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HeyVite vs Partiful

A fair look at a genuinely free, text-first platform next to a designed-for-the-occasion one, compared as of July 2026.

Fact-checked by the HeyVite team, August 2026, against each platform's public pricing page.

The short answer

Partiful is genuinely free, and for a casual, text-message party it is a fine choice. HeyVite is the stronger pick when the occasion calls for more: designer invitations sent by email, WhatsApp or link, RSVPs with no phone-number verification, and guest privacy on every plan, free ones included (with paid plans a single payment per event).

HeyVite vs Partiful at a glance

Pricing, ads, privacy and RSVP tracking side by side. Partiful’s column comes from their own published pages, checked July 2026.

DimensionHeyVitePartiful
Pricing modelOne payment per event, priced only by guest count: free up to 75, then $15 for up to 150 guests, $45 for up to 300 and $110 for up to 900. No subscription, no add-ons, nothing to cancel, and a full refund within 14 days of payment if you have not sent invitations. Beyond 900 guests: contact us about a larger guest list.Free: no paid plans and no locked designs. Fees apply only when hosts sell paid tickets, and the rate is not published; hosts see the exact fee during event setup and can absorb it or pass it to guests.
Free tierDesign and send invitations, track RSVPs. No credit card required.Everything: all designs and animations, RSVP tracking, Text Blasts, time-finding polls, custom RSVP questions, shared photo album, capacity waitlists and ticketing tools.
AdsNo ads and no tracking scripts, on any plan, free events included.No ads for hosts or guests.
Guest list privacyEvery guest gets a private link to their own invitation. Guest Privacy (no public guest list, no name search, per-guest isolation) is included on every plan, free ones too. Hosts who want an open, share-anywhere link can switch name-search on for that event; it is off by default.Guests can see the “Going” and “Maybe” lists but never who declined; only hosts see the full invited list. Hosts can hide the guest list and guest count, and can password-protect the event.
RSVP trackingEvery yes, meal choice and plus-one gathers on one live dashboard, with reminders for anyone still deciding.Going/Maybe/Can’t Go tracking, Text Blasts, scheduled reminders, custom questions and capacity waitlists, but guests must verify a phone number to RSVP, even when invited by email.
Delivery channelsEmail from HeyVite, or share each guest’s private link yourself by WhatsApp or text. Guests need no app or account.Sharing via link, text, email, Instagram and WhatsApp, with SMS-first notifications. RSVPs require SMS phone verification.

Is HeyVite a good Partiful alternative?

It depends on the party, and that is the honest answer. Partiful is genuinely free, with no paywalls and no ads, and it shines for casual, text-first gatherings. HeyVite is the alternative when the invitation itself matters: a wedding weekend, a shower for the baby on the way, a milestone birthday where the grandparents are on the list.

With HeyVite you create a designer invitation, add your guests, and hit send: by email, WhatsApp or a private link. Guests reply with no app, no account and no phone verification, and every yes, meal choice and plus-one gathers on one live dashboard. It is free to start; paid plans are a single per-event payment of $15, $45 or $110.

Do guests need a phone number to RSVP?

On Partiful, yes: guests must verify with a phone number to RSVP, even when they were invited by email. That is from Partiful’s own help center. The platform is SMS-first throughout, from Text Blasts to reminders.

On HeyVite, guests need no app, no account and no phone verification. Each guest opens their own private link and replies right from the invitation. That matters when your list spans generations or continents: the aunt who does not text, the college friend abroad who lives on WhatsApp.

Why pay for HeyVite when Partiful is free?

A fair question. Partiful has no paid plans at all. Its only fees apply when hosts sell paid tickets, and the rate is not published; hosts see the exact fee during event setup. If a free, casual, SMS-driven flow fits your event, Partiful is hard to argue with.

What a HeyVite paid plan buys is simply room for a bigger night: a longer guest list, and nothing else. Every design detail comes free on every plan: the premium and luxe collections, the full Card Studio, the envelope reveal, a watermark-free card, and a wedding website at your own yourname.heyvite.com address. Guest Privacy is there too: no public guest list, no name search, per-guest isolation on every plan, free ones included. One payment per event, sized to your guest count, nothing recurring, nothing to cancel.

Who can see the guest list on Partiful vs HeyVite?

On Partiful, guests can see who is “Going” and “Maybe” but never who declined, and only hosts see the full invited list. Hosts can hide the guest list or the guest count in event settings, and guest phone numbers are never shown to other guests.

On HeyVite, privacy is per-guest by design: every guest gets a private link to their own invitation, and on every plan, free ones too, no guest can see the list at all. No public guest list, no name search; it stays between you and your dashboard. If the event is casual enough to want one open, share-anywhere link, you can switch name-search on for it; it is off by default.

Who should pick which?

No platform wins every event. Here is the honest split between HeyVite and Partiful.

Pick HeyVite if…

  • The occasion is dressy (a wedding, shower or milestone), and the card should feel like part of it.
  • Your guests are on email and WhatsApp, not all in one text thread.
  • Guests should not need a phone number or verification code to say yes.
  • No guest should see the guest list, included on every plan, free ones too.
  • You are tracking meal choices and plus-ones for caterers and seating.

Pick Partiful if…

  • It is a casual, big-group party and everyone is already in the same text thread.
  • You want a completely free tool: every design and feature, no paywalls.
  • You are selling tickets and want tiers, promo codes and QR check-in built in.
  • Your crowd already uses Partiful and expects the comment wall and Text Blasts.

Frequently asked questions

Quick, sourced answers on HeyVite vs Partiful.

Is Partiful really 100% free?
Yes. Partiful has no paid plans, no locked designs and no ads; its only fees apply when hosts sell paid tickets, and the exact fee appears during event setup rather than on a published price list. HeyVite is free to start, with paid plans as one-time per-event payments of $15, $45 or $110.
Do guests need a phone number to RSVP on Partiful?
Yes. Per Partiful’s help center, guests verify with a phone number to RSVP even when they were invited by email. On HeyVite, guests need no app, account or phone verification. Each guest replies through their own private invitation link, and the response lands on your dashboard instantly.
Is Partiful or HeyVite better for a wedding?
For most weddings, HeyVite. Partiful is SMS-first and built around casual parties; HeyVite pairs designer invitations with meal choices, plus-ones, sub-events for a whole weekend and a wedding website. And on every plan, free ones included, Guest Privacy is the default, so no guest sees the guest list unless you deliberately open the event to a share-anywhere link.
Can guests see who declined on Partiful?
No. Partiful shows guests the “Going” and “Maybe” lists but never who responded “Can’t Go,” and only hosts see everyone invited. HeyVite goes further on every plan, free ones included: by default no guest sees any list at all. Every guest gets a private, isolated view of their own invitation.
Does HeyVite send invitations by text like Partiful?
HeyVite sends by email, or hands you each guest’s private link to share over WhatsApp or any text thread; it is not SMS-first the way Partiful is with its Text Blasts and SMS verification. Either way, HeyVite guests open a private link and RSVP with no phone verification and no account.

See what HeyVite includes

The features behind this comparison, in detail.

Ready when you are

Send one and see the difference

Create your invitation, add your guests, and hit send. Every yes, meal choice and plus-one tracks itself. Free to start, no credit card.

Free up to 75 guests per eventNo card needed14-day refund

Comparison based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Partiful is a trademark of its respective owner; HeyVite is not affiliated with it. Details change. Verify current pricing on their site.