Elfster vs Giftster: Which Gift App Fits Your Family?

Elfster and Giftster both help families organize gifts, but they start from different places. Elfster is a Secret Santa app with wishlists: you set up an exchange, draw names and invite everyone. Giftster is a family wish list app: you create a private group where everyone keeps a list year after year, and you can add a name draw to that group.

So the real question behind "Elfster vs Giftster" is what your family does most: one big holiday exchange, or buying for each other all year. Below is a side-by-side table, a closer look at each app based on its own store listing, and a few setup tips that apply whichever you choose.

Elfster vs Giftster at a glance

As of October 11, 2026. The Elfster and Giftster columns are based on each app's App Store and Google Play listings, fetched that day; the Giv-able column describes our own app.

What is the main difference between Elfster and Giftster?

The difference is the center of gravity.

Elfster's listing walks through four steps: create the exchange (names, budget, date, exclusions), send invitations, draw names while everyone builds a wishlist, then shop and mark items as purchased. It describes other occasions too, including birthday exchanges, office Secret Santa, and registries for weddings and baby showers.

Giftster's listing starts with the family group. Each member keeps a wish list that the rest of the group can browse and claim from, and claims stay hidden from whoever wrote the list. Its listings describe a Secret Santa drawing you can add to an existing group, and they position the group as something you set up once and reuse every year.

In practice:

• If December is the one time your family organizes gifts, an exchange-first app fits the job.
• If birthdays, holidays and "what does Grandma want?" questions come up all year, a group-first app fits the job.

Which is better for a Secret Santa exchange?

Both can run a draw with exclusions. What differs is how much control you get and who can see the result.

Exclusions. Elfster's App Store listing names three kinds: keeping couples apart, keeping kids from being paired with adults, and skipping last year's matches. Giftster's listings mention exclusions, and its Google Play listing adds that you can reuse a previous draw on giftster.com.

Who can see the pairings. Giftster's listings say picks stay secret for everyone, including the organizer. If your organizer wants to play and be surprised, that's worth weighing.

Invitations. Elfster's listing mentions invitations by text, email, social media or a messaging app. Giftster's Play listing mentions inviting members by text or email.

Whichever app you use, the setup advice is the same:

1. Write down your exclusions before you start. Couples, people who live together, and last year's pairs are common ones.
2. Set the budget and the "ship by" date in the invite, not in a follow-up message people will miss.
3. Give people a week to join, then draw. A draw is easier to run once, with everyone in, than to redo.
4. Odd numbers are fine. Every person gives one gift and gets one, so a group of seven works just as well as a group of eight.

For a step-by-step walkthrough with a timeline, see our guide to running Secret Santa online.

Which is better for year-round family wishlists?

For lists that stay useful after December, the details in each listing point different ways.

Giftster's listings describe lists you can fill from any store, with item details fetched from a link and room for notes, sizes and colors. Family members can quietly suggest gifts on someone else's list, and you can look back at gifts you've bought or received. Lists can be kept private, shared with your group, or shared by link or QR code.

Elfster's listings describe wishlists built from any online store by pasting a link, plus custom ideas, experiences and gift cards. Its Google Play listing says you can share a wish list with people who don't use Elfster and follow the wishes of the people you buy for. It also lists trending gifts, gift guides and price tracking with deal alerts.

A simple test: if you can picture your family opening the app in June for a birthday, the group-first approach will probably feel more natural.

Which app works better for kids' lists?

Young kids usually need someone else to keep their list.

Giftster's listings describe lists and child accounts for kids (and pets), and say that a partner or others in the group can add items to a child's list.

Elfster's listing mentions an exclusion that keeps kids from being paired with adults, which helps when a family draw mixes ages.

A tip for any app: agree up front who updates each child's list, and put three or four specific items at the top (with sizes) so relatives don't all buy the same toy.

Where does Giv-able fit?

Giv-able is our app, so weigh this section with that in mind. It's a third option if your family wants the exchange and the year-round side in one place, and it leans on knowing the person, not just their list.

• Profiles with interests and gift preferences, plus a dream board for bigger wishes. When a list runs dry, the profile still tells you what someone likes.
• Wishlists shared by link, with up to three items marked Most Wanted.
• Secret Santa with an automatic name draw and exclusion rules, so couples don't draw each other. Share one invite link; new people sign up, the host approves them, and they're added to the draw.
• Kids: the host can add their own kids through parent-managed profiles. Whoever draws a child sees the child's photo, age and top wishes.
• Birthday events where guests claim wishlist items so two people don't buy the same thing. The host can turn on Surprise mode to hide claims from the birthday person until the event day is over.
• The rest of the year: birthday reminders, private gift ideas about the people you shop for, gift plans with a budget, and a log of gifts given and received.

Worth knowing before you choose it:

• The host can see every pairing in a draw, so it suits groups where the organizer doesn't mind knowing the matches.
• Claiming happens in birthday-style events, not inside a Secret Santa draw.
• For an adult, the match in the app shows their name; you then open their profile or a wishlist link they shared.
• Wishlists from Elfster or Amazon, plus one registry site, can be imported by pasting a link. Lists kept in other apps need to be re-added by hand.
• Giv-able is free to start. The free tier hosts three events per year, and joining someone else's event is free.

Just need a quick draw with no accounts at all? Our free Secret Santa generator takes 3 to 50 names, supports exclusions, and gives you one private link per person. You receive every link, so send each one only to its owner.

How do you switch your family to a different gift app?

Moving a whole family is mostly about timing and one clear message:

1. Switch in a quiet month, well before Thanksgiving or a big birthday, not the week of the exchange.
2. Post one invite link in the family group chat with a date when the new app becomes the one everyone uses.
3. Bring over the top items first. Ask each person to add their five most-wanted things before anything else.
4. Set up kids' lists early so grandparents aren't shopping from an empty page.
5. Keep the old app until gifts are opened, in case someone already marked something as bought there.

What if someone won't make a list?

Every family has one. A few ways around it:

• Ask three questions: a hobby they want more time for, something they use daily that's wearing out, and a treat they'd never buy themselves.
• Send a game instead of a form. Try our this or that preference profile.
• Keep private notes when they mention something in passing. In Giv-able, private gift ideas about a person aren't visible to them.
• Go for an experience within budget, such as a class, a meal out or tickets.

Which one should your family choose?

• Your family's big moment is a holiday exchange, maybe a large one: look for an exchange-first app with the exclusions you need.
• You buy for each other all year and want everyone's lists in one private group: look for a group-first app, and check who can see the draw if your organizer wants to play.
• You want the exchange, birthday events, the host's kids and gift ideas about each person in one app: try Giv-able.

Still comparing? Our Giftster alternatives and Elfster alternatives roundups cover more apps, and you can browse our gifting tips too.