I don’t mind apps having “free” and “pro” versions. I really don’t. I’ve reviewed many nice apps that were ad-supported and yet still had almost all of the functionality of the paid versions, as long as you were willing to deal with the ads. What bothers me is when apps offer a free version, only to be absolutely full of features that are “locked”. And I found just such an annoyance in My eCard: Send It Later.

A simple e-Card composer, My eCard offers a wide range of covers for your eCard – from ones that are generic “postcard” look-alikes, to themed ones for just about any holiday or occasion. The catch? Only the plain ones are available in the free version. This, in my opinion, wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t SHOW you the dozens of individual specific ones that are available in the Pro version. Instead of simply telling you that you only have access to the simple ones, you can see all the cards with huge gold padlocks superimposed over the ones you don’t have access to and clicking them just brings up the option to buy the Pro version. You aren’t even able to “try on” the pretty ones before buying.

In any case, once you select an eCard, you can edit it. This app features the ability to pull photos from your camera roll to stick in the card, as well as using a “profile photo” of your choice where the “stamp” would go. You choose messages that are pre-written under the “Blessing Words” option. The free version doesn’t allow you to edit these pre-written messages. While there are wonderful things for every occasion, if I’m taking the time to design this eCard for someone, I’d like to be able to write my own message. Lucky, it took me a few moments but I figured out that under the “Text” option, where you choose font and color, there’s a text box you have to click to bring up the keyboard and be able to type your own personalized messages. I’m very glad they left this option in the free version – I admit, I would’ve been quite annoyed if composing your own message was limited to paid-for versions only.

Aside from the above, you can choose to “sign off” with “Love” written in many different languages, if you click the heart option, and then use the Text feature again to sign your name. When you’re finished, the Actions button allows you to send the eCard via email right now, send it later (scheduling to be sent on a certain day), add the entire eCard to your photo library, or share it to Facebook or Twitter.

Overall, this is a nice app for quickly designing eCards right on your iPad, despite not having access to all the covers in the free version. The $1.99 may be worth it for the paid version — I’d just like to get a closer look at those covers before purchasing.

Price: Free ($1.99 pro version available)

Version reviewed: 1.0

Requires iOS 5.0 or later

Download size: 37.3 MB

My eCard: Send It Later Free on Apple App Store