The 13 Best Ecard Options for 2023 | Kudoboard Blog (2023)

Folks have been migrating their paper-based activities online for a while now, and then the pandemic really sped things up. Goodbye, graduation parties. Nice try, office birthday party. Instead, we were home and looking for ways to mark the special occasions in our lives when we could no longer pass around that grocery store greeting card.

Ecards have come a long way to allow us the full expression of our thoughts and feelings on those special days. Whether it’s a sympathy card, group birthday ecard, or a simple “Thinking of You,” sending an electronic greeting card is easier than ever—and you have options.

We’re breaking down the 12 most popular and useful ecard options out there (in no particular order), including their pros and cons, so you can determine which will best meet your needs.

The Best Group Ecards of 2023

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Modern Ecards

Old School Ecards

Invitation Ecards

Specialty Ecards

FAQ about Ecards

Unique Modern Ecard Offerings

These go beyond the static ecards of the early internet. Today's best ecards allow for fun media creation, group signing capability, and a more personal touch—all in just a few clicks.

Kudoboard

Price: Varies (Send a mini-board for free, one-off for $5.99, or purchase a subscription)

Pros: Streamlined for groups; popular for workplace appreciation

Cons: Not made for 1-to-1 eCards

Best For: Assembling group appreciation

Kudoboard was designed to replace the card that's passed around & signed. It’s perfect for remote teams (or families!) to use for birthday ecards, work anniversaries, retirements, get wells, farewells, and more. Unlike other offerings, Kudoboard's group eCards allow for your own videos, photos, GIFS, and other customizations. If you're celebrating a special occasion, you can also add a gift card (and crowdfund if you'd like). Admittedly, we are biased since we are writing this article. But nevertheless, we are going to put it out there: if you are looking for the best group card on the internet - look no further! Send a virtual card to someone special right now.

JibJab

Price: $24/year

Pros: Topical and memorable cards

Cons: Poor organization

Best For: Outrageous video cards

JibJab is an entirely different type of ecard. Each card allows you to upload a face which will then animate within the video. For example, you might upload the Birthday Boy’s face into an animation of MC Hammer and it will dance while singing “Can’t Touch This.” See what we mean?You don't get that with a regular birthday card.

Tribute

Price: From $25/Tribute

Pros: Personalized videos

Cons: Price and technology barrier

Best For: Making videos for particularly special occasions

Even better than a generic message in an ecard is seeing their face and hearing their voice as they speak to you. Tribute allows groups to submit a quick video message to the recipient and then gathers it together in a touching video. We’d recommend this service for very special occasions.

Wave

Price: Free plan

Pros: With the Wave.video account, you get access not only to templates but also to a video editor, livestreaming studio, and thumbnail maker.

Cons: eCard isn’t the original goal of the platform.

Best For: Creators who are interested not only in eCards

Wave.video is a multifunctional platform that provides customers with a video editor, thumbnail maker, and live streaming studio. For making eCards, Wave.video provides you with special templates. Use these templates to create great holiday videos, convert them to any format you want, and send them to your relatives. Within one Wave.video account, you may also use a recording studio to record yourself using studio layouts and overlays, open it with the video editor to add stickers or captions concerning the particular event, and make it 100% unique.

Old School Ecards

Let's start with a few virtual card options that have been around for several years. What they may lack in innovation, they make up for in brand recognition. You're not going to turn any heads with these selections, but hey—they work.

American Greetings

Price: From $5/month

Pros: Celebrity options

Cons: Limited customization

Best For: When you send lots of ecards for a variety of occasions

You already know American Greeting, so the American Greeting ecard option is a familiar one. Their monthly subscriptions allow you access to a huge selection of online greeting cards. You can personalize the name and a brief message, but you won’t be able to do much more than that. You will, however, have access to celebrity videos—consider it Cameo on the cheap!

Jacquie Lawson

Price: $20/year

Pros: Designer cards at an affordable yearly rate

Cons: Limited customization, dated website

Best For: Sending unique ecards all year

This is the first ecard service started by an illustrator, and it shows. The cards are beautiful and unique, and some even feature custom music (now you can serenade them with birthday ecards!). At $20/year, it’s less than half the price of the big-name yearly subscriptions, but with much better taste and gift card options.

Punchbowl

Price: Free

Pros: Great free option

Cons: Requires upgrades for ad-free and video options

Best For: Free cards

Punchbowl was one of the first electronic greeting cards on the scene, and they’re still a viable product today. Their site will reel you in with a free ecard maker, but it’s very limited and designed to push you to the more interesting paid tiers.

The Invitation-Ecard Crossovers

There are several companies whose bread and butter is digital invitations. They've more recently begun to add eCard offerings to the mix.

Evite

Price: Varies (free options or memberships)

Pros: Adding Amazon gifts and egift cards

Cons: Few free options

Best For: When Happy Birthday is sung remotely

Like Punchbowl, Evite has been around for a long time. They made their name with electronic invitations, but they have since expanded into a nice range of birthday and other occasion ecards. We especially like the ability to add an Amazon gift or egift card directly to your birthday ecard (especially handy for a belated birthday).

Paperless Post

Price: From $10

Pros: Gorgeous designs

Cons: Less customization

Best For: Your fanciest friend

Paperless Post sets itself apart by creating beautiful designs and co-branded lines (Rifle Paper Co.—swoon!). These cards are much nicer than your cheesy, animated ecards. The onsite currency can be confusing, and you don’t get to customize very much, but it’s worth it for the luxury feel.

Greenvelope

Price: from $19

Pros: Customization, print or e-delivery, gift cards

Cons: Expensive, emphasis on invitations

Best For: Businesses or weddings that want to go green

Greenvelope is an ecard maker that focuses on sustainability. They feature beautiful designs and high levels of customization for your cards or invitations (including the envelope, postage, and more). Their focus is on weddings and event invitations, and they feature business packages, but when it comes to greeting cards your options will be limited.

The Specialty Ecards

Here's where things get interesting. If you are no longer searching for a generic eCard or online invitation but rather want to find something a bit more bespoke -- look no further than these specialty offerings.

Postable

Price: From $4

Pros: Paper cards delivered for you

Cons: Delivery dates can vary

Best For: When you want them to get a “real” card

Some of us just aren’t that good at remembering birthdays. Some of us want (or need) to send our old school family actual cards for their birthdays or special occasions. If either of these is you—Postable is your best bet. You can create the card virtually, then Postable will print and mail it. Just be careful you send it with plenty of time for delivery.

CultureGreeting

Price: $4

Pros: Black-owned, diverse cards, gift card available

Cons: Delivery dates can vary

Best For: Supporting small and black-owned businesses

CultureGreeting is a Black-owned greeting card maker that provides a more diverse set of images and options. You can personalize a card and have it mailed to your recipient, but even better than Postable you can add a gift card to sweeten the deal.

Dayspring

Price: Free

Pros: Beautiful, free religious cards (or pay $5.99/card for a paper card)

Cons: No customization

Best For: Religious groups or individuals

Dayspring offers a wide range of free ecards with religion in mind. You can select any type of card and then download or email it to add a personalized message. While the cards can’t be edited, they are well-designed and usually feature faith-filled images and quotes.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ecards

What is an ecard?

An ecard is an electronic greeting card created and sent online in place of a physical greeting card you bought at the store. Ecards come in a variety of themes (birthday, get well soon, sympathy, etc.) and can be signed virtually and sent via email or link to the recipient.

Where can I find free ecards?

The best free ecards can be found at Kudoboard, Punchbowl, and Dayspring.

Can you customize ecards?

Yes! Not all platforms offer customizations in their ecards, but Kudoboard does. You can customize the background, fonts, and add photos, GIFs, or videos.

Where can I make a video ecard?

The best video ecard is Kudoboard, which allows for videos mixed with written messages, photos, and GIFs. More expensive video ecards include Tribute and Wave.

How can I send an ecard from a group?

To send an ecard from a group, set up your Kudoboard with the name and theme, and then send the link to contributors via email, Slack, text, or even a QR code. Schedule delivery of your ecard to your recipient, and you're done!

Can I print an ecard?

Yes! With Kudoboard, you can print your ecard as a poster or as a book. You can also display your ecard as a slideshow.

Are free ecards safe?

Not all ecards are safe. Some ecard services will use or sell your data. Kudoboard is a safe ecard platform that will never sell your data.

An Ecard for Every Day of the Year

There you have it. Now you never have another excuse not to acknowledge a special day, because in just a few clicks you can send off a fun and thoughtful e-card direct to your recipient. When in doubt, take the opportunity to say something nice. You won’t regret it.