5 Reasons You'll Want to Choose GroupTogether Over Venmo for Group Gifts

When it comes to chipping in for a gift, many people automatically reach for Venmo – quick, simple and familiar. But group gifts can be complicated, which is why a purpose-built group-gifting platform like GroupTogether is a better way. 

There are 5 major reasons to trust GroupTogether to organize your next gift collection over Venmo – sure, the app is convenient in theory, but when you find yourself unsure of who’s paid, who hasn’t, how to remind them and adding on the extra responsibilities of getting the gift and card – you start to wonder how you got into this mess and why that $100 you’re owed is still missing. Let’s dive in.

Quick Summary

GroupTogether:

• Automatically tracks who has contributed and how much
• Gently nudges contributors who haven’t paid yet
• Collects group messages and photos in a greeting card
• Packages the whole experience into a single, cohesive gift presentation

Venmo:

• Offers group expense tracking
• Still requires manual reminders and tracking
• Doesn’t organize messages alongside the payments

1: GroupTogether Offers Seamless Tracking

Venmo doesn’t automatically track contributions for a specific gift or remind contributors on its own – you’d have to manually send payment requests or reminders yourself. There’s also no automatic follow‑up if someone hasn’t paid yet, so reminders must be initiated by a user – that would be you. Awkward.

To make matters worse, Venmo does not have a built‑in way to associate payments with messages or photos that make gift giving personal and meaningful – transactions are essentially just money movements unless you manually annotate them.

Even with Venmo Groups, the feature is built for expense splitting – like rent or dinner bills – not for managing thoughtful group gifts with messaging, card creation or presentation.

2: GroupTogether Coordinates the Surprise – Venmo Can Ruin it

Half the magic of a group gift is the surprise – this is where Venmo can accidentally spoil the moment. With Venmo, payments often come with notifications, public or semi-public transaction feeds and message notes that aren’t designed for secrecy. Now that’s great for your work team’s Friday night dinner or your monthly book club catch-up – it’s not so great for a birthday surprise. If the recipient is part of the same social or work circle (or, worse, the same group chat), it’s not hard for them to spot a few suspicious payments rolling in and connect the dots. Surprise… ruined.

GroupTogether is built with surprises in mind. Contributions happen behind the scenes, messages and photos are collected privately, and everything is revealed at once – at the exact moment you choose. No accidental clues. No awkward explanations. Just a well-timed, beautifully presented reveal that feels intentional and thoughtful. Instead of a trail of transactions, the recipient gets a joyful moment: a group card filled with messages and a gift they can unwrap digitally. That’s something Venmo simply isn’t designed to deliver.

That’s just the thing – GroupTogether makes the giver feel good too. The magic of gifting is in the experience, not just the dollars. GroupTogether allows contributors to feel connected, appreciated and part of the celebration.

In short: GroupTogether isn’t just a way to collect funds. It’s a complete group gifting experience.

3: GroupTogether Makes the Card – And Helps You Write on it

Collecting money is one thing, but a gift without a personal touch can feel, well, a little flat. That’s where Venmo stops – it’s a payments app, not a greeting card designer. You can send money, maybe add a note, but that’s about it. No photos, no thoughtful messages, no beautifully-designed cards. 

GroupTogether goes the extra mile. When you set up a collection, the platform automatically generates a beautiful group card. But it doesn’t just hand you a blank canvas: 

• It helps contributors write meaningful, fun or witty messages with tools like the AI Magic Message Writer.
• Everyone can add photos and GIFs, making the card a keepsake, not just a transaction.
• The recipient can enjoy both digital and printed copies of their card.

The best part? You can actually let people sign the card without contributing, so it’s inclusive for everyone’s financial situation. This is especially helpful if you’re organizing a gift for your coworker or kid’s teacher. 

All the messages appear together in a curated, polished card that’s revealed to the recipient at the perfect moment. GroupTogether turns the card from a checkbox into a moment that’s memorable, heartfelt and totally personal – something Venmo lacks.

4: GroupTogether Lets Contributors Pay and Sign Without a US Phone Number

One of the major drawbacks of Venmo is the US phone number requirement for payment contributors – yep, that means your Canadian friends will have a tough time sending over their dues.

Contributors without a US number often can’t join, can’t pay and can’t even leave a message, which means some voices get left out – and your “group” isn’t really the whole group. With remote and global teams becoming more and more common, this seriously complicates your office gift, not to mention friend and family groups that are split across countries.

GroupTogether, on the other hand, only requires a phone number from the organizer. Everyone else? Smooth sailing.

Whether your contributors are across the country or across the globe, they can chip in and add messages, photos or GIFs without worrying about phone number restrictions. Everyone gets to participate, everyone’s voice is heard, and the final card is a true reflection of the whole team, family or friend group.

5: The Elephant in the Room: The Gift 

Okay, so Venmo might be quick and convenient – but can they combine payment and the gift all-in-one?

Two letters: no.

If you go with Venmo, you’ll be on your own when it comes to choosing a gift, wrapping, mailing and checking delivery – and don’t forget the card! It’ll be on you – and, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably the one doing the organizing (again!) – so that’s three separate events to coordinate. Why put yourself through it when there’s another option? GroupTogether was literally made for this exact conundrum.

Let’s be honest – sometimes you don’t know if they want a spa day or a new set of wireless earbuds. Enter the AnyCard – the ultimate gift-giving cheat code. (Venmo has gone strangely quiet!) 

Why it’s brilliant:

• No stress, no drama: Give them freedom without looking clueless. They pick what they actually want.
• Fully digital, fully fabulous: Instant delivery, no wrapping paper catastrophe, and yes – your card still looks gorgeous.
• Works for anyone: Friends, family, colleagues, neighbors and, yep, even that one friend who’s impossible to shop for.
• Supports contributions: Got a group of coworkers chipping in? Everyone can join and add messages just like a regular group card.
• Flexible spend: Choose the amount that feels right, from $10 up to, well, “treat-yo-self” levels that would make Donna Meagle proud.

There’s something about the little things that make gifting memorable. GroupTogether includes animations, personalized cards and even digital unwrapping for recipients. It creates a moment your team or friends will actually remember – we’re talking birthdays, farewells, employee appreciation and, well, any occasion worth celebrating. (So, all of them!)

Gone are the days where you had to spend hours picking the perfect gift (just to find out they ended up returning it!), figure out how to get a card around to a big group, then become the team’s mob boss shaking down the money you’re owed. With GroupTogether, you can do it all in one smooth transaction – and we’ll do the follow ups, the nudges, the sending and the tracking. 

All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the happiness on the recipient’s face – because you chose GroupTogether.

Meet the experts

Melissa Evans

Content Writer

Ali + Julie

Co-Founders, GroupTogether.

Life’s busy. That’s why we’re here to make it easy for you to collect money from a group. Less wasted time, less packaging waste, and spending a little less but giving a lot better!