It’s a very warm and happy feeling to receive a greeting. The reminder that there is somebody out there who cares for us, and find its worth while to spend some time to select a greeting and deliver it is wonderful to experience. Well, the “e” era has brought us e-cards, the trendiest and technologically most advanced way to send a greeting. Not only is it easy and wonderful, but it offers great collections in unimaginable variety and design.

Ecard has become the substitute for the postal greeting cards, just as the way sms replaced the postal card, and e-mails replaced the hard post. One could go to any one among the many websites which host the service, customize the card using the plenty of options available for the same and just some clicks and the card is sent.

The best sites are obviously the ones which have the best collections, numerous options, the cheapest deals [e cards aren’t always free] and the customer satisfaction factor-which is customer dependent. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular sites.

1. Some Ecards

URL: http://www.someecards.com/

Not intended for people below 18 years- for some reasons according to the developers, “someecards” is one of the best sites to select your ecard. The simplicity in design and wonderfully easy navigation, the best part about the site is that it is quite easy to find the best card. The cards are simple and impressive in design and some of the texts that appear on the cards are awesome. You have categories like birthday, flirting, newer, friendship, encouragement, mad men, apology, workplace, confession and what not. The site features ecards-shirts wherein one could shop for t shirts. The user could create one’s own cards using the various options available on the site, but this service doesn’t come for free. The site features an app for facebook and one could follow the site on twitter also.

2. 123greetings

URL: http://www.123greetings.com/

This is yet another wonderful place which offers plenty of selection and options. One could find cards for almost every purpose like birthday, friendship, anniversary, I love you, love poems, everyday cards, cute cards and so on. One could navigate cards by rating, views, relevancy, popularity and date of addition. The best part about 123greetings is that it lists all local events and occasions like Diwali, Holi, Id, Ramadan and so on. Some of the other features are upcoming events and Editor Bob’s letter.

3. Bluemountain

URL: http://www.bluemountain.com/

Bluemountain is extremely appealing with its simple design and excellent use of light shades to form the background. The site isn’t free and one has to own a premium membership to customize existing cards and avail access to printables like mugs, t-shirts etc. The site features an email protection policy for its customers and a set of other products like free calendars, wallpapers, and screen savers.

4. American Greetings

URL:http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/09/22/free-ecards-at-american-greetings/

With its new look and simple navigation options Americangreetings is one of the best available options for all greeting needs. The site features plenty of superbly designed impressive cards which could not only be just sent as e mails or links but also could be printed on mugs, t-shirts and cards. The site features options for almost every occasion and feeling. Other attractions are the newly launched iphone app and the ecard app for facebook.

5. Hallmark Ecards

URL: http://www.hallmark.com/

Hallmark is another very popular site which features plenty of elegant and rich cards suitable for almost every occasion. The site features a “My organizer” option, store locator and order status. Though it offers a good collection of free cards, the paid premium account holder of the site has access to an excellent collection of cards and services.