Greenvelope vs Zola
Short answer: Zola is the cheaper of the two. Zola does not charge by guest count. Greenvelope works out to $99 (single mailing, up to 100 guests) for 100 guests and $249 (single mailing, up to 250 guests) for 250. Greenvelope earns the difference if you need flat per-mailing price, not per-recipient credits, so cost is known up front.
If neither answer fits, Dawat does the same job free at any guest count: 53 card designs, unlimited guests, per-guest personal links and RSVP tracking, with no per-recipient charge.
Greenvelope and Zola are built for different jobs, so the comparison is less about features and more about which job you are actually doing.
Greenvelope and Zola pricing checked 2026-09-16 against their own published pages. Sources · Method
On this page
Side by side
Digital-only invitation service with animated envelope opening, email and text delivery, and RSVP tracking, priced per mailing. Wedding planning suite with free websites, RSVP and guest list tools, a universal registry, and paid printed stationery. Dawat is shown as a third column for the part these two share with it: getting the invitation to people and getting an answer back. It does not print, so on the physical card it is not a substitute.
| Greenvelope | Zola | Dawat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time fee per event | Free tier, paid upgrades | Free |
| What the free tier gives you | Trial mode: design, preview the full guest experience, and send a real mailing to up to 10 recipients. No credit card. | Wedding website, RSVP collection, guest list manager, registry, password protection, and digital save the dates. | Everything except Signature: all card designs, party pages, unlimited guests, sends, RSVP tracking and analytics. |
| Cost for 100 guests | $99 (single mailing, up to 100 guests) | Free | Free |
| Cost for 250 guests | $249 (single mailing, up to 250 guests) | Free | Free |
| Charges per recipient | Partial | No | No |
| Guests need an account | No | Not published | No |
| Ads shown to guests | No | Not published | No |
"Not published" means no vendor documentation could be found either way, not that the feature is missing. How this grid is built →
Where they actually differ
Both give you tracking who has replied, asking your own questions and linking a gift registry, so those are not the thing to decide on.
- Free to send. Zola includes sending invitations without paying outright; on Greenvelope it is limited or tied to a paid tier.
- Per-guest fees. Greenvelope does this in some cases; Zola does not. If no per-recipient charge matters to you, that is a point for Zola.
- Email delivery. Greenvelope includes sending by email outright; on Zola it is limited or tied to a paid tier.
- SMS or WhatsApp. Greenvelope includes sending by text or WhatsApp outright; on Zola it is limited or tied to a paid tier.
- Per-guest personal links. Greenvelope supports a personally addressed link per guest. Zola does not publish whether it does, so treat it as unavailable until you have confirmed it.
- Open tracking. Greenvelope supports seeing who opened the invitation. Zola does not publish whether it does, so treat it as unavailable until you have confirmed it.
- Animated envelope. Greenvelope supports an animated envelope opening. Zola does not publish whether it does, so treat it as unavailable until you have confirmed it.
- Printed cards. Zola supports ordering printed stationery; Greenvelope does not.
When Greenvelope is the better choice
Hosts of a single sizeable event who want polished digital invitations and detailed RSVP data for one predictable flat fee.
- Flat per-mailing price, not per-recipient credits, so cost is known up front
- Custom RSVP questions, meal preferences and dietary notes included at every paid tier
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp delivery, with open and delivery tracking
- Ad-free for hosts and guests; guests never create an account to reply
- Signature animated envelope opening with personalized liner
Where it costs you:
- Price is tiered by guest count, so larger lists cost more per mailing
- Digital only; Greenvelope does not print or mail paper invitations
- Paid accounts include up to 500 text messages; more cost extra
- Free trial caps a real send at 10 recipients
- No standalone event website builder, only a details panel on the invitation
When Zola is the better choice
US couples who want a free website, registry and RSVP tracking in one place and will buy printed paper.
- Website, RSVP tracking and guest list manager are free with no guest-count charge
- Custom RSVP questions including meal choice and song requests on the free tier
- Universal registry and cash funds integrate directly into the website
- Printed stationery from $0.99 per save the date with free envelope addressing
- Free digital save the dates shareable by email, text or DM
Where it costs you:
- Does not offer digital invitations; only digital save the dates
- Digital save the dates are shared as a link or image, not sent by Zola
- Custom domain is a paid add-on starting at $17.99
- Business model depends on registry and print revenue from your guests
- Published guest-count limits for the free website are not stated
What each one costs, in dollars
Neither Greenvelope nor Zola bills by guest count, which puts them among the 26 platforms in this dataset that do not.
Published prices, converted into what you would actually pay for a real guest list. Credits, coins and per-card pricing are translated into dollars because that is the number you are deciding with.
| Greenvelope | Zola | Dawat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time fee per event | Free tier, paid upgrades | Free |
| 100 guests | $99 (single mailing, up to 100 guests) | Free | Free |
| 250 guests | $249 (single mailing, up to 250 guests) | Free | Free |
| How that is worked out | Greenvelope's own published single-mailing tiers; delivery is digital so there is no printing or postage cost. | Website, RSVP and digital save the dates are free at any guest count; only a custom URL or printed paper adds cost. | Dawat has no per-guest or per-send charge, so the guest count does not change the price. |
As of September 2026: Flat one-time fee per mailing set by guest-list size: $19 up to 20 guests, $59 up to 60, $99 up to 100, $249 up to 250. Annual memberships from $125. Website, RSVP, guest list and registry are free; a custom URL starts at $17.99, printed save the dates from $0.99 each and invitations from $1.79 each.
The third option worth knowing about
If you are weighing Greenvelope against Zola, it is worth knowing there is a third answer that costs nothing at any guest count.
Dawat tracks replies the same way both of these do, and costs nothing to do it. All 53 card designs, unlimited guests and unlimited sends are free, with no card required. What the other two do not do is address each guest personally: the envelope opens with that guest's name on it and their reply is one tap.
The honest caveats: Dawat is digital only, so it will not print and mail stationery, and it does not sell tickets. The optional Dawat Signature experiences are $89 once per event, and they are labelled as paid before you publish — nothing else is.
Create your invitation — free →No card required. Unlimited guests. 53 designs.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Greenvelope | Zola | Dawat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free to send | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Per-guest fees | Partial | No | No |
| Unlimited guests | No | Not published | Yes |
| RSVP tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom RSVP questions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email delivery | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| SMS or WhatsApp | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Per-guest personal links | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Open tracking | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Animated envelope | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Printed cards | No | Yes | No |
| Guest account required | No | Not published | No |
| Ads shown to guests | No | Not published | No |
| Event website | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Registry links | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meal choice or seating | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Calendar file | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| AI wording help | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Works inside ChatGPT / Claude | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Multilingual & right-to-left | Partial | Not published | Yes |
"Not published" means no vendor documentation could be found either way, not that the feature is missing. How this grid is built →
What your guests experience
A wedding guest is usually being asked to do three things at once: read the details, reply, and find the registry. How many taps that takes is the difference between a finished guest list and six weeks of chasing.
| What your guest gets | Greenvelope | Zola | Dawat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guests need an account | No | Not published | No |
| Ads shown to guests | No | Not published | No |
| Animated opening | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Personally addressed link | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Add to calendar | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Right-to-left and multilingual | Partial | Not published | Yes |
Questions
Is Greenvelope or Zola cheaper?
Greenvelope works out to $99 (single mailing, up to 100 guests) for 100 guests and $249 (single mailing, up to 250 guests) for 250. Zola does not charge by guest count. Neither charges by guest count, so the difference does not grow with the list. Both were checked on 2026-09-16.
Which is better for a wedding, Greenvelope or Zola?
Greenvelope suits hosts of a single sizeable event who want polished digital invitations and detailed RSVP data for one predictable flat fee. Zola suits uS couples who want a free website, registry and RSVP tracking in one place and will buy printed paper. For a wedding specifically, the questions that matter are whether the invitation feels like an occasion, whether you can collect meal choices, and whether the price moves with the guest list.
Do guests need an account to reply on Greenvelope or Zola?
Greenvelope does not require guests to have an account. Zola does not publish whether guests need an account. Anything that makes a guest sign up before replying costs you responses, particularly from older relatives.
Is there a free alternative to Greenvelope and Zola?
Yes. Dawat is free at every guest count: all 53 card designs, unlimited guests, unlimited sends, RSVP tracking with your own questions, and a personally addressed link for each guest. There is no per-recipient charge and no card required to send. The only paid item is a Dawat Signature cinematic experience at $89 once per event.
Is Greenvelope free?
There is a free trial rather than a free plan. You can create an account, design an invitation, preview the complete guest experience and send a real mailing to up to 10 people with no credit card. Beyond 10 recipients you pay a one-time mailing fee starting at $19.
Is Zola's wedding website free?
Yes. Zola states its wedding websites are free to create and publish, with no fee for RSVP collection, the guest list manager, registry or password protection. The only website-related upsell is a custom URL, which starts at $17.99. Zola earns revenue from registry purchases and printed stationery.
How current is this comparison?
Greenvelope's published pricing was checked on 2026-09-16 and Zola's on 2026-09-16. Every figure on this page links to the vendor page it came from, so you can verify it yourself rather than trusting a comparison written by one of the competitors.
Other comparisons
Every comparison below is built from the same checked pricing data.
Dawat vs Greenvelope
The full head-to-head, including where Greenvelope is genuinely better.
Dawat vs Zola
The full head-to-head, including where Zola is genuinely better.
Greenvelope alternatives
Eight products that do what Greenvelope does, ranked.
Zola alternatives
Eight products that do what Zola does, ranked.
More head-to-heads:
How these figures were checked
Every figure above was read from Greenvelope and Zola's own published pricing or help pages on 16 September 2026, and each source is linked below. Coins, credits and per-card rates are converted into dollars at a real guest count, because that is the number you are deciding with. Full methodology and the open dataset →
Reading this through an AI assistant? Dawat runs an MCP server, so ChatGPT or Claude can choose the design, write the wording, add your guest list, publish the invitation and send it without you leaving the conversation. Greenvelope does not publish one.
Sources
- Greenvelope pricing — checked 2026-09-16
- Greenvelope: How much does Greenvelope cost — checked 2026-09-16
- Greenvelope homepage (features) — checked 2026-09-16
- Greenvelope vs Paperless Post (vendor comparison) — checked 2026-09-16
- Zola wedding websites (pricing and custom URL) — checked 2026-09-16
- Zola wedding paper (per-card prices) — checked 2026-09-16
- Zola help: Does Zola offer digital invitations? — checked 2026-09-16
- Zola help: Can I send digital save the dates through Zola? — checked 2026-09-16
- Zola help: How do I edit or add questions to RSVPs? — checked 2026-09-16