Cheerfold vs SimpleCards
A SimpleCards alternative for when messages should stay private
SimpleCards is a genuinely free, donation-funded group card. Cheerfold is for the cards where you want private messages, video, and a keepsake that lasts.
SimpleCards is completely free and works like passing a paper card around: anyone with the signing link can read every message. Cheerfold keeps each contribution private until the recipient opens it, lets people record video, and turns the result into a flip-book plus a printable PDF. Use SimpleCards for a quick free card; use Cheerfold when the card should be personal and kept.
Side by side
Cheerfold vs SimpleCards
How the two stack up, feature by feature.
| Feature | Cheerfold | SimpleCards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, or $9 / $15 per card | Free (donations) |
| Private contributions | Yes | Signers can read all messages |
| Video messages | Yes | No |
| Animated flip-book keepsake | Yes | Online card |
| Printable PDF keepsake | Paid & Keepsake | No |
| Occasion-specific writing prompts | Yes | Templates |
| Scheduled delivery | Yes | Yes |
| No account to contribute | Yes | Yes |
| Card retention | Kept with your account | Deleted after 6 months |
SimpleCards details reflect our understanding at the time of writing — always check their site for the latest.
Why teams switch
What you get with Cheerfold
Every message stays private
Contributors never see each other's notes, so you get genuine, original words — not copies of the message above. The recipient is the first to read it all.
A flip-book keepsake, not a wall
Messages are delivered as an animated, page-by-page flip-book to open online, plus a printable PDF on paid cards — something to keep, not a link that expires.
Video with a live transcript
Anyone can record a short video right in the browser. In supported browsers a transcript is captured as they speak (and can be edited), so the words live on in the printable PDF too.
Designed for the occasion
Each occasion — farewell, birthday, retirement, work anniversary — has its own design and built-in writing prompts, so the right words come easily.
How it comes together
From idea to keepsake in four steps
No accounts for contributors, no chasing people in a shared doc. Just one link and a beautiful result.
Set up the card
Pick an occasion, add the recipient’s name, and get a shareable link plus your own dashboard — about a minute’s work.
Invite the team privately
Teammates open the link and add a message or video without seeing anyone else’s, so nothing gets spoiled.
Lock it in
Watch the message count climb (never the contents), then close the card whenever the moment’s right.
Hand over the keepsake
The recipient flips through every message page by page — and paid cards add a printable PDF to keep.
Credit where it's due
- Free with no paywall, funded by optional donations
- 250+ templates and custom cover uploads
- Scheduled close and delivery dates, plus a QR code for office sharing
The bottom line
If all you need is a free card the team can sign in five minutes, SimpleCards is a good tool. If you want private messages, video, and a PDF the recipient can keep for years, start a Cheerfold card free.
Questions, answered
Try the SimpleCards alternative your team will keep
Start a card in under a minute — free, no credit card. Everyone adds a private message, and you hand over a flip-book keepsake plus a PDF.
No credit card required.