Punchbowl's homepage describes its online invitations as free, while its help center says a paid membership is needed for new events. New customers get a free trial, which starts by choosing a plan and entering payment details, and the subscription begins when the trial ends.

Is there a free alternative to Punchbowl?

Yes. Evite's free designs cost nothing to send unless you add a Premium upgrade, and Partiful's core platform is free. On Paperless Post, a free design can go directly to up to 50 recipients, or out by shareable link, at no cost. Blast is free to create and send.

Do I need a subscription to send one birthday invitation?

On Punchbowl, new events need a paid membership, with a free trial for new customers. Elsewhere, no: Evite's Premium is sold per event, Partiful's core platform is free, and Blast costs nothing to send.

Should I switch from Punchbowl if my child wants a character invitation?

Probably not. Kids' character invitations are what Punchbowl highlights, so it is the natural pick when a specific character matters. If the theme matters more than one particular character, the other options in this guide open up.

Punchbowl Alternatives for Kids' Parties

Why parents look for a Punchbowl alternative

Punchbowl offers online invitations with RSVP tracking, sent by email or text, and its gallery includes kids' character invitations. Reasons you might look elsewhere:

You host one party a year and would rather not hold a membership. Punchbowl's help center says a paid membership is needed for new events, and that new customers get a free trial after which the subscription begins.
You want it free. Evite's free designs and Partiful's core platform both cost nothing. Blast is free as well.
You want to try a service before entering payment details. Punchbowl's free trial starts by choosing a plan and entering payment details.
You want no advertising on the invite. On Punchbowl, removing advertising for you and your guests takes the Platinum plan or the Business plan.
Your list grows once siblings and parents are added. Punchbowl's plans set the number of guests per event, and everyone you add to the guest list counts.

When Punchbowl is still the right pick

Stay if the character is the point. Punchbowl's App Store listing describes a large selection of kids' character invitations, and we did not check the other services for character designs.

Guests can view the invitation and RSVP without creating a Punchbowl account, replies are tracked in real time, and you can set an automatic reminder before the event. A membership can also suit a family that sends invitations several times a year.

Evite: a free design for the class list

Evite is the direct swap for a Punchbowl host who wants to pay per party, or not at all.

For a kids' party: Evite describes itself as a free platform for online invitations and event planning, and sends its Invitations by email, text or shareable link.
Paying for one party: a design labeled Free costs nothing to send unless you add a Premium upgrade. Premium is sold per event and priced by guest list size.
How parents reply: no Evite account is needed to RSVP from the link, and Evite tracks replies in real time.
Choose it if a free design is enough and you want no membership.

Partiful: one free link for the group chat

Partiful is the alternative to Punchbowl whose core platform is free.

For a kids' party: an event page with a poster image or GIF. Sharing the link lets you invite an unlimited number of guests.
Paying for one party: Partiful's help center says the core platform is free; premium invite designs are an optional paid feature.
How parents reply: you send the link by text, email or WhatsApp. To RSVP, guests enter a name and phone number and confirm a texted code.
Choose it if cost matters most and the party is casual.

Paperless Post: a stationery card for a first birthday

Paperless Post is the alternative to Punchbowl for parents who want the invitation to look like stationery.

For a kids' party: stationery-inspired Cards on a backdrop, or Flyers, which can carry GIFs and animated text.
Paying for one party: a free design can be sent directly to up to 50 recipients at no cost, and shared by link at no cost. Paid designs are priced per recipient in Coins.
How parents reply: invitations go by email, by text to US and Canada numbers, or through a shareable link. Direct sends track RSVPs, deliveries and opens.
Choose it if you want a stationery-style card, for example for a first birthday with grandparents on the list.

Blast: an animated video invitation, free to send

Blast, the publisher of this guide, is the alternative to Punchbowl where the invitation is an animated video with music.

For a kids' party: you pick a theme, add the party details and share one link by text, WhatsApp or email.
Paying for one party: nothing. Blast is free to create and send, with unlimited guests and no subscription, whether you invite ten children or the whole grade.
How parents reply: guests RSVP from the invite with their name and phone number, with no account to create and no app to install.
Choose it if you want a video with music and no membership. If one of the other "Choose it if" lines fits you better, pick that service and not Blast. Blast is not a printing service or a general design tool.

Punchbowl or an alternative: how to decide

If your child wants a specific character, stay with Punchbowl.
If you want a free invite for one party, look at Evite's free designs or Partiful.
If you want a card that looks like stationery, look at Paperless Post.
If you want a video with music and no subscription, look at Blast.

Themes to start from

Browse themes

Sources

Blast publishes this guide and is one of the options in it. Details about other services come from their own websites, last checked in October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on their sites before you decide.