Thankbox alternative
When all you want is a beautiful card
Thankbox bundles a group card with a money-collection pot. If the pot is not what you need, cheerful.cards does the card — just the card — remarkably well. free to create and preview, then £2.99 once to activate.
The short version
Thankbox is a group card with a built-in gift collection — genuinely useful when the send-off includes money. cheerful.cards deliberately skips the pot and puts everything into the card itself: design, an envelope reveal, free creation and preview, then one £2.99 activation with unlimited signers. Pick by what the occasion needs.
Why people go looking for an alternative
Paying for plumbing you will not use
The collection pot is the headline feature — great for leaving gifts, irrelevant for a birthday card among friends. Without the pot, you are paying for infrastructure you never touch.
Free to start, paid to send
You can build a Thankbox for free, but sending it costs $5.99. Video, voice messages, custom design, and slideshows require the $9.99 Premium card.
A tool, more than a moment
Pots, gift cards, branding options — Thankbox is a capable toolkit. The recipient experience carries that toolbox feel with it.
At a glance
| cheerful.cards | Thankbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2.99 flat per card | $5.99 Classic, $9.99 Premium |
| Free option | Create and preview free, then activate the card once for £2.99 before inviting unlimited signers. | Free to create and collect, pay to send |
| Money collection | Not offered — card only, on purpose | Included — their standout feature |
| Signers & messages | Unlimited, always | Unlimited messages |
| Video messages | Photos & GIFs (no video uploads) | On the Premium card |
| Scheduled delivery | Included | Included |
Thankbox pricing checked September 2026. Competitor pricing can change. Thankbox pricing ↗
The pot question
Be honest about this one: if your occasion involves collecting money — a leaving gift, a group present — Thankbox handles card and cash in one place, and that is genuinely convenient. cheerful.cards deliberately does not touch money collection. We think the card deserves a product of its own, and plenty of groups already collect through their banking app of choice.
Where the money goes
Both services charge about the same for a card. The difference is focus: Thankbox spreads across pots, gift cards and corporate branding; cheerful.cards spends everything on the recipient's ten seconds — the envelope, the reveal, the confetti, a wall of messages that looks designed rather than assembled. And your card is free to create and preview before activation.
Starting free versus finishing free
Thankbox lets you start free and pay when you send. cheerful.cards flips it: you can create and preview your card free, then activate it for £2.99 before collecting messages.
When Thankbox is the better pick
The occasion includes a group gift and you want contributions collected alongside the messages, in one link. That is exactly what Thankbox was built for, and it does it well — including payouts in multiple currencies.
When cheerful.cards fits better
- ✓The card is the gift — every design decision serves the reveal moment.
- ✓Genuinely free creation and preview — delivery and reveal included, no pay-to-send step.
- ✓One flat price after that — £2.99 per card, unlimited signers, no premium tiers.
Questions people ask
Does cheerful.cards collect money like Thankbox?
No — deliberately. cheerful.cards is the card, done as well as we can do it. Groups that need a gift kitty usually collect through their usual payment app and let the card be the surprise.
How much does Thankbox cost?
As of September 2026, creating and collecting messages is free, sending a Classic card is $5.99, and Premium with video, voice messages, custom design, and slideshows is $9.99. Check Thankbox's official pricing page for changes.
Can I create a cheerful.cards card before paying?
Yes. Create and preview the card free, then activate it once for £2.99 before inviting signers.
Can signers add video on cheerful.cards?
Not today — signatures support text, photos and GIFs. If video is essential to your occasion, Thankbox Premium or Ellacard cover it.
Make the card the moment
No pot, no premium tiers — just a beautiful card they will not forget. create and preview free, then activate for £2.99.
Create your card free