The Best Holiday Photo Cards

Perhaps the only thing more exciting than sending out your annual holiday cards is receiving them. There’s something so fun about getting mail (that isn't a bill), and it’s even more special to open the envelope and see your family and friends smiling back at you.

While making a holiday photo card is relatively easy, there are so many holiday card-making websites out there that it can be hard to choose which service is best for you.

We’ve collected the top photo card sites and compared them based on card template options, overall design process, convenience and cost. Cost is probably the biggest factor in deciding where to get your cards and it will vary from site to site. It also depends on the type of paper you choose to print your cards on (basic photo paper is the least expensive; matte cardstock is usually in the middle) and the number of cards you order. One helpful thing to consider–typically as quantity goes up, price per card goes down. Note: The prices on our list are based on ordering 100 holiday cards printed on matte paper.

So, round up your best family photos and bring on the holiday cheer. Here are the best places to get your holiday photo cards.

Best Holiday Cards for Perfectionists: Minted

Price: Starting at $1.40/card for 100 cards

It’s not hard to achieve a simple yet stunning holiday card when you use Minted. The website offers a ton of different card templates designed by independent artists, and they'll send you a proof of your card to review before it goes to print (and if you need to make changes, the number of proofs they'll send you is unlimited, so you can keep redesigning until it's perfect). Running low on time? Just text a photo to Minted and a designer will figure out which layouts it plays well with. Then they'll send you five styled options to choose from within 48 hours—for free. All orders also come with free recipient addressing.

Best Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards: Paper Culture

Price: Starting at $1.59/card for 100 cards

The cards from Paper Culture don't just look good—they make you feel good, too. No matter which design you choose (you can even upload your own), they’re all made with sustainable materials like 100% recycled paper, bamboo and more, and the company plants a tree with every order (they've gotten over a million trees planted so far!). There are hundreds of modern, stylish designs to choose from, and each one comes with free design assistance before you place your order.

Best Value Holiday Cards: Shutterfly

Price: Starting at $1.99/card for 100 cards

Besides being budget-friendly, Shutterfly makes it easy to narrow down which design template you want to use (which can be a huge time suck otherwise). It has advanced filters that let you sort through seemingly endless options by price, the number of photos you’ll want and the card size. You can also upload your photos and instantly see a preview of what they’ll look like in various card designs. You can make photo ornaments too.

Best Minimalist Holiday Cards: Artifact Uprising

Price: Starting at $1.75/card for 100 cards

If you're looking for both a simple user interface and minimalist card designs, Artifact Uprising is your place to make things easy yet elegant. Card designs are modern and minimalist with lots of foil-stamped and hand-lettered options. Want to include lots of photos? There are templates for up to 12 photos, like a mini Instagram profile.

Best Quirky Holiday Cards: Paper Source

Price: Starting at $1.33/card for 100 cards

If you've got a sense of humor and are looking to lighten the mood a bit this holiday season, Paper Source has a wide variety of fun and cheeky designs.

Best Holiday Cards for Creatives: Mixbook

Price: Starting at $1.79/card for 100 cards

If you really want a one-of-a-kind card (and don't mind putting in the work), here’s your chance to get those creative juices flowing—Mixbook gives you full control over your card’s design. Unlike other card-making services, Mixbook lets you choose or upload your own background and clip art, move pics and text around and select your color palette. You can even start from a blank canvas to create a holiday card that's as unique as you are.