimited Mailings membership €225 a year for up to 150 people per mailing. The free trial covers 10 people.
Are digital save the dates free?
On some platforms. Zola, The Knot and Joy's basic cards are free digital designs. Paperless Post's first 50 sends are free. Greenvelope's trial covers 10 people. Minted does not offer digital save the dates. On The Private Wedding App, the invitation link you send early is part of the planner, $19.99/month or $189 once.
Does The Private Wedding App make save the dates?
It has no separate save-the-date card. Couples send the invitation link itself early: guests see the date, venues, schedule and travel notes, and can RSVP on the same link before your deadline. A printable QR card opens it from a paper save the date.
Is it worth paying for a save the date?
Pay for what you will use. Paid platforms add sending and open tracking, then charge again for the invitation. If you plan to send a digital invitation anyway, sending that one link early, as on The Private Wedding App, avoids paying twice.
Can I send a save the date by WhatsApp or text?
Yes. The Private Wedding App invitation link sends by WhatsApp, text or email. Greenvelope sends by WhatsApp, SMS in supported countries and Messenger on paid mailings; Paperless Post and Evite by email, text or link, charged per guest or per event above their free options; Zola by copying the link and sending it yourself.
Can I track who opened my save the date?
The Private Wedding App tracks answers rather than opens: who has replied, to which event, with meals and allergies, live in your guest list. Open tracking elsewhere comes with conditions: Greenvelope shows open rates on mailings paid per send, Joy only on emails Joy sends for you, and Paperless Post lists real-time analytics on its $250-a-year Pro plan. Zola and The Knot do not describe open tracking on the pages I read.
When should I send save the dates?
Usually six to twelve months before the wedding, and eight to twelve months for a destination wedding so guests can book flights. If your invitation link is already set up on The Private Wedding App, you can send it then and update the details on the same link later.
Do I need both a save the date and an invitation?
No. A save the date is a courtesy for weddings with travel or busy dates. Many couples send one digital invitation early with the full details and a later RSVP deadline. On The Private Wedding App that is one link, so guests never have two to keep track of.
Does Minted have digital save the dates?
Minted's own FAQ says it does not currently offer digital save the dates; it sells printed ones. The Private Wedding App gives you a printable QR card that opens your digital invitation, so a paper save the date can lead to the live link.