MyBirthdayWhat is free
- Making the card. Their first name and age, a few words about them, one of the 41 mini-games and scenes, the celebration, your message, the colours and the fonts.
- Previewing it. The whole card, game included, exactly as they will see it on a phone or a computer, as many times as you like.
- Receiving it. The person opens it from a link, in their browser, with no app and no account, and replays it as often as they like.
- Replying. At the end of the card they can send you a thank-you, free, in thirty seconds.
- Keeping it. They can keep the card in a free account, with every card they receive afterwards. Your account is free too.
What costs money
Sending the card: 2.60 € in the euro zone, £2.20 in the United Kingdom and $2.90 everywhere else, paid once per card, by card through Stripe, with an invoice in your account. That is the only thing you pay for. The steps are on How it works.
Why no ads and no subscription
A birthday card is a personal thing, and an ad in the middle of it spoils it. A subscription makes you pay all year for the few cards you send. So the card you send pays for itself: one price, for one card made for one person, and nothing else to sign up for or to cancel.
How it compares with "free" ecard sites
Free ecard sites have to earn their money somewhere. The usual ways are ads, a watermark that goes away when you pay, an account before you can send, or a subscription that starts after a trial. Here is the difference, in plain words.
| A typical "free" ecard site | MyBirthdayCards | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | Often, around the card or before it | None |
| Watermark | Often on the free version | None |
| Sign-up | Often required to send | Not needed: an email when you send |
| Subscription | Often, after a free trial | None |
| Price | Free with ads, or a yearly plan | Free to make, paid once per card sent ($2.90, 2.60 €, £2.20) |
| The card | The same animation for everyone | Their name and age in a game, your words |
A card worth sending
What you send is an interactive birthday card: it opens with a gesture, they play a mini-game of about twenty seconds with their name in it, and the cake and your message come at the end. Any name in any language, written exactly as you type it. Browse the birthday cards by theme to find the one that sounds like them.
Questions
Is MyBirthdayCards free?
Making a card is free, and so is previewing it, game included, exactly as they will see it. Sending it costs 2.60 € in the euro zone, £2.20 in the United Kingdom and $2.90 everywhere else, once per card. Receiving a card, replying with a thank-you and keeping it in an account are free.
Why is sending not free?
Because there are no ads and no data for sale to pay for it. The price of a card sent pays for the games, drawn and coded by hand, their music and sounds, and the servers that keep the card at its link.
Is there a subscription or a free trial?
No. There is no subscription, no trial that turns into one and nothing to cancel. You pay for a card when you send it, and only then.
Does the person who receives it pay anything?
No. They tap the link and the card opens in their browser, with no app and no account. Sending you a thank-you from the card is free, and so is keeping the card in a free account.
Do I need an account to make one?
No. You make the card and preview it without an account. When you send it, you give an email address so you can be told when it is opened. An account is free, if you want your cards and their birthdays kept in one place.