Punchbowl vs Paperless Post: which is better for a wedding?
Written by the Wedvite foundersPrices checked 15 September 2026
Wedvite's list price is $89. This code brings it to $49, applied automatically at checkout:
Paperless Post suits a one-off wedding: no ads, the first 50 invitations free, and Premium at $1.05 per guest for the envelope. Punchbowl suits a year of events: one membership, from $7.99/month for up to 500 guests without ads, and WhatsApp sending that Paperless Post lacks. Wedvite is $89 once for unlimited guests.
How do Punchbowl and Paperless Post compare?
| Service | Price model | Cost for 100 guests | Free tier | RSVP | Animated envelope | WhatsApp / text delivery | Wedding website | Ads shown to guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punchbowl | Subscription by guest cap, from $3.99/month (50 guests) up to $39.99/month (5,000 guests); 7-day trial, no free tier | From $5.99/month (Premium, the lowest tier covering 100 guests); from $7.99/month ad-free (Platinum) | Partly — 7-day trial only, card on file | Yes | Yes | Yes — email, text and WhatsApp | No — the link opens the invitation | Yes — unless Platinum or Business |
| Paperless Post | Coins per recipient, $0.50 to $1.44 per guest by feature set; first 50 invitations free | ≤ $105 Premium (≤ $50 Basic, ≤ $144 All Access) — upper bounds, not a checkout total | Yes — first 50 invitations, plain card | Yes | Yes — Premium set and above | Partly — text in the US and Canada; WhatsApp sending not yet available | Partly — an Event Page, not a standalone site | No |
| Wedvite | $89 flat, paid once, unlimited guests, no per-guest fee | $89 | Partly — design free, share with your first 10 guests, pay once to publish | Yes — with a guest-messages dashboard | Yes — on every design | Yes — one link for WhatsApp, text or email | Partly — the invitation page carries map, schedule, RSVP and guest messages; no registry, no custom domain | No |
Competitor prices and features were read from the official pages on 15 September 2026: Punchbowl, Paperless Post. A cell reading "not verified on 15 September 2026" means the vendor's page did not state that figure on that date, so we leave it out rather than guess. Competitor prices are in US dollars; Wedvite's row is our own price in your currency. Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Who should pick which?
Pick Punchbowl if
you are hosting several events before the wedding and want them all on one plan, sent by email, text or WhatsApp. Choose Platinum (from $7.99/month, up to 500 guests per event) for the wedding itself, since Plus and Premium show ads to guests.
Pick Paperless Post if
you are sending one formal invitation and want it ad-free and paid once. A 50-guest Premium send with envelope, liner and stamp is $52.50, and the per-guest rate falls as the list grows.
Pick Wedvite if
you want an envelope, no ads and no meter at all: $89 once for unlimited guests, with RSVP, the venue map and the schedule on one link. It is built for the wedding invitation, so a shower or engagement party is a separate invitation.
How does Punchbowl's membership work?
Punchbowl sells memberships, not invitations. Each tier sets a guest cap per event and allows unlimited events: Plus up to 50 guests, Premium up to 100, Platinum up to 500 and Business up to 5,000. On 15 September 2026 the live page showed them from $3.99/month, from $5.99/month, from $7.99/month and from $39.99/month, each next to a struck-through price about twice as high.
The page does not publish the billing term behind those monthly figures, and the help centre says annual memberships are charged for the full year, so read the checkout before you commit. There is no free tier: Plus, Premium and Platinum begin with a 7-day trial that needs payment details.
How does Paperless Post charge?
Per guest, in Coins. The rates shown at 50 guests are $0.50 on Basic (no envelope), $1.05 on Premium (envelope, liner and stamp) and $1.44 on All Access, and they fall as the guest count rises. The first 50 invitations by email or phone number need no purchase, on a plain card. Paperless Pro is the subscription route: $250/year a year for 250 guests, $400/year for 500.
Which is cheaper for a 100-guest wedding?
Punchbowl: from $5.99/month on Premium, which allows exactly 100 guests per event but shows ads, or from $7.99/month on Platinum without ads, for as long as the membership runs. Paperless Post: at most $105 on Premium, paid per send, and less at checkout because the rate falls with volume. Wedvite: $89 once.
One month of Punchbowl is the smallest charge, but an invitation stays in use for months and the billing term is unpublished, so the real comparison depends on how long you keep the membership.
Do guests see ads?
On Paperless Post, never. On Punchbowl, ads are shown to hosts and guests unless the membership is Platinum or Business, so the fair ad-free comparison is Platinum against Paperless Post's Premium set.
Which sends on WhatsApp, and which has the envelope?
Punchbowl sends by email, text and WhatsApp, plus a shareable link, and lets you message individual guests. Paperless Post sends by email, by text to US and Canadian numbers and by link; its WhatsApp integration is for guests to RSVP and receive messages, and sending invitations there is not yet available.
Both animate an envelope: Punchbowl's plays once per guest, and Paperless Post's arrives with the Premium set. Neither has a wedding-website builder; a Punchbowl link opens the invitation, and Paperless Post's Event Page holds the extra blocks.
Which other comparisons are worth reading?
- All platform comparisons
- Best digital wedding invitations (round-up)
- Paperless Post alternatives
- Wedvite pricing
Wedvite wrote this page and sells one of the products compared. Every competitor figure links to the official page it was read from.
The questions everyone asks.
Is Punchbowl cheaper than Paperless Post?+
Does Punchbowl have ads?+
Does Paperless Post have a subscription?+
Which is better for a wedding, Punchbowl or Paperless Post?+
Is there an option with no membership and no per-guest fee?+
One link. Every guest.
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