‘Tis the season for holiday parties. I was recently asked to do some research into the different free online invitation services. I have nothing against the mighty Evite, but it’s a little stale now.

I was looking for a service that would allow an image to be uploaded, templates usually suck. I needed a way to allow guests to RSVP, but still manage it to be sure they could only bring one guest each. I liked everything about AnyVite.com, they have some great features including: mobile, TM and SMS. They also will give you and your guests space to share pictures, videos and comments from the event.

I especially LOVED the fact that when I emailed their customer service regarding the ability to cap the number of guests, I heard back within minutes. Dan Morin was fast and efficient, I would also add very friendly. Unfortunately they didn’t have the ability (yet) to fulfill my needs.

I posted the question on Twitter to see if I could get an answer from my friends. Soon after I heard from Josh Goggans, who recommended Pingg.com. Pingg has everything I was looking for and more.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the ability for: Email, SMS, Print, Personalized Web Page and Social Network integration. It also has a cool graph to break down open rates, Yes and No RSVPs and more. I’m happy with Pingg.com, thanks Josh.

What are you using to manage your RSVPs for upcoming events, parties, etc?