Try it without installing anything
Our free Secret Santa generator needs no account and no email: enter the names, add exclusions, and text each person their own private link.
What Elfster does well
Elfster sends invitations by email or text, draws the names, and gives everyone a wish list. It adds curated gift guides, lets you follow friends’ wish lists, sends birthday reminders, and has iPhone and Android apps. Its site states that it may earn commissions from gift links and offers advertising.
Where GIFTO is different
No ads in the app. GIFTO is free and shows no advertising. The screen is your group, your list and your match.
Five exchange types. Classic Secret Santa (with or without wish lists), event mode — one shared list where guests reserve what they bring, for a baby shower or a wedding —, a surprise party where guests chip in for one person without them seeing the list, and a solo mode.
Anonymous chat with your match, when the organizer turns it on, so you can ask for a size without blowing your cover.
A playful reveal on exchange day: scratch card, questions or random pick, instead of a plain list.
20 languages, including French for Quebec families and mixed-language groups.
What GIFTO doesn’t do
No gift guides, no social feed, no birthday reminders for friends outside your groups. GIFTO is newer and smaller than Elfster. To join a draw in the app, each person opens the invite and signs in.
Common questions
Is GIFTO free?
Yes, free and ad-free on iPhone, Android and the web.
Can I reuse last year’s group?
Yes. Group settings → Duplicate: pick the members, and a new invite code is created.
Does it work for a white elephant?
A white elephant has no pairs, so a name generator is the wrong tool — see white elephant rules.