A digital Valentine's Day card usually takes one of four common formats: a designed card addressed and delivered to each recipient, a funny personalized video, an illustrated animated scene with music, or a DIY design you make and deliver yourself. Services overlap at the edges, and several cover more than one format, but the right choice still starts with the experience you want to send.
The quick recommendations: for a personalized, ad-free designed card delivered to specific people, this guide recommends Greenvelope. For a free designer card, Paperless Post, using a free design with no paid elements inside its direct-send allowance. For a funny personalized video, JibJab or an American Greetings SmashUp. For illustrated animation with music, Jacquie Lawson. For a design of your own, Canva. Greenvelope publishes this comparison, so weigh that as you read; the pricing, trial, and delivery claims below link to the official pages they were checked against on October 23, 2026.
On Greenvelope, artist-designed cards arrive inside an animated envelope with music, personalized per recipient, delivered by email or text message (in supported countries) with per-guest delivery and open status and scheduled sending. Single mailings start at $19 for a guest list of up to 20 people, with no subscription required; the full tier table is in how much does Greenvelope cost. A new account can send to as many as ten people in Trial Mode with no credit card required.
What Each Service Sells
| Service | The product | How it reaches the recipient | Pricing model |
|---|
| Greenvelope | Designed card with an animated envelope, music, and a per-recipient message | Email or text message, with per-guest delivery and open status; scheduled sending | Flat one-time price per mailing from $19 for a guest list of up to 20 people; Trial Mode sends to up to ten people with no credit card required |
| Paperless Post | Designer greeting cards, including collections from Rifle Paper Co., kate spade new york, and Oscar de la Renta | Email, text (numbers in US states and Canadian provinces), or shareable link; open tracking on direct sends, advance scheduling | A free design with no paid elements sends to the first 50 direct email or text recipients at no charge; paid designs and paid elements are priced in Coins per recipient |
| JibJab | Funny video ecards starring the faces you upload, one to five per video | Sent by email from the site, with ecard tracking and a Send Later option for members, or shared from the apps | Membership: $36 a year or $24 for six months on the site and iOS, $6.99 a month in the mobile apps |
| Jacquie Lawson | Hand-drawn animated scenes with music by an English artist and team | Email or text, or a share link for social media; members can schedule email delivery | Membership: $8 for one month, $36 for one year, $50 for two years, with optional automatic renewal |
| American Greetings | Large ecard catalog with SmashUps personalized videos, talking cards, custom songs, and Creatacard designs sent digitally or printed at home | Email, text (US and Canadian numbers), or social sharing; paid members can schedule email and text delivery, unavailable during the free trial | Membership at $7.99 a month or $35.99 a year; a seven day trial for new members converts to a paid subscription unless canceled |
| Canva | A design tool with hundreds of Valentine templates, photo uploads, and animation | Download the finished design or choose how to share it; Canva Print can mail paper copies | Creating and sharing with free templates and assets costs nothing; Pro content and features may require payment, and printing is paid |
The scenarios below match each service to the job it does best.
One Romantic Card for Your Partner
A single recipient makes personalization and the opening moment matter more than list tools. On Greenvelope, pick a design such as the two described below, write the message, and schedule the send for the morning of February 14. A new account can send it in Trial Mode at no charge, with no credit card required and no time limit, though Trial Mode cannot create a shareable link or copy the recipient's personalized link, so the send goes by email or text.
Paperless Post covers the same job with designer cards: a free design with no paid elements sends by email or text at no charge, while premium designs and paid options such as envelopes, liners, backgrounds, and stamps are priced in Coins per recipient. It schedules in advance and tracks opens on direct sends.
One Design Sent to 15 People
Say the same Valentine goes to 15 individual recipients. On Greenvelope that is one $19 mailing: the up-to-20 tier counts every person on the list, so 15 recipients fit with room to spare, and larger lists move up the tiers in the pricing guide. Each recipient gets their own message, delivery and open status can be checked per guest for email and text sends, and the whole list goes out on one scheduled send.
It is not automatically the cheapest route. A Paperless Post free design with no paid elements reaches the first 50 direct email or text recipients at no charge, Jacquie Lawson's $8 one-month membership covers unlimited sends, and American Greetings' $7.99 monthly membership does the same, each below the $19 mailing. The choice comes down to the card experience you want and the terms you prefer: Greenvelope's animated envelope opening, no advertising, and one-time purchase, against a no-charge design or a membership whose renewal terms depend on the service.
A Funny Video Valentine
A face-in-video greeting is its own product, and Greenvelope does not make one. JibJab builds Valentine videos around photos you upload, casting one to five faces into comic performances; a Premium membership unlocks the full library with ecard tracking and a Send Later email option on the site, at $36 a year or $24 for six months on the site and iOS, or $6.99 a month in the mobile apps. American Greetings covers the same ground with SmashUps, personalized videos that can include the recipient's name, plus talking character cards and custom songs, under a membership at $7.99 a month or $35.99 a year, with a seven day trial for new members that converts to a paid subscription unless canceled. JibJab leads when the joke is seeing your own faces perform; American Greetings leads when you want a wider catalog around the video.
An Illustrated Animated Scene
For someone who loves hand-drawn animation, Jacquie Lawson is the clear pick: illustrated scenes with music, sent by email or text or shared by link, and members can schedule email delivery. The $8 one-month membership covers Valentine's Day without a year-long commitment, and the $36 annual plan suits someone who will send cards all year.
A Card You Design Yourself
For a card built around your own photos, lettering, or inside joke, Canva is the best fit. Hundreds of Valentine templates, photo uploads, and animation are free to use with free templates and assets; Pro content and features may require payment. For a personal Valentine, create your design in Canva, then download it or choose how to share it, and Canva Print can mail paper copies for a fee.
Two Greenvelope Valentine Designs
Two examples from the Valentine's Day collection show the range. Key to My Heart (Signature Greenvelope) is a romantic illustrated card with a vintage hotel keychain and purple florals on cream, a natural pick for the partner scenario. Checkerboard Hearts (Shari Margolin Design) frames a vertical photo in a red and pink checkered heart border, which suits the 15-person list. For more, browse the collection or the design roundups in our Valentine card designs and online Valentine card designs galleries.
Valentine Cards Are Not Party Invitations
A Valentine greeting is a card, not an event. If you are hosting a Galentine's dinner or a Valentine's party, that mailing needs to collect replies, so send a Greenvelope invitation, the mailing type built around RSVP collection, rather than a greeting card.
Next step: if the designed, individually addressed card is the format you want, browse the Valentine's Day card collection, personalize a design, and schedule it so February 14 does the delivering. For occasions beyond Valentine's Day, our greeting card site comparison covers the year.
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best site to send a digital Valentine's Day card online?
For a designed, ad-free Valentine addressed to specific people, this guide recommends Greenvelope, which sends artist-designed cards by email or text with scheduled sending and per-guest delivery status. For a funny personalized video the better fit is JibJab or an American Greetings SmashUp, and for illustrated musical animation it is Jacquie Lawson. No single site wins every format; the services overlap, but each suits a different preference.
Can I send a Valentine ecard without a membership?
Yes. Greenvelope charges a flat one-time price per mailing, starting at $19 for a guest list of up to 20 people, with no subscription required. A Paperless Post free design with no paid elements sends by email or text to the first 50 direct recipients at no charge. Jacquie Lawson, American Greetings, and JibJab sell their catalogs through memberships.
How can I send one Valentine card online at no cost?
A new Greenvelope account can send a card to as many as ten people in Trial Mode, with no credit card required and no time limit, though Trial Mode cannot create a shareable link or copy a guest's personalized link. A Paperless Post free design with no paid elements sends by email or text at no charge, and a Canva card made with free templates and assets can be created and shared at no cost, though you deliver it yourself.
Can you schedule a Valentine's Day ecard for February 14?
Yes. Greenvelope mailings can be scheduled to go out on the date and time you set, Paperless Post supports scheduling in advance, Jacquie Lawson members can schedule email delivery, American Greetings members can preschedule email and text sends (not available during its trial), and JibJab members can use the Send Later email option on its site. Write the card early and let the send date do the remembering.