The Digital Envelope vs Paperless Post
Paperless Post is the biggest name in online invitations, with more than a thousand wedding designs and licensed collections from Oscar de la Renta and Rifle Paper Co. We make thirty animated invitations and charge once. Here is how the two actually differ.
5 things where we come out ahead
| Our pickThe Digital Envelope | Paperless Post | |
|---|---|---|
| Seating chart | Built into the dashboard at no extra cost: add tables, tap a table and tick who sits there, families stay together, children marked, meals and allergies shown per table, seat households that have not replied yet, and print three sheets (by table, alphabetical for the door, by meal for the kitchen). Guests never see it. | No seating chart tool found. Paperless Pro guest tags (for example "Table 10") can label guests by table or meal. |
| Animation and music | Every design is an animated scene: the envelope opens, the scene moves, and the music starts when the guest breaks the seal. Signature picks the song from a library of 20. | The card slides out of an envelope with a liner, stamp and backdrop. The designs themselves are still images. Their help center says cards cannot include music, video or GIFs. |
| Photos | Your own photograph on the first screen (Signature). A gallery of your photos (4 on Classic, 8 on Signature). Guest photo album, open from the wedding morning to the end of the second day after: $29.99, included with Signature. | Photo designs and a photo gallery block. Guests can add photos and well wishes when they RSVP. |
| How long it stays online | Through the wedding day and for a year after; longer on request. | Not stated on their site. |
| Refunds | Seven days, full refund, as long as the link has not been sent to guests. If the fault is ours, the seven days do not apply. | Coin purchases are not refundable, whether used or not, and not transferable. Subscription payments are final. |
The rows where we come out ahead, side by side.
Everything in the Paperless Post column was read on www.paperlesspost.com/pricing on September 11, 2026. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, write to hello@thedigitalenvelope.com. We usually reply the same day, and always within 48 hours.
Where The Digital Envelope is the better choice
- A seating chart built into the dashboard, from the same list the replies came into, printed in three sheets. Paperless Post offers guest tags.
- The invitation itself moves: an animated scene with music on every design, not a still card in an animated envelope.
- One price per invitation: Classic $99 for up to 100 guests, Signature $199 with no limit, and it does not change if your list grows.
- The reply is on the invitation, one per household, with meals and allergies as standard fields.
- A guest photo album with a defined window around the wedding day.
- A stated life of a year after the wedding, and a seven-day full refund before the link goes out.
Three of the thirty, as your guests would see them
If you only read one paragraph
If you want the widest choice of classic stationery designs and a small list, Paperless Post is the safer pick and often the cheaper one. If you want the invitation to be an experience, with a moving scene, music and the reply on the page, and you would rather pay once than per guest, that is what we make.
What couples ask about Paperless Post and us
Is Paperless Post free for wedding invitations?
The first 50 invitations on free designs can be sent without paying. Paid designs, envelopes and liners cost coins, priced per guest.
Can I add music on Paperless Post?
Their help center says online cards cannot include music, video or GIFs. Every one of our designs has its own music, started by the guest.
Which is cheaper?
For a short list on a free or basic design, Paperless Post. For a long list, one payment of $99 (up to 100 guests) or $199 (no limit) is usually less than per-guest coins.