Elfster Alternatives: 5 Apps Compared (2026)
Elfster is a free, long-running Secret Santa and wishlist app. GiftList covers the same two jobs: a free wishlist that takes gifts from any store and a Secret Santa for up to 100 people where each person sees only their own match, with a reveal on exchange day and group gifting and cash funds with no GiftList fee. Below we compare GiftList, Giftster, MyRegistry, Amazon Lists and GoWish with Elfster, using each company's own documentation.
If you searched "Elfster alternatives" or "Giftster vs Elfster," you probably already know Elfster. It's a free app for running a Secret Santa and keeping wishlists. This guide covers what Elfster does, the usual reasons people look elsewhere, and how five other apps compare, including where GiftList fits and where it doesn't.
How we compared: GiftList publishes this guide, so treat our own entry with that in mind. GiftList's details reflect the current product, checked against its code on September 29, 2026. Every other app's details come from its own website, help center and app store listings, fetched the same day and listed under Sources. We didn't run a hands-on test of each app for this update.
What Does Elfster Do?
Elfster says it was founded in 2000 and is used by more than 47 million gift givers in over 50 countries. Here is what Elfster's own pages describe, each followed by the matching GiftList detail:
- A full Secret Santa. Invite your group, set a budget, an exchange date and a separate draw date, and add draw restrictions so specific people aren't matched. GiftList's Secret Santa also has a budget, an exchange date and exclusions.
- Wishlists from any online store. Elfster's App Store listing says you can paste a link from any online store and it fetches the item details. GiftList also takes gifts from any store, filling in details when it can, with manual entry when it can't.
- Mark as purchased. Givers can mark an item as bought without the wishlist owner seeing it. On GiftList, gift-givers reserve a gift, and the reservation stays hidden from the list owner.
- Anonymous messages. Messages to the person you drew are anonymous by default. GiftList's Santa Mail keeps the giver anonymous; it's on by default after the draw, and the organizer can turn it off.
- Large groups. Elfster says its exchanges have had thousands of participants. A GiftList exchange holds up to 100 people.
- Family Manager. One login can manage accounts for children, parents, spouses or even pets. GiftList has no accounts you manage for others.
- Free. Elfster's App Store listing says there are no subscriptions or premium upgrades. It earns commission on some purchases. GiftList is free too, and it earns commission on some product links as well.
(If you only want names drawn with no accounts, GiftList's free Secret Santa generator does that part.)
Why People Look for an Elfster Alternative
People switch for specific reasons:
- The organizer can see the draw. According to Elfster's help center, organizers and assistants can view who everyone drew. Some groups want nobody to know the full draw. On GiftList, each person sees only their own match and no screen lists the full draw, though GiftList doesn't promise the draw is hidden from the organizer.
- No reveal. Elfster's Secret Santa page says it will never reveal who drew your name. Some groups want a reveal built in. GiftList's Reveal my Secret Santa lets each person see who drew them from the exchange date.
- A different kind of list. Some people want a registry for a wedding or baby, or a family group that lives all year. Elfster's App Store listing also pitches registries for weddings, baby showers and housewarmings. On GiftList, you can keep family wishlists together in a Group, then start a separate Secret Santa when it is time to draw names, and GiftList also has wedding and baby registries.
Elfster Alternatives Compared (2026)
| App | Gifts from any store | Secret Santa | Cost and ads | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GiftList | Yes | Yes, up to 100 people; each person sees only their own match | Free; affiliate links and labeled Sponsored placements | Web, iOS, Android, browser extension |
| Giftster | Yes (Fetch works on most sites) | Yes, inside a group; organizer can't see the draw | Free; says it doesn't allow display ads | Web, iOS, Android, browser extension |
| MyRegistry | Yes, and syncs store registries | Yes, up to 300 participants | Free registry; cash-fund fees | Web, iOS, Android |
| Amazon Lists | No, Amazon items | No | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| GoWish | Yes | No Secret Santa found | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| Elfster (baseline) | Yes | Yes, thousands of participants; organizers and assistants see the draw | Free; earns commission on some purchases | Web, iOS, Android |
Each provider's details come from its own site, help center or app store listing, checked September 29, 2026. Features change, so verify anything you rely on.
1. GiftList
GiftList is a free wishlist and registry maker with a Secret Santa built in. It covers the same two jobs as Elfster and differs in a few specific ways.
- One list, any store. Paste a product link from any site and GiftList fills in the details when it can, or add a gift, experience or gift card manually. The browser extension for Chrome and Safari and the mobile apps' in-app browser save items while you shop.
- Givers reserve without an account. Anyone you share a list link with can reserve a gift on the web with just a name and email. The reservation is hidden from you and visible to other gift-givers, which helps avoid duplicates.
- A Secret Santa with one match each. GiftList's Secret Santa holds up to 100 people and respects every exclusion. Each person, the organizer included, sees only their own match. Participants link a wishlist or answer a short Mystery Q&A, givers can ask questions through anonymous Santa Mail, and Reveal my Secret Santa opens on the exchange date.
- Free group gifting and cash funds. Link your Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or Cash App so friends and family can chip in toward a gift or a cash fund. GiftList charges no fee and doesn't process the money; payment-provider fees may apply.
- How GiftList makes money. GiftList earns commission on some product links and offers paid placements labeled Sponsored.
- Family Groups and registries. Invite family to a Group and keep up with the wishlists they choose to share. GiftList also has wedding and baby registries.
Limits: One exchange holds up to 100 people, and every Secret Santa participant needs a free account to see their match. GiftList has no managed accounts like Elfster's Family Manager, and it's a newer brand with a smaller Secret Santa community. Create a free gift list to try it.
2. Giftster
Giftster is compared head to head with Elfster below. It says it was established in 2009 and has more than three million members. It's built around private family groups, where everyone keeps wish lists all year and reserves gifts without the list owner seeing them. Guests can shop public lists on its website without an account, and parents can manage child accounts for kids and pets under their own login. On GiftList, family wishlists can sit together in a Group, where each person chooses which lists to share; reservations are hidden from the list owner, and anyone with a shared list link can reserve on the web without an account. GiftList has no child accounts or other accounts you manage for someone else.
Giftster's Secret Santa runs inside a group of at least three approved members, and you set it up on the website. According to its help center, not even the organizer knows who drew whom. Everyone joins the group first, and there's no built-in cash fund; Giftster's help center says it doesn't handle money. GiftList's Secret Santa shows each person only their own match, doesn't promise to hide the draw from its organizer and needs at least three participants, but it doesn't require a Group. GiftList has dedicated cash funds and group gifting linked to your own payment methods, and it doesn't process the money either.
3. MyRegistry
MyRegistry is a free universal registry. You can add gifts from any store and sync existing store registries into one page. It also has its own gift exchange for up to 300 participants, where every participant creates a gift list. GiftList adds gifts from any site too, and it can import a list or registry from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Etsy or Anthropologie as a one-time copy, so it doesn't keep store registries in sync; imports can be partial. GiftList's exchange is capped at 100 people, and each participant can link a wishlist or answer a Mystery Q&A.
Cash gifts can carry fees. Under MyRegistry's Terms (effective October 1, 2025), new users' cash funds run through GoFundMe, which sets its own fees. For legacy PayPal-powered funds, the Terms say guests pay MyRegistry's handling fee, and the cash-gift page lists PayPal's 2.5% fee deducted from each gift. GiftList's cash funds and group gifting have no GiftList fee, though the payment app you use may charge one.
4. Amazon Lists
Amazon Lists is free and built into Amazon. Amazon's help pages describe adding items sold on Amazon, and a "Don't spoil my surprises" setting is on by default so purchases stay hidden for several weeks. On GiftList, reservations stay hidden from the list owner until the owner chooses to reveal gifts. There's no gift exchange feature on Amazon Lists; GiftList has a built-in Secret Santa. A GiftList list can hold gifts from any store, and GiftList can import a public or shared Amazon list as a one-time copy. We cover the differences from a universal list in our universal wishlist vs. Amazon list comparison.
5. GoWish
GoWish is a free wishlist app founded in Denmark in 2015. You can add wishes from any online store, share your lists and let friends reserve gifts. Givers need to be logged in to reserve. GiftList lists also work with any store and let friends reserve gifts; on the web, gift-givers can reserve without an account. GoWish also offers a Gift Generator for ideas; GiftList's Gift Ideas lets you browse ideas by recipient or occasion. We didn't find a Secret Santa or gift exchange feature on GoWish; GiftList has one built in.
Giftster vs Elfster (and GiftList)
Here's how Giftster and Elfster compare directly from each company's own pages, with GiftList alongside.
| GiftList | Giftster | Elfster | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Year-round wishlists plus a Secret Santa | Year-round family wish lists | Secret Santa and gift exchanges |
| Core structure | Lists you share by link; optional family Groups | Private family groups | Exchanges you create and invite people to |
| Wishlists from any store | Yes | Yes (Fetch) | Yes |
| Secret Santa | Up to 100 people; no group needed | Inside a group of 3+ approved members; set up on the website | The headline feature; exchanges have had thousands of participants |
| Who can see the full draw | No screen lists it; not promised hidden from the organizer | No one, including the organizer | Organizers and assistants |
| Reveal who drew you | Yes, from the exchange date | Not mentioned | Elfster says it won't reveal it |
| Gift hints besides a wishlist | Mystery Q&A, in place of a wishlist | Gift Preferences (sizes, hobbies, interests) | Anonymous questions |
| Exclusions | Yes | Yes | Yes (draw restrictions) |
| Gift reservations | Hidden from the list owner | Hidden from the list owner | "Mark as purchased," hidden from the wishlist owner |
| Accounts you manage for others | No | Child accounts for kids and pets | Family Manager accounts |
| Price and ads | Free; affiliate links and labeled Sponsored placements | Free; says it doesn't allow display ads | Free; earns commission on some purchases |
Is GiftList the Right Elfster Alternative for You?
GiftList is a good fit if you want:
- Year-round wishlists and a Secret Santa in one free app, with gifts from any store.
- One match each, with no screen that lists the full draw, plus a reveal on the exchange date.
- A Mystery Q&A for people who don't want to make a wishlist.
- Group gifting and cash funds with no GiftList fee.
It isn't the right fit if your exchange has more than 100 people, if you need to manage family members' accounts under your own login, or if participants won't create a free account to see their match. For a no-account name draw, the free Secret Santa generator makes a reveal link for each person, though whoever runs it can see every match.
Ready to try it? Create a free gift list or create a free Secret Santa. For more, see our 10 best universal wishlist apps and our comparison of five Secret Santa apps.
