Partiful or Mela? It depends on what happens after the party.

Partiful is genuinely good: free, no ads, beautiful pages, text blasts, polls, a shared album, and a guest list your friends can see. It is built for a night out among people who party together. Mela is free and ad-free too, and built for the other kind of gathering — the festival with kids to count, the potluck with dishes to cover, the neighborhood or congregation that will do this again next month.

Side by side, from Partiful’s own site and help center
	Partiful	Mela
Price and ads	✓Free, no ads; revenue from a fee on ticket sales and optional paid extras	✓Free, no ads on invitations; revenue from sponsored listings communities approve
How a guest replies	~Name and phone number, verified by a code texted to the phone; no account	✓Name and mobile number, no code, no account
Who sees the guest list	~Guests can see the guest list; phone numbers are never shared	✓Names visible to guests after they reply; numbers visible to the host only
Guests inviting guests	~Each guest can invite up to 15 “Mutuals” by default	~The host chooses: an open link anyone can answer, or personal links
Counting and bringing	~Custom questions and polls	✓Adults and kids counted separately; a bring list with quantities that close
Platforms	✓iPhone, Android and web	~Organizer app on iPhone; hosting and every guest action on the web
After the event	~Photo album, activity feed, text blasts	✓Album, plus a community: announcements, classes with attendance, volunteers, dues

Checked on 6 September 2026 against the product’s own public pages. Prices are US list prices on that date. Evite and Partiful are trademarks of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Mela and have not endorsed it. Tell us if anything here is out of date: hello@joinmela.co.

What Partiful does well

Parties. The pages are gorgeous and playful, hosts can text-blast everyone, guests see who else is going, friends invite friends, and it runs on iPhone, Android and the web. For a birthday among friends who all have each other’s numbers, it is excellent.

Where Mela is different

Built for congregations, neighborhoods, PTAs and teams — gatherings with kids, dishes, volunteers and a next time.
No texted code: a guest replies with a name and a mobile number and is done.
Mela can email each guest their own link, show who opened it, and send one reminder to those who have not replied.
Guests see names, never numbers; the host sees everything.
The group stays as a community after the event.

Sources

The facts above come from these pages, read on 6 September 2026.

Partiful: how a guest RSVPs Partiful: guest phone numbers Partiful: how it makes money Partiful: guests inviting guests Partiful: homepage

When Mela is the better fit

You are counting families, not friendsAdults and kids totalled separately, so the caterer and the bounce house get the right number.

Something has to be broughtA potluck list with quantities on the same link, closing each dish as it is covered.

The least technical guest mattersA name and a number, no code to type from a text. Grandparents reply.

You will do this againThe same people become a community with announcements, classes, volunteers and dues — not a new page each time.

The next one’s on you.

Free for organizers, members and guests. The iPhone app runs the community; every guest replies from a link.

Make an invitation — free Host from the web

Not sure yet? Try creating an event — nothing is sent or published.

Questions

Is Mela free like Partiful?

Yes. Both are free with no ads on the invitation. Partiful earns from ticket fees and optional extras; Mela from sponsored listings that communities opt into and approve.

Does Mela have an Android app?

Not yet. Organizers on Android host from the web; guests and members do everything from a browser.

Can guests see each other on Mela?

After replying, a guest sees the names of who else is coming. Phone numbers and emails are visible to the host only.

Also worth reading

Why Mela →Mela vs. Evite →For congregations →