Anyvite – Another Viable Evite Alternative

Evite made sending emails to organize events a thing of the past. They have done very well but over time its almost like they have taken their eyes off the ball. I feel like it is bloated and have always looked for better alternatives.

What is AnyVite?

Recently, when I wrote about Yarp someone from Anyvite sent me a Twitter message inviting me to check out Anyvite. And I did. Now, we have been sending our weekly volleyball games invites via Anyvite and have found it very appealing and easy to use.

AnyVite is a free Web based invitations service by Simpletastic Inc. startup, that just turned 1 on July 1st and is a Y Combinator-funded company.

Let’s look at some of its features.

Anyvite Features

• Invitation Design
  Choose from a collection or upload your own or even use a pictures from Flickr.
• Rich Text Editor
  Provides a rich text editor so you can style your invitation details as you would like.
• Location Search
  You can use this feature to find venues for your events and automatically populate the location.
• Public Invitations
  Lets you create invitations for a large event so they can just access the event via a URL.
• Pictures/Video
  Your guests can upload pictures/videos from/for the events.
• Options
  Features a robust set of invitation options – who can see the guest list, event reminders, picture/video upload permissions, etc.
• Import from Email/Evite
  You can import guest lists from your email Contacts or even Evite address book.

• After Event
  You can share Flickr pictures and YouTube videos after the event using a unique tag provided.
• Anyvite Widget
  You can publish your event in your blog or website using their widget.
• Mobile Access
  You can easily view/respond to invites via their mobile page at http://m.anyvite.com.
• Receive Invites
  With your Anyvite account, you can receive invitations via several methods
  • Email
  • Text message on your phone
  • RSS Feed
  • iCS Feed (Outlook/iCal)
  • Google Calendar
• Manage Notifications
  You can choose to receive event notifications via any of the above ways.
• Twitter Integration
  Lets you import guest profile from Twitter or Flickr. Plus you can create groups of your guests if you send invitations to different sets of people regularly.

My $0.02 on Anyvite

Don’t let the extensive list of features fool you into thinking ‘you said Evite is bloated!’. Most of these features are so well integrated into the sleek and fast interface, you’d appreciate it.  I like the fact that the RSVP info itself is kind of in the side and guest conversation takes a center place. Also, the fact that I can see my invites right in my Google Calendar and sync it to my iPhone is priceless.

If you are trying out Anyvite, check out these 10 Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Anyvite Online Invitation.

I think Dan Morin & Jeff Morin have done a tremendous job in creating Anyvite not just as a Evite alternative but can pose a serious threat if people start seeing what they offer.

Here is another Evite Alternatives I have reviewed before Yarp – Yet Another Evite Alternative .