Instead of the group chat

37 messages later, you still don’t know who’s coming.

Mela gives you one link. Guests reply with their name and mobile number, adults and kids get counted, dishes get claimed — and the community stays on the board for the next one.

Free · Get Mela for iPhone · organizers on Android host from the web

Harvest Potluck5 adults · 3 kids · 1 awaiting reply
Sample gathering

No ads on your invitations.Not on the invitation, not on the reply page. Ever.
Free for everyone.Organizers, members and guests never pay. No tiers.
As many gatherings as you like.A birthday or a whole season. No limits.
Nothing fancy. It just works.One link, a real count, a list that fills itself. Try it →

Answer it yourself.

This is the sample invitation, exactly as a guest gets it. Tap an answer and watch the organizer’s count change.

Interactive demo — nothing is sent or published.
Replying as a new guest (sample)

Will you be joining?

You’re hostingHarvest PotluckSat, Sep 19 · 5:30 PM
5adults
3kids
1maybe
1awaiting reply
1 household hasn’t answered — one tap sends a gentle reminder.

Want the whole thing — the invitation, the bring list, the guest list? Create the event yourself in the full demo →

Before, during, and long after.

The same potluck, from the first message to the next season. The people you invited become the community.

Three weeks before

One link in the group.

Priya creates the potluck, picks a design, adds four dishes with how many she needs, and drops the link in the neighborhood chat and lets Mela email the rest. Replies land on the list as they come in, adults and kids counted.

RepliesName and mobile number, no account.
Not repliedOne reminder goes out for you; one tap sends another.
The week of

The list fills itself.

4 things are still needed across the list, and everyone can see which. Each dish closes the moment it’s covered.

Bring list
A main dish3 of 4 claimed
1 still needed
A salad3 of 3 claimed
covered ✓
Dessert1 of 3 claimed
2 still needed
Ice and cupsstill needed
1 still needed
The morning after

Photos in one place. And the next date.

The album goes up for everyone who came. The announcement about the winter dinner goes to every member’s phone, and the same people are already on the list.

Maplewood Neighbors · noticeboard
Harvest Potluck · album31 photos from Saturday
Winter dinner: Dec 12Announcement · pinned · reply from the same link
Tree-lighting setup crewVolunteers · 2 of 6 slots open

Built for the groups that meet again.

A birthday needs a headcount once. A congregation and a neighborhood need it every month, with the same people, the same volunteers and the same noticeboard.

Schools & PTAsClass parties, volunteer sign-ups, after-school clubs with fees.
Sports teamsSessions, who’s coming, attendance, dues, reminders.
Dance & music academiesTerms laid out as classes, per-class or per-term fees, recital RSVPs.
ClubsMeetups with a headcount, dues, the members list.

Why it’s free.

Organizers, members and guests never pay, and there are no ads on invitations or reply pages. Mela is paid for by local businesses that buy a sponsored listing in a community’s vendor directory — the same list where neighbors recommend the people they used.

Members recommendA neighbor names the electrician they used. That is a recommendation, and it stays one.
Admins approveA business can apply for a sponsored listing; it appears only if the community’s administrators approve it, and it is labelled as sponsored.
Not an endorsementA sponsored listing is a paid placement, not a verification of quality and not a guarantee of work. Members can still see who recommended whom.

How listings work for a business →

Maplewood Neighbors · vendor directory · noticeboard
Amara ElectricRecommended by 3 neighbors · Marcus L. used them in June
Maplewood Plumbing · sponsoredApproved by the board · Community Partner
Ortiz LandscapingRecommended by 2 neighbors

Sample directory. Fictional businesses.

The questions people ask before they send the link.

Do my guests need the app?

No. Guests open a link and reply with their name and mobile number. Adults, kids and plus-ones are counted. The iPhone app is for the people who run the gathering or the community.

Why does the reply ask for a mobile number?

So a reply lands on the right guest, and a second reply updates the first instead of adding a duplicate. Only the host sees it; other guests never do.

Is Mela free?

Yes, for organizers, members and guests. There are no ads on invitations or reply pages and no subscription. Communities can choose to show sponsored listings from local businesses in their vendor directory, approved by their admins.

Who can see the guest list?

The organizer sees every reply, headcount and dish. A guest sees the names of who else is coming only after replying, and never anyone’s phone number or email.

Can I use Mela on Android?

Guests and community members can do everything from a browser: reply, claim a dish, read announcements, mark attendance. Hosting from the web works too. The organizer app is iPhone-only today.

Can Mela handle a potluck?

Yes. Add the dishes with how many you need; each one closes when it is covered and guests claim from the same link they replied on.

The next one’s on you.

No ads on your invitations, free for everyone, as many gatherings as you like. Nothing fancy — it just works.

Still deciding? Try creating an event — nothing is sent or published.

A person reads every email.

Questions, ideas, something not working — write to support@joinmela.co. Privacy requests go to legal@joinmela.co.

Facts, briefly.

Made by Cornerstone Venture Holdings LLC, United States. iPhone app on the App Store (iOS 26.4 or later); the web works on any device. More about Mela →