Paperless Post Alternative: Invitations Built Into Your Party Plan

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Paperless Post is the premium standard for digital invitations. Designer collaborations with Kate Spade and Rifle Paper Co., stationery-inspired templates with custom envelopes and liners, and a completely ad-free guest experience—it looks and feels like a real paper invitation delivered by email or text. For formal events like weddings, showers, and galas, the design quality is hard to match.

The Gourmet Host Mobile App handles invitations too—send them via the app, email, or SMS, collect RSVPs, and automatically capture dietary preferences from guests—featuring 500+ premium recipes from Food & Wine, EatingWell, and Serious Eats, menu planning by course, and one-tap grocery list generation.

What Paperless Post does not do is help you plan what to serve, build a grocery list from your menu, assign tasks to co-hosts, or split costs after the event.

The Gourmet Host Mobile App does invitations at a single predictable price and also does the rest—no per-guest Coin math, no surprise charges, and no separate tools needed. The same app that sends the invitation plans the menu, generates the grocery list, and splits the costs.

Quick Verdict

Invitation design — Paperless Post offers thousands of premium designer templates with custom envelopes, liners, stamps, and backdrops. The Gourmet Host provides clean, functional event pages through the app.
RSVP tracking — Paperless Post tracks opens, deliveries, and RSVPs with analytics and guest check-in (Plus/Pro). The Gourmet Host tracks RSVPs in-app and automatically collects dietary preferences from guests.
Guest messaging — Paperless Post supports broadcast messages, automated reminders, and co-hosts. The Gourmet Host uses in-app notifications with co-hosting and event-based messaging on the roadmap.
Ad-free experience — Both platforms are completely ad-free across all tiers. Guests never see ads on either platform.
Menu planning — Paperless Post has no menu planning, recipe, or grocery list features. The Gourmet Host offers course-level menus, 500+ premium recipes, internet-wide search from inside the cookbook, and one-tap grocery lists.
Cost splitting — Paperless Post has no cost-splitting or expense tracking features. The Gourmet Host includes per-event expense tracking tied to your guest list.
Pricing — Paperless Post uses a Coin system where premium designs cost 2+ Coins per recipient, with packages from 25 Coins ($12) to 1,000 Coins ($140). The Gourmet Host offers a free tier, $4.99/month, or $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial.
Bottom line — Paperless Post is the premium choice for beautiful invitation design. The Gourmet Host does invitations and also does recipes, menu planning, grocery lists, dietary tracking, task delegation, and cost splitting in one place.

How the Features Compare

Paperless Post and The Gourmet Host solve different layers of the same problem: hosting a dinner party. Paperless Post is a best-in-class invitation platform that has built its reputation on design quality and a polished guest experience since 2008—thousands of templates, designer partnerships, and a stationery-inspired aesthetic that no competitor has matched.

The Gourmet Host covers the invitation step—invitations via app, email, and SMS with RSVP and automatic dietary preference collection—and layers in the four capabilities no invitation platform offers: 500+ premium recipes plus internet-wide search, course-level menu planning, grocery and shared task lists, and per-event cost splitting.

Paperless Post: Premium Invitation Design

Designer templates — thousands of designs including collaborations with Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co., and other premium designers
Stationery-inspired Cards — custom envelopes, envelope liners, stamps, and backdrops that replicate the look of traditional paper invitations
Flyer format — a lighter, modular event page option; free Flyers can be sent to up to 50 guests via email or shared as a link
Multi-channel delivery — send via email, text, or shareable link; guests can RSVP without downloading an app
RSVP tracking and analytics — real-time tracking of deliveries, opens, and responses; advanced analytics available with Plus or Pro
Guest surveys — collect dietary restrictions, meal preferences, and custom questions through open-ended, multiple-choice, or checkbox-style surveys (Plus/Pro)
Guest check-in — confirm attendance at the door with in-app check-in (Plus/Pro)
Co-host support — add co-hosts who can view RSVPs and guest details
Coin-based pricing — premium designs cost 2+ Coins per recipient; total cost scales with guest count and design complexity
No dinner party planning features — no menu planning, recipe management, grocery lists, task delegation, or cost splitting

The Gourmet Host: Invitations + Full Hosting Workflow

Invitations via app, email, and SMS — send invitations through multiple channels from inside the app
RSVP and dietary tracking — collect RSVPs and automatically capture dietary preferences and restrictions from each guest
Web-based guest access — guests without the app can view the menu and RSVP through a web link
Publisher recipe library — featuring 500+ premium recipes from Food & Wine, EatingWell, Serious Eats, and other leading publishers, plus internet-wide search from inside the app
Menu assembly by course — build multi-course menus and schedule them with event types (dinner party, brunch, potluck, supper club)
One-tap grocery lists — turn any menu into an organized shopping list
Task delegation — assign tasks to co-hosts or guests: buy wine, set the playlist, arrange flowers, or create custom tasks
Cost splitting — per-event expense tracking with line items and splitting across attendees
Flat pricing — $4.99/month or $29.99/year covers everything; no per-guest charges, no Coin math

Feature	The Gourmet Host	Paperless Post
Invitation design quality	Clean event pages via app	Premium designer templates (Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co.)
RSVP tracking	Yes — in-app with dietary capture	Yes — email/text with open tracking and analytics
Guest messaging / updates	Notification bell (in-app chat upcoming)	Broadcast messages via email and text
Ad-free guest experience	Yes — no ads	Yes — no ads on any tier
Menu planning integration	Yes — course-level menus with recipes	Not available
Grocery list generation	One-tap grocery lists from any menu	Not available
Cost splitting / payments	Per-event expense tracking and splitting	Not available
Pricing model	Free / $4.99/mo / $29.99/yr	Free (50 guests) / Coins per guest / Pro from $250/yr

Pricing

Paperless Post: Coins + Pro Subscription

Free tier — free designs with limited customization, sent to up to 50 email recipients; Flyers can be shared as a link at no cost
Coin system — premium designs cost 2+ Coins per recipient; packages range from 25 Coins ($12) to 1,000 Coins ($140) as of April 2026
Cost example — a premium invitation for 40 guests at 5 Coins per recipient requires 200 Coins ($46)
Paperless Post Plus — 200 Coins per event for advanced guest management tools including surveys, guest check-in, and custom URL
Paperless Pro — annual subscription starting at approximately $250/year for 250 guests; includes unlimited premium features and no per-event Coin charges
Nonprofit discount — 25% off all purchases for qualifying organizations

The Gourmet Host: Free + Premium

Free tier — browse and save from a library of 500+ premium publisher recipes at no cost
Premium monthly — $4.99/month with a 7-day free trial
Premium annual — $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial
Premium features — menu building, guest invitations via app/email/SMS, RSVP and dietary tracking, shared grocery and task lists, task delegation, and cost splitting
Available on iOS and Android — download from the App Store and Google Play

Paperless Post’s Coin system means your invitation cost scales with your guest count and design choices. A host who sends premium invitations to 40 guests four times a year could spend $180+ in Coins or commit to the ~$250/year Pro subscription.

The Gourmet Host at $29.99/year includes invitations, menu planning, grocery lists, and cost splitting at a single flat rate—no per-guest math.

If invitation design is the priority and you want designer-quality stationery for formal events, Paperless Post is an honest recommendation—the design quality is genuinely unmatched.

The value question shifts when you factor in the rest of the hosting workflow: the tools Paperless Post lacks (menu planning, grocery lists, task delegation, cost splitting) each require a separate app, and their combined cost typically exceeds The Gourmet Host’s annual subscription.

Which App Should You Choose?

Choose Paperless Post if:

Designer-quality invitation templates are your top priority and you want stationery-inspired aesthetics
You are hosting a formal event like a wedding, shower, or gala where the invitation design is part of the experience
You want advanced guest management tools like check-in, guest tags, and analytics
You are comfortable with per-guest Coin pricing and the cost of premium designs scaling with your guest count
You do not need menu planning, grocery lists, or cost splitting integrated with your invitations

Choose The Gourmet Host if:

You want invitations, RSVPs, and dietary tracking integrated with menu planning and grocery lists
You host dinner parties, brunches, or potlucks and want the full workflow in one app—from guest list to grocery store to post-party cost splitting
You want flat, predictable pricing with no per-guest charges or Coin math
You want to delegate tasks to co-hosts or guests rather than managing everything yourself
You want one subscription that replaces an invitation app, a meal planning app, and a cost-splitting tool

Paperless Post is the premium choice for beautiful digital invitations, but its Coin pricing system adds up quickly for frequent hosts.

The Gourmet Host does invitations at a single predictable price and also does recipes, menu planning, shared grocery and task lists, dietary tracking, and cost splitting—no per-guest Coin math, no surprise charges, and no separate tools needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Paperless Post cost?

Paperless Post uses a Coin system where premium designs cost 2+ Coins per recipient. Coin packages range from 25 Coins ($12) to 1,000 Coins ($140). A premium invitation for 40 guests costs approximately $46. Free designs are available for up to 50 email recipients with limited customization, as of April 2026.

Is Paperless Post free?

Paperless Post offers free designs that can be sent to up to 50 recipients via email. Free designs have limited customization options. Premium designs, custom envelopes, and advanced features like guest check-in require Coins or a Paperless Pro subscription.

What is the Paperless Post Coin system?

Coins are virtual credits used to send premium invitations. Each design has a per-recipient Coin cost (starting at 2 Coins). You multiply the Coin cost by your guest count to determine how many Coins to purchase. Unused Coins carry over to future events.

Is Paperless Post better than Evite?

Paperless Post offers significantly higher design quality and an ad-free guest experience, making it the better choice for formal events. Evite offers a more functional free tier with no guest cap and broader RSVP management. Paperless Post is the premium option; Evite is the budget option.

Can Paperless Post help plan a dinner party?

Paperless Post handles invitations, RSVP tracking, and guest messaging with strong design quality, but has no menu planning, recipe management, grocery lists, or cost splitting. The Gourmet Host covers invitations with RSVP and dietary tracking, then adds recipes, menu planning, grocery lists, and cost splitting—at a flat subscription rather than per-guest Coin pricing.

What party planning app has invitations and meal planning?

The Gourmet Host combines invitations with menu planning, grocery lists, and cost splitting at a single price point—no Coin math, no per-guest charges. For hosts who want premium-feeling invitations integrated with the rest of their hosting workflow, TGH replaces both Paperless Post and a separate meal planning app.