Paperless Post pricing is the part couples understand last. The designs make sense. The envelope animation makes sense. Then checkout asks you to buy coins, and the total depends on the template you liked and how many people you need to reach.
This post is the math, without a fake 2026 SKU list. Coin packs change. The model does not: you buy coins in packs, you spend them per send, and premium wedding designs often take 1-3 coins each.
If you already know you want out of coins, jump to Paperless Post alternatives. If you want print versus digital in one budget, use wedding invitation cost: digital vs print.
How Paperless Post pricing actually works
Paperless Post does not sell "one wedding invite" the way a printer quotes 150 suites. It sells a design, then charges you to deliver that design to each recipient.
Coins are the currency. You purchase them in packs. Larger packs usually lower the cost per coin. We are not listing pack names or today's dollar-per-coin tiles here, because those merchandising details move.
Each send spends coins. A free or cheap design can be 1 coin. The wedding-looking ones people actually want are often 1-3 coins per send. Add-ons (liner, stamp, extra flourish) can spend more. Treat 1-3 as the planning range for a premium card, then confirm on the design you picked.
Guest count is a multiplier. 80 guests on a 2-coin card is 160 coins. 250 guests on that same card is 500 coins. The design did not get more expensive. The list did.
That is why two couples can both say "we used Paperless Post" and report wildly different totals.
A 250-guest walkthrough you can reuse
Use this as a napkin, not an invoice.
| Design tier | Coins per send | Coins for 250 guests | Rough cash, depending on pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple / free-adjacent | 1 | 250 | Low end of a pack purchase |
| Typical premium wedding card | 2 | 500 | Mid pack total |
| Heavier premium (or 3-coin template) | 3 | 750 | High end |
We use the same framing as our alternatives guide: 250 guests ≈ 250-750 coins ≈ roughly $75-$225 depending on the pack.
That range is wide on purpose. A generous pack drops the per-coin rate. A small pack bought in a hurry does the opposite. If you buy extra coins "just in case" and do not use them, that leftover is part of what you paid.
Work it backward for your list:
- Open the design you actually like.
- Note coins per send. Do not use a cheaper sample card for the estimate.
- Multiply by the number of people (or households) you will send to.
- Add a buffer if you expect plus-ones, B-list, or a reminder send that spends again.
- Compare that coin total to a flat event fee before you fall in love with the liner.
A 90-person rehearsal-only dinner on a 1-coin card can be cheap. A 250-person wedding weekend on a 3-coin card is where people open a new tab.
What coins do not buy you
Coins pay for the send, not for a wedding operating system.
Paperless Post cards are beautiful static screens. They do not natively hold a rehearsal, ceremony, and reception as a scroll with a map under each block. RSVP is basic. If you need travel notes, two venues, and a live update when the ceremony moves outdoors, you usually add a wedding website.
So the real bill is sometimes:
- Coin spend for the pretty card
- Time (or money) for a second URL
- A follow-up message when guests RSVP on the card and still text you for parking
That is not a reason to hate the product. It is a reason to stop comparing Paperless Post to a $9 web invite as if they deliver the same page.
Flat fees next to coins
Two other models show up in the same shopping session.
Greenvelope is a flat per-event price, from about $19, scaling with guest count. You are still in envelope-and-card territory. You are not converting packs into sends. If your list jumps, you may step up a plan. You do not multiply coins by 250.
Vow Invites is a cinematic web invite: one link, a scroll, RSVP, maps, multi-event. It is $9 per event as a one-time slot, paid before you create. Guest count does not add a per-envelope charge on that slot.
| Model | How the total moves | 250-guest planning picture | What guests open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperless Post coins | Design coins × recipients | About 250-750 coins, roughly $75-$225 | Email stationery card |
| Greenvelope event plan | Flat per event, tiered by list size | From about $19, confirm the tier | Email envelope card |
| Vow Invites Pro | One slot | $9 | Phone scroll with RSVP and maps |
Print is a different spreadsheet. Suites, postage, and reprints scale hard. We keep that table in the digital vs print cost guide.
Hidden lines people miss on the first pass
Households versus heads. Some couples send one card per couple. Some send one per adult. Paperless Post charges per send. Decide that rule before you multiply.
Reminders. A second blast can spend coins again. Budget the chase, or switch the reminder to a plain message with a link you already paid for.
Plus-ones who appear late. Every extra recipient is extra coins on a premium design. Flat-fee tools do not care. Coin tools do.
The leftover pack. Unused coins feel like savings. They are only savings if you have another event. A wedding is often a one-time send.
The second product. If you still build a Joy or Zola site for the weekend schedule, include that time in the "cost," even when the site is $0. Coins never paid for that page.
Design lock-in. Couples pick a 3-coin card, then try to swap to a 1-coin template to "save." Guests notice when the thing you send is not the thing you screenshotted in the group chat with your sister.
When coin pricing is actually fine
Stay on Paperless Post if all of this is true:
- Guest count is modest (think under 100, not a hard law)
- You want one card, one date, one venue
- A specific designer template is the reason you are here
- You have checked coins × recipients and the total sits near or under a Greenvelope plan
- You are not expecting to resend the same card three times
A 60-person dinner on a 2-coin card is 120 coins. That can be a calm purchase.
A 250-person weekend on a 3-coin card is 750 coins, roughly the top of that $75-$225 band, and you may still need a website. At that point you are paying stationery prices for a slice of the job.
When to leave coins
Leave if any of these are true:
- You cannot quote a total until you pick a template
- Your rehearsal, ceremony, and reception need their own maps
- You will share the invite in WhatsApp or iMessage more than in email
- The list is still growing and you do not want the price to grow with it
- You want a single $9 slot and a page you can share, not a coin pack
A simple budget script
Do this on your phone in fifteen minutes.
- Write your likely send count (households, not vibes).
- Open three Paperless Post wedding designs you would actually send. Note coins each.
- Multiply. Write the low, mid, and high.
- Write Greenvelope as "from about $19, check tier for this headcount."
- Write Vow Invites as "$9 per invite, paid before you create."
- Circle the number you can explain to a co-host without a footnote.
If you cannot explain the Paperless Post number in one sentence, you do not understand it yet. That is the product, not you.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Paperless Post for a wedding?
There is no single wedding price. Free designs exist. Premium designs often cost 1-3 coins per send. For 250 guests, plan on 250-750 coins, roughly $75-$225 depending on the pack you buy. Your total is coins per send times recipients, not a flat "wedding package" unless you treat it that way yourself.
Do I pay coins for RSVPs or only for sending?
You spend coins to send the card (and on add-ons attached to that send). RSVP is a feature of the card, not a second coin line with a public per-reply fee we can quote. Confirm the current checkout for the design you chose. Do not assume replies are a separate invoice.
Is Paperless Post cheaper than Greenvelope?
For a small list and a low-coin design, it can be. For 200+ guests on a 2-3 coin card, Greenvelope's flat per-event plan (from about $19, scaling with guest count) is usually easier to predict. Run both with the same headcount. We compare the wider field in Paperless Post alternatives.
Is Paperless Post cheaper than Vow Invites?
Vow Invites is $9 per event. That is a slot, not a per-guest coin spend. Paperless Post can land under or over $9 depending on coins and list size. Under about 100 guests on a cheap design, coins can win. At 250 premium sends, they usually do not.
Can I reuse leftover coins for the wedding?
You can use leftover coins on later sends if the account still holds them. A wedding reminder, a welcome dinner, or a different event can spend the rest. Do not buy a huge pack because leftover coins feel like a discount. Buy for the send you are making this month.