Cactoide vs Paperless Post
Cactoide
cactoide.org
Paperless Post
paperlesspost.comSide by side
| Figure | Cactoide | Paperless Post |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $20.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 5 |
| Spec score · Invitation Maker Software | 7.2 (#20) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Audience | The project README describes Cactoide as an alternative to Meetup, Eventbrite, and Partiful for small companies and groups. | Paperless Pro is positioned for business hosts and larger, complex events; the pricing page describes subscriptions as suited to hosts holding three or more events a year. |
| Product | Cactoide is a federated, mobile-first event RSVP platform for creating events, sharing unique URLs, and collecting RSVPs without registration. | Paperless Post is an online platform for creating, sending, distributing, and receiving custom digital invitations and stationery, with event management tools. |
| Support | The README describes the project as community-supported and provides [email protected] for direct contact. | Paperless Post lists customer support at +1 877-605-8644 and provides contact and help links. |
Plans
Paperless Post
- FreeFree
- Basic$0.50, paid once
- Premium$1.05, paid once
- All Access$1.44, paid once
- Paperless Pro$250 a year
In their own words
Cactoide
Cactoide is a free, open-source event RSVP platform for web use or self-hosting. Organizers create events without accounts, receive a unique URL, and share it through platforms or messaging apps. Guests follow the link and enter their name without registering. Events can accept unlimited responses or use a capacity limit, and special invite links can restrict participation to people who have them. Public events may be discovered and shared across connected Cactoide instances. Event pages provide ICS or webcal calendar links, with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook listed as compatible. Self-hosting documentation uses Docker Compose and a database; operators can enable federation with the FEDERATION_INSTANCE environment variable and configure instance details. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and described as community-supported. Its README positions it as an alternative for small companies and groups. Proper internationalization is not implemented, although translation files are included.
Paperless Post
Paperless Post is a web and mobile service for making, sending, and managing digital invitations and stationery. Hosts can choose card invitations or textable Flyer event pages for weddings, birthdays, and parties, then customize colors, fonts, layouts, and stickers or add their own logos, photos, and videos. Invitations can go by email, text, or shareable link; text delivery is limited to the US and Canada. Event tools include RSVP tracking, guest messaging, guest list imports, co-hosts, capacity settings, and check-in through the app. Users can also link to virtual events, add dates to online calendars, and include third-party gift registry links. The app supports contact importing and sharing through Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. The free feature set covers the first 50 invitations. Paid card invitations are $0.50 per guest for Basic, $1.05 per guest for Premium, and $1.44 per guest for All Access. Paperless Pro is $250.00 per year for 250 annual guests. Custom URLs, password protection, Guest Tags, and check-in require All Access or Paperless Pro.