Comparison
E-card or Ouvella: when a free ecard is enough, and when to give more
Updated · by Milad, founder of Ouvella
An ecard is free or close to it, it goes out in two minutes, and people like getting one. So why pay €9.99 for something else? The short answer: to wish several people a happy holiday, an ecard is the right tool, and we’ll tell you which ones. For the person you love, on a day that matters, a gift they open scene by scene (your letter, your photos, your voice) says something a card other people receive too can’t.
Full disclosure: Ouvella is us. So we are not neutral. Everything about the ecard sites below comes from their own pages, read in September 2026, and we say plainly when a free ecard is all you need.
The main ecard sites, in a few facts
Here is what a few well-known sites offer, based on what they say themselves.
Jacquie Lawson
The classy option: hand-drawn animated cards, with music selected, composed or arranged for each one, and sometimes a little game or puzzle. No ads: the site is funded by memberships only, listed at $8 a month, $36 a year or $50 for two years (taxes may apply). Your personal message can run up to 1,500 characters, and a card sent by email can be booked for a future date: it goes out early in the morning in your country’s time (around 1:00 a.m. Pacific for US members) and you can still edit or cancel it until then. The site also offers Advent calendars.
American Greetings
A huge catalog: more than 4,000 ecards, plus SmashUps, personalized video greetings where a celebrity says the recipient’s name, and Creatacard cards to print at home. Membership is listed at $7.99 a month, $35.99 a year or $49.99 for two years (taxes may apply), with a 7-day free trial for first-time members that is billed automatically if you don’t cancel. Members can pre-schedule ecards, attach a gift card and set date reminders; you can also register for an account to send free cards.
Canva
Not an ecard site as such, but its eCard maker is free, and so are its Christmas eCard templates: you start from a template, add your own photos and animated stickers, then share by link, email or social media, or download the card. The full comparison is here: Canva or Ouvella.
E-card or Ouvella, point by point
| Criterion | E-card | Ouvella |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (Canva, some free cards with an American Greetings account) or a membership ($35.99 a year at American Greetings, $36 at Jacquie Lawson; monthly plans too) | €9.99 once per gift, no subscription; creating and previewing are free |
| What you personalize | A message, sometimes names or a photo, on a card that is already designed | Your letter, your photos, your song, your voice, a quiz and the final reveal |
| What they experience | A card, often animated, to watch | A gift that opens scene by scene |
| Recipients | Handy for sending the same card to many people | Made for one person |
| Delivery | Email and, depending on the site, text or social media | Private link or QR code, printable card included |
| Timing | Scheduled sending on a chosen date on the membership sites (early morning at Jacquie Lawson) | Opens right away, behind a secret word with a hint, or at an exact date and time |
| After sending | Scheduled cards can be edited or cancelled until they go out (Jacquie Lawson) | Editable through your private link, even after sending; email on first opening |
| Extras | Gift cards to attach, celebrity videos, date reminders (American Greetings) | The person can react at the end; the gift stays online for at least 5 years |
Sources checked in September 2026: jacquielawson.com (prices and FAQ), americangreetings.com (membership FAQ and member benefits) and canva.com (eCard maker and Christmas eCard templates). These offers may change. The names mentioned are trademarks of their owners and are not affiliated with Ouvella.
When an ecard is honestly enough
- You are writing to several people. Holiday greetings to the family, a coworker’s birthday, a thank-you to your aunt: one ecard sent to everyone at once is perfect.
- It is a small thought, not a gift. A “thinking of you” on a Tuesday, a get-well-soon, a thank-you: no need for more.
- Your budget is zero. Canva’s eCard maker costs nothing. And a handwritten note is still a lovely gesture.
- You want a beautiful animation with no effort. Jacquie Lawson’s cards are small works of art, if a membership suits you.
- It goes with a real present. The card carries the sweet words, the present does the rest; American Greetings members can even attach a gift card.
When a gift to open is the better choice
It is for the person you love, on a day that counts. Their birthday, Valentine’s Day, your first anniversary, Christmas: on those days, a card anyone could have sent can fall a little flat.
You want it to be yours. A ready-made card is the same for everyone who sends it. An Ouvella gift holds your letter, your photos, your song, a voice note you record right in the editor, and questions about your story that nobody else could ask.
You want to play with the moment. The opening can be locked behind a secret word (with a hint) or scheduled for an exact date and time in your time zone or theirs, midnight sharp included. You can hand over the link or the QR card in advance: the gift stays closed until the time you picked.
You are far apart. Nothing to ship: the link arrives in seconds, wherever they are. More ideas on our long distance relationship gift page.
You want to be able to fix it, and to know. A typo in their name can be fixed after sending through your private link, and you get an email the first time it is opened.
Christmas e-card, or a gift that opens on Christmas morning?
December is when this question comes up most. This year, Christmas Eve falls on Thursday, December 24, and Christmas Day on Friday, December 25.
For greetings to family, friends or coworkers, a Christmas e-card is still the right answer. Canva has free Christmas eCard templates, Jacquie Lawson offers animated cards as well as Advent calendars, and American Greetings has holiday ecards. On both membership sites you can even schedule your cards for December 25.
For your girlfriend or boyfriend, you can make it more personal. Build your Ouvella surprise whenever you like in December, set it to unlock at midnight on the 25th or at the time they usually wake up, then send the link ahead of time or tuck the printed QR card under the tree: the gift stays closed until the time you chose. If you are spending the holidays apart, it is the same gift, with no shipping delay at all (you can set the time in their time zone, so there is nothing to convert). Prefer a small surprise every day until the 24th? Our virtual Advent calendar opens one door a day, at midnight their time.
For the festive look, Ouvella has a special Christmas universe, Christmas Night: the surprise opens on a snow globe to shake. Your words, your photos and the moment you pick are what make it a Christmas gift. More ideas on our original Christmas gift page, and if you are looking more broadly for a gift with nothing to ship, see virtual gift to open online.
What they find when they open an Ouvella gift
Instead of a card to watch, a surprise that unfolds scene by scene on their phone, in the browser, with no app:
A letter
The words you don’t say often enough
Your photos
A gallery to flip through
A song
Your song, one tap to play
A voice note
Your actual voice
A little quiz
A game about your story
The reveal
The message saved for last
Need help with the words? Try our paragraphs for your girlfriend.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free ecards?
Yes. Canva’s eCard maker is free, including its Christmas templates, and American Greetings lets you register for an account to send free cards, with a paid membership for the full collection. Jacquie Lawson is funded by memberships only and has no ads. All of this is as seen on their sites in September 2026.
Can I schedule a Christmas e-card?
Yes, on the main membership sites: Jacquie Lawson sends booked cards early in the morning of the chosen date (your country’s time), and American Greetings members can pre-schedule ecards. With Ouvella, you choose the exact date and time the gift unlocks, in your time zone or theirs, for example midnight on December 25.
What is the difference between an e-card and Ouvella?
An e-card is a ready-made design, often animated, that you add a message to. Ouvella is a gift the person opens scene by scene: your letter, your photos, your song, your voice, a quiz and a final reveal, shared through a private link or a QR code.
Is Ouvella a good way to send Christmas greetings to the whole family?
Honestly, not really. Ouvella is made for one person, with a story that belongs to the two of you. To send your greetings to ten people, an e-card is the better fit.
How much does Ouvella cost?
€9.99 per surprise mini-film (the surprise calendar is €14.99 and the group card €14.99 for the whole group), paid once, with no subscription and no account. Creating and previewing everything is free: you only pay to send it. The gift stays editable through your private link and online for at least 5 years.