OpenRSVP

Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

What OpenRSVP is

OpenRSVP is an open-source tool for building event invitations, collecting guest responses, and keeping organizers and attendees in touch. It is aimed at occasions such as birthdays, gatherings, and celebrations. Organizers can choose among five invitation themes and adjust their colors, fonts, and text; custom design upload is also supported. Guests can respond with one click without an account, while hosts can record dietary requirements and plus-ones. Guest-list import from CSV and event guestbooks add further ways to manage an event.

For communication, OpenRSVP supports scheduled reminders and two-way messaging. Email delivery can use SMTP, SendGrid, or SES, and SMS can use Twilio, Vonage, or SNS. Its API endpoints are documented under /api/v1, and HMAC-signed webhooks can send real-time callbacks for RSVP and event lifecycle events. The software is self-hosted, runs as a Docker container, and stores data in SQLite or PostgreSQL. The project is MIT licensed and says it has no ads or tracking. Guest data deletion uses a configurable retention period that defaults to 30 days after an event. Honeypot fields and IP-based rate limiting provide bot protections.

Who it suits

OpenRSVP suits people organizing birthdays, gatherings, and celebrations who want themed invitations and tools for handling guest responses. Its self-hosting, MIT license, privacy features, and customizable design also fit organizers who value control over deployment and presentation.

What it does well

Five themes allow customization of colors, fonts, and text.
Guests can RSVP without creating accounts.
Organizers can track dietary needs and plus-ones.
Scheduled reminders and two-way messaging are available.
Supports CSV guest-list imports and event guestbooks.
Self-hosted Docker deployment supports SQLite or PostgreSQL.

What to know first

Requires self-hosting and deployment.
SendGrid and SES delivery webhooks do not verify provider signatures.
Guest-data retention defaults to 30 days after the event.

Limits

Guest-data retention is configurable and defaults to 30 days after the event. SendGrid and SES delivery webhooks record bounces and complaints but do not yet verify provider signatures.

Getting started

Visit https://openrsvp.app/.
Deploy OpenRSVP as a Docker container.
Choose SQLite or PostgreSQL for storage.
Set up an email provider or SMS provider if you want to send invitations and updates.
Create an event and select a theme, then customize its colors, fonts, or text.

Verdict

Choose OpenRSVP if you want a customizable invitation and RSVP system that you host yourself, with guest messaging and privacy-oriented controls. Look elsewhere if you need managed hosting or verified SendGrid and SES delivery-webhook signatures.

Questions

Is OpenRSVP free?

Yes. It is free and open source.

What platforms does it support?

OpenRSVP is available as a web app and API, and it is self-hosted.

How can I deploy it?

It can be deployed as a Docker container and uses SQLite or PostgreSQL for storage.

Can guests RSVP without an account?

Yes. Guests can respond with one click without creating an account.

What messaging providers can it use?

Email options are SMTP, SendGrid, and SES. SMS options are Twilio, Vonage, and SNS.

What license does OpenRSVP use?

The project is licensed under MIT.

Facts from OpenRSVP's own pages

API: The project documents API endpoints under /api/v1. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Audience: The site describes it as suitable for birthdays, gatherings, and celebrations. · openrsvp.app, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment: The project documents Docker deployment and supports SQLite or PostgreSQL databases. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Deployment and storage: OpenRSVP is self-hosted, deployable as a Docker container, and supports SQLite or PostgreSQL. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Event tools: The project lists scheduled reminders, two-way organizer and attendee messaging, CSV guest-list import, and event guestbooks. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Guest responses: Guests can RSVP with one click without creating an account, and organizers can track dietary needs and plus-ones. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Guest RSVPs: Guests can RSVP without creating an account, and organizers can track dietary requirements and plus-ones. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Intended users: The site presents OpenRSVP for birthdays, gatherings, and celebrations, and says it is suited to organizers who value privacy and design. · openrsvp.app, 5 Oct 2026
Invitations: The site says users can choose themed templates and customize colors and fonts. · openrsvp.app, 5 Oct 2026
License: The site describes OpenRSVP as MIT licensed and customizable. · openrsvp.app, 5 Oct 2026
Messaging: Organizers and attendees can communicate through two-way messaging, with scheduled event reminders also available. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Notifications: The project supports email providers SMTP, SendGrid, and SES, plus SMS providers Twilio, Vonage, and Amazon SNS. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Privacy: The site says OpenRSVP has no tracking or ads and automatically deletes guest data after an event; the repository describes a configurable retention period that defaults to 30 days post-event. · openrsvp.app, 5 Oct 2026
Purpose: OpenRSVP creates event invitations and manages RSVPs on a privacy-first, self-hosted platform. · openrsvp.app, 5 Oct 2026
Retention: The repository says data deletion uses a configurable retention period that defaults to 30 days after the event. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Security: The repository lists honeypot fields and IP-based rate limiting for bot protection. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Security limitation: The repository says SendGrid and SES delivery webhooks record bounces and complaints but do not yet verify provider signatures. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Templates: It offers five customizable invitation themes with options for colors, fonts, and text. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Webhooks: Organizers can register event webhooks, whose payloads are signed with HMAC. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026

Where OpenRSVP stands on Freedom251

Invitation Maker Software#11 of 24