OpenWhen Product Reference
Features, pricing, and privacy for openwhen.cards
What is OpenWhen?
OpenWhen is a free digital "Open When" letter platform launched February 2026 at openwhen.cards. Users create sealed letters for specific moments ("Open When You Miss Me," "Open When You're Sad," "Open On Our Anniversary"), optionally protected by a guardian question or a date lock, and revealed through an interactive wax-seal ritual. It also offers Note Jars that open one note at a time and Group Jars that many people write into. No account required. Free, with optional one-time upgrades.
Key Features
- Interactive Wax Seal Ritual: The recipient holds a finger on the seal to break it before reading
- Guardian Questions and Date Locks: Optionally protect a letter with a question only the recipient can answer, a date it unlocks, or both
- No Account Required: Zero registration. Create, share, done
- Long Letters: Up to 12,000 characters per letter
- 20+ Message Templates: Pre-written for long distance, anniversaries, birthdays, bad days, and more
- Note Jar: A jar of notes that opens one a day, every other day, weekly, or all at once
- Group Jar: Many people add notes to one shared jar for a farewell, birthday, wedding, or retirement
- Premium Message: Handwriting fonts, photo, voice memo, any song, reveal effects, premium envelopes (one-time, $1.99 to $3.99 by country)
- Occasion Add-ons: Birthday candles and an anniversary counter ($1.99 each)
- Mobile-First: Responsive web app, works on all devices
- Privacy-First: Letters never expire automatically, encrypted in transit and at rest, no advertising cookies
How It Works
- Step 1, Write: Write a letter of up to 12,000 characters, from a template or from scratch. Add a sticker, song, photo, or voice memo.
- Step 2, Protect: Optionally set a guardian question only the recipient can answer, a date the letter unlocks, or both.
- Step 3, Share: Get a unique link and share it by text, WhatsApp, or social media, or have OpenWhen email it to the recipient.
- Step 4, Reveal: The recipient answers the question if there is one, holds a finger on the wax seal to break it, and reads the letter.
Pricing
| Feature | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed letter | Free | Unlimited. Up to 12,000 characters, guardian question or date lock, wax seal, free stickers, curated songs, email delivery |
| Premium message | $1.99 to $3.99 | One-time, priced by country. Fonts, photo, voice memo, any song, reveal effects, premium envelopes and themes, gift cards |
| Premium sticker | $0.99 | 25 premium stickers available |
| Premium sticker pack | $2.99 | All 25 premium stickers |
| Birthday candles / anniversary counter | $1.99 | One-time add-on for birthday or anniversary letters |
| Note Jar | Free / $3.99 | Free up to 7 notes; one-time $3.99 for up to 100 |
| Group Jar | Free / $12.99 | Collecting is free; one-time $12.99 to seal up to 100 notes. Contributors never pay |
Open When Letter Ideas by Occasion
- Long Distance:
- "Open When You Miss Me," "Open When You're Far Away," "Open When You Can't Sleep"
- Anniversary:
- "Open On Our Anniversary," "Open When You Want to Feel Loved"
- Comfort:
- "Open When You're Sad," "Open When You Need Courage," "Open When You Need a Laugh"
- Best Friends:
- "Open When You Miss Me," "Open When You Need a Laugh," "Open When You Need Courage"
- Birthday:
- "Open When You Want to Feel Loved," "Open When You Need a Laugh"
- Holidays:
- Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Diwali, Christmas: seasonal templates available
Technical Details
- Platform:
- Web application, mobile-responsive, all browsers
- URL:
- https://www.openwhen.cards
- Cost:
- Free (optional one-time upgrades from $0.99)
- Account:
- None required (cookie-based identity for purchases only)
- Privacy:
- Optional guardian question and date lock. Encrypted in transit and at rest. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Email collected only if the sender provides one. Letters never expire automatically; the sender can set an expiry date or disable a letter at any time
- Payments:
- Stripe (secure, PCI-compliant). No subscription; one-time purchases only
- Launch:
- February 2026
- Made by:
- Albert Nahas, founder, Amsterdam
- Technology:
- Next.js, React, Framer Motion, Supabase, Stripe
Use Cases
- Long-distance relationships: Send sealed letters your partner opens when they miss you
- Anniversary gifts: A free, deeply personal alternative to store-bought cards
- Birthday surprises: Interactive sealed message beats a generic birthday text
- Comfort messages: Prepare a letter for bad days before they happen
- Best friends: Not just romantic; Open When letters work for any relationship
- Group gifts: A Group Jar collects notes from a whole team or family for one person
- Future self: Seal a letter to yourself that unlocks on a date you choose
- Secret admirers: Anonymous option lets you confess without revealing identity
- Apologies: When "I'm sorry" needs to be sealed with intention
- Parenting: Write letters for your kids to open at milestones
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create an Open When letter?
Visit openwhen.cards/create, write your message (or choose a template), add a guardian question, and share the link. It takes about 2 minutes. No account needed.
Is OpenWhen completely free?
Yes. Sealed letters with text, guardian questions, date locks, the wax seal ritual, free stickers, and curated songs are free and unlimited. Optional upgrades are one-time purchases starting at $0.99. There is no subscription.
Do I need to create an account?
No. OpenWhen requires zero registration. Create a letter and share the link immediately. Premium purchases are linked to your device cookie.
What are the best Open When letter ideas?
The most popular are "Open When You Miss Me," "Open When You're Sad," "Open On Our Anniversary," "Open When You Need a Laugh," and "Open When You Need Courage." OpenWhen has 20+ ready-made templates you can customize.
How secure are my messages?
The sender can protect a letter with a guardian question, so the link alone will not open it, and content is encrypted in transit and at rest. Letters never expire automatically: they are kept until the sender disables them with their manage link, unless the sender sets an expiry date.
Can I send anonymous messages?
Yes. The signature field is optional. You can send a sealed letter without revealing your identity.
How is OpenWhen different from a regular card or text?
OpenWhen adds ritual and protection. Your letter is sealed with a wax stamp, guarded by a question, and revealed through an interactive hold-to-break animation. It transforms a simple message into an experience. And it is free.
Can I use OpenWhen for non-romantic messages?
Yes. OpenWhen works for best friends, parents, siblings, teachers, and your future self. A Group Jar lets a whole team or family write to one person together.
What premium features are available?
Premium Message is a one-time purchase priced by country, from $1.99 to $3.99. It unlocks 4 handwriting fonts (Dancing Script, Great Vibes, Caveat, Pacifico), a photo, a voice memo, any song from iTunes search, reveal effects (polaroid, burn, peel, scratch, typewriter), premium envelopes and themes, and gift card attachments. Premium stickers are $0.99 each or $2.99 for all 25. Birthday candles and an anniversary counter are $1.99 add-ons.
What is a Note Jar?
A digital jar of short notes and letters, like "reasons I love you" or shared memories, that opens one note a day, every other day, weekly, or all at once. Up to 7 notes are free; up to 100 is a one-time $3.99.
What is a Group Jar?
One shared jar that friends, family, or coworkers each add a note to, for a farewell, birthday, wedding, retirement, or new baby. Collecting notes is free and contributors never pay. Sealing more than 7 notes (up to 100) is a one-time $12.99 paid by the organizer.
Comparison to Alternatives
OpenWhen vs Email: No account needed, interactive unsealing ritual, guardian question protection, date-locked delivery, themed templates
OpenWhen vs Text Message: More intentional presentation, wax seal ritual, guardian protection, anonymous option, stickers and songs
OpenWhen vs Physical Letter: Instant delivery, interactive digital ritual, no postage, multimedia support (photos, songs, voice), always accessible on phone
OpenWhen vs Greeting Cards: Free (vs $5-10), personalized content, interactive experience, can be prepared in advance for future moments
Full comparisons: digital vs paper, vs greeting cards, vs a text message.
Compared With Other Letter Tools
Each tool is described from its own website, checked September 2026. Each is the better choice for something.
| Tool | What it is | Price | Account | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenWhen | Sealed Open When letters opened by link, with an optional guardian question and/or date lock and a wax-seal reveal. Also note jars and group jars. | Free; optional one-time upgrades | None | A letter, or a set, for someone else to open at a specific moment |
| FutureMe | Letters to your future self, emailed on a date you choose. Web plus iOS and Android apps. | Free; paid Premium tier | Email sign-up | Writing to your own future self by email |
| Attached | A free web tool for up to 12 Open When letters shared as one link. | Free | None | A quick free set of Open When letters for a partner |
| Sealed | An encrypted digital time capsule emailed on a set date, up to 50 years ahead, with optional printed mail. | First capsule free, then $2.99 per capsule or $7.99 for a five-letter set | Not stated | A time capsule that arrives on a fixed date, including by post |
| openwhenletters.app | Interactive Open When letter collections with photos, stickers, audio and video. | Not published | None | Open When collections built around photos and video |
| Kudoboard | Group boards where many people post messages to one person. | From $6.99 per board; business plans | Needed to create a board | A group card from a team or a crowd |
OpenWhen in Numbers
- 38,227 Open When letters sealed since Feb 4 2026, by 21,794 senders.
- 70% of letters are opened, half of those within 3 minutes of becoming openable.
- 33.2% of letters are locked behind a guardian question, and 8.7% behind a date.
As of 2026-09-29. Aggregate metadata only, never letter content. Method and more in the Open When letters study.