Save the Date Magnets vs Postcards: Which Wins the Fridge?
Pick the postcard. Both end up on the fridge, but a ShipNote photo postcard gets there for less, greets each guest by name, and is printed, addressed and mailed for you. A magnet sticks by itself; a postcard goes up under a magnet the guest already owns, with no envelope, no stamps and no assembly. On 50 save the dates, ShipNote costs $61.49 less than Zola's magnets, all-in, and that money is better spent on the invitation.
Your photo on the front, each guest's name on the back.
Disclosure: ShipNote is our product, and it mails save-the-date postcards, not magnets. Zola and The Knot magnet prices are their list prices, and the magnet's weight is from Zola's postage chart, all checked October 7, 2026. Postage figures are current USPS retail rates.
Contents
- Magnets vs postcards at a glance
- How much do magnet save the dates cost next to a ShipNote postcard?
- Which one actually stays on the fridge?
- How much more does a magnet cost to mail?
- Can you personalize a magnet or a postcard for each guest?
- How do you send postcard save the dates?
- When is a magnet worth it?
Magnets vs postcards at a glance
A magnet is the save the date as a keepsake, and a postcard is the save the date as a heads-up you can afford to send to everyone. Here's the comparison, side by side:
| Photo postcard | Magnet | |
|---|---|---|
| On the fridge | Under any magnet the guest has | Sticks by itself |
| Envelope | None | Usually mailed in one |
| Postage today | $0.65 postcard rate (included with ShipNote) | $1.11 for a 2-ounce letter, $1.60 if it's rigid |
| Room for a note | Half the back, beside the address | None: the back is the magnet sheet |
| Each guest's name | In the greeting on every card (ShipNote) | On the envelope |
| Kept after the wedding | Sometimes | More often: it's useful |
How much do magnet save the dates cost next to a ShipNote postcard?
A ShipNote postcard costs less at every list size, with the mailing done for you. On 50 save the dates it's $61.49 less than Zola's magnets and $76.45 less than The Knot's, all-in, and your guests' names and addresses are already printed on every card.
| Save the date, all-in | 20 cards | 50 cards | 100 cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShipNote photo postcard, addressed and mailed for you | $39.80 ($1.99 a card) | $99.50 ($1.99 a card) | $199.00 ($1.99 a card) |
| Zola magnet in an envelope | $67.99 ($3.40 a card) | $160.99 ($3.22 a card) | $315.99 ($3.16 a card) |
| The Knot magnet in an envelope | $80.95 ($4.05 a card) | $175.95 ($3.52 a card) | $330.95 ($3.31 a card) |
All-in means the card, its postage and the shipping to you, before any sales tax on theirs. List prices checked October 7, 2026, without any discount code: Zola's Mabel Multiphoto magnet, $1.99 at every size above, envelopes included, plus $5.99 shipping; The Knot's Vintage Film Photo magnet, $2.39 at 20, $2.19 at 50 and $2.09 at 100, plus $10.95 Priority Mail, its cheapest listed shipping, before any envelope or addressing add-on. Each magnet carries $1.11 of postage, the 2-ounce letter rate for the weight Zola's postage chart gives a save-the-date magnet; we used it for The Knot's magnet too, so a heavier or rigid magnet costs more (see the next section).
$1.99 a card from 10 cards, postage and mailing included.
Which one actually stays on the fridge?
Both, if the guest wants it there. The magnet's advantage is that it doesn't need anything else: it goes straight on the door. A postcard needs a magnet to hold it, and most fridges already have one. What gets a save the date onto the fridge is a photo worth looking at and a date that's easy to read, and both formats can carry that.
The postcard has one advantage of its own: there's nothing to open. A magnet usually arrives in an envelope, and whatever arrives in an envelope gets opened at the counter, with the envelope going in the recycling. A postcard comes out of the mailbox with your photo and your date already showing.
How much more does a magnet cost to mail?
At least 46 cents more per card in postage, before the envelope. Zola's postage chart puts a save-the-date magnet at 1.45 oz, and with its envelope under 2 oz. Over 1 oz, a letter pays the $0.82 one-ounce rate plus $0.29 for the second ounce, so $1.11. USPS also treats a letter that is too rigid to bend as nonmachinable, and if your post office counts a magnet that way, the $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge brings it to $1.60. A 4x6 postcard mails at the postcard rate, $0.65.
| Postcard | Magnet in an envelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Postage | $0.65 | $1.11, or $1.60 if rigid |
| Envelope | None | One per card |
| Assembly | None | Stuff, seal, address, stamp |
| On 100 cards | $65.00 in postage | $111.00 to $160.00 in postage |
Postage is the current USPS retail rate for a postcard and for a letter weighing up to 2 oz, with and without the nonmachinable surcharge; weigh one assembled and ask at the counter before you buy stamps; check our stamp calculator for any other size or weight. The magnet weight is from Zola's postage guide, checked October 7, 2026.
With ShipNote, the postcard's postage isn't extra at all. Our save-the-date postcards cost $2.49, or $1.99 each from 10 cards, with printing, postage and mailing included.
Can you personalize a magnet or a postcard for each guest?
A magnet is printed once for the whole batch, and the guest's name goes on the envelope. Its back is the magnet sheet, so there's no room for a note. A postcard's back carries a note beside the address, and that's where it can greet each guest by name.
On ShipNote, you write one note with the placeholder [INVITEE], and every card prints with that guest's name. Each one opens with "Dear Aunt Carol and Uncle Dave," or "Dear Priya Shah," exactly as your list names them, and you can tap into any single card on the Review step to change its greeting without touching the rest.
How do you send postcard save the dates?
Design the card once, paste your guest list, and ShipNote mails a card to every household on it. Pick Save the Date, add your engagement photo, names and date, and write one note with [INVITEE] in the greeting. Then paste the guest list from Zola, The Knot, a spreadsheet or your notes. Every card is printed, addressed and mailed with USPS First-Class postage, usually the next business day, to arrive in 4–7 business days.
You can also pick the day they mail: at checkout, choose "On a date I choose" and any weekday up to 90 days out, and every card is held until then. For a guest with no address on your list, ShipNote gives you a link to send them, and they type in their own. If you order from Zola or The Knot instead, both ship the batch to you to stamp and mail yourself.
Your photo on the front, each guest's name on the back, mailed for you with postage included.
When is a magnet worth it?
When you want a keepsake that sticks to the fridge on its own and the budget allows it. On 20 cards, the extra postage comes to $9.20 to $19.00 on its own. For everyone else, the ShipNote postcard does the same job for less.
Related reading
- Save the date postcards: why the save the date is the place to save, and how to personalize and mail them.
- Does Zola mail save the dates for you?: what Zola and The Knot do with your save-the-date order.
- Stamp calculator: today's USPS rate for any card, envelope and weight.
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Create Your PostcardsCommon questions
Only if you want the save the date to be a keepsake that sticks to the fridge by itself. A postcard ends up on the same fridge under a magnet the guest already owns, costs less to mail, and needs no envelope. For most couples saving their budget for the invitation, the postcard is the better buy.
Yes. Zola's postage chart puts a save-the-date magnet at 1.45 oz, and with its envelope under 2 oz, which is the 2-ounce letter rate: $1.11 today, or $1.60 if the post office counts the stiff envelope as nonmachinable. A 4x6 postcard mails at the postcard rate, $0.65.
Yes. A 4x6 postcard slides under any fridge magnet, and because it has no envelope, the photo and the date are showing the moment it comes out of the mailbox.
The printed magnet is usually the same for every guest, and the guest's name goes on the envelope. A ShipNote postcard prints each guest's name in the greeting on the back, from one note you write once.
