Invitation tools differ less in the card than in what surrounds it: whether a guest has to sign up to say yes, whether ads sit next to your party, whether the host gets a number or a scroll, and whether anything is left for the same group next month. Run any tool, Mela included, through this list.
| What to check | In Mela | |
|---|---|---|
| Replying | Does a guest need an account, an app or a password to say yes? | ✓No. A link, a name and a mobile number, from any phone |
| Ads | Is anything advertised on the invitation or the reply page? | ✓Nothing |
| The headcount | Are adults, kids and plus-ones counted separately, live? | ✓Yes, as replies land |
| Bringing things | Can guests claim dishes or items on the same link, with quantities that close? | ✓Yes, built in |
| Chasing replies | Does it send the invitation for you, show who opened it, and remind only those who have not replied? | ✓Yes: email from Mela, opened shown, one automatic reminder |
| Designs | Are the good designs included or behind a paid tier? | ✓All included; one free product |
| Guest privacy | Who sees guests’ contact details, and are they ever sold? | ✓Only the host; never sold or shared |
| Afterwards | Does the guest list become anything for the next gathering? | ✓The same people become a community: announcements, events, classes, dues |
Every answer in the Mela column is true of the product today. The questions apply to any tool; answer them for the ones you are considering.
If you want a printed-card feel with envelopes and animation, some tools do that better than Mela; Mela’s invitation is a clean page with a handful of designs. If your guests are all on one chat app already, the link goes there — you do not need them anywhere else.
Free for organizers, members and guests. The iPhone app runs the community; every guest replies from a link.
Yes. Local businesses can buy a sponsored listing inside a community that opts in; hosts and guests never pay and never see ads on invitations.
No. Guests reply from a link in any browser. The iPhone app is for organizers; hosting from the web works too.
Yes — from your contacts in the app, or paste names on the web. Guests you add by name can each get a personal link, so you can see who has not replied.