GiftList Launches Free Secret Santa for Families, Friends and Coworkers
GiftList, a top U.S. wishlist and registry app, now lets any group draw names from one link, swap gift hints and play along until gift day.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. · · Company news
GiftList, a top U.S. wishlist and gift registry app, has launched Secret Santa, new for the 2026 holiday season. The free exchange lets families, friends and coworkers draw names from one link, swap gift hints and keep guessing until gift day.
GiftList is one of the fastest-growing wishlist and registry apps heading into the holidays. People added more than 1 million gifts to GiftList wishlists in the last 30 days, and new users, new lists and gifts added all grew more than fivefold over the same period last year.
GiftList’s version of Secret Santa keeps the group playing between the draw and the party. People answer Mystery Q&A question cards instead of writing a list, chat with the group in the exchange’s Activity feed, guess who gave which answer and message their match anonymously.
“Most Secret Santas come down to picking a few items and having your Santa buy off your list. That works, but it isn’t much fun. We set out to make the most fun Secret Santa there is. The Mystery Q&A, the group chat and ‘Who said it?’ turn the weeks before the reveal into a game, and along the way you learn more about the person you’re shopping for and everyone else in the group. It helps bring the group closer together.”
How it works
- Share one link. An organizer picks a date and an optional budget, then shares one link by text, WhatsApp, email or QR code. Groups of three to 100 work, with exclusions so couples don’t draw each other.
- Draw names. Names are drawn right away or, if the organizer chooses, automatically the morning after a join-by date. Each person finds out who they drew on GiftList, with a free account.
- Play the Mystery Q&A. Instead of a wishlist, anyone can tap through their interests, answer three question cards dealt from a deck, swapping any they don’t like, and add sizes, allergies and things to skip. A shipping address can be added that only their Santa sees.
- Guess “Who said it?” People who play the Q&A can add one answer anonymously to the group’s Activity feed, and everyone guesses who wrote it.
- Ask Genie. A Santa stuck on a gift can ask Genie, GiftList’s AI gift assistant, for ideas built from their match’s answers. Genie stays within the group’s budget and filters out products that mention the allergies or things to skip their match listed. If the match linked a wishlist instead, their Santa can reserve a gift from it so no one else buys the same thing.
- Send Santa Mail. Santas can message their match anonymously to ask about a size or a favorite color. Messages arrive signed “Your Secret Santa,” and the match can reply.
- Reveal. On exchange day, each person chooses whether to find out who drew them.
Organizers also get co-organizers, automatic reminders, a video-call link for groups that live far apart, and “Run it again,” which sets up next year’s exchange and can avoid last year’s pairs. GiftList doesn’t buy or ship gifts.
GiftList Secret Santa is free on the web, iOS and Android.
About GiftList
GiftList is a free wishlist, gift registry and Secret Santa app. Add gifts from any store, share one link and let family reserve gifts so you avoid duplicates and keep the surprise. GiftList is available on the web, iOS and Android, with a Chrome extension.
Media contact: Jon Jaklitsch, jon@giftlist.com