Elfster vs DrawNames: Which Secret Santa App to Use?

Elfster and DrawNames are both Secret Santa apps for families, friends and offices. Both are free, both draw names with exclusions, and both let people keep a wishlist. Elfster is a Secret Santa app that also leans into gift discovery, with trending gifts, gift guides and deal alerts. DrawNames is a Secret Santa app built around getting a group drawn quickly, and it lets you start without an account.

So "Elfster vs DrawNames" mostly comes down to how your group likes to join and what you want the app to do after the names are drawn. Below is a side-by-side table, a closer look at each one based on its own store listings and website, and setup tips that apply to any app.

Elfster vs DrawNames at a glance

As of October 26, 2026. The Elfster and DrawNames columns are based on each app's App Store and Google Play listings (and the DrawNames homepage), fetched that day; the Giv-able column describes our own app.

What is the main difference between Elfster and DrawNames?

Each app's listings describe getting started a little differently.

DrawNames' listings and website put the no-account start up front: you set up a group, add exclusions, and run the draw, in the app or on the website. Its listings say people can take part from a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer, so not everyone has to install the app. Signing in lets you open your groups on other devices.

Elfster's listing describes a four-step flow: create the exchange (names, budget, event date, exclusions), send invitations, draw names while people build wishlists, then buy from the store links and mark what you bought so nobody doubles up. Its Google Play listing says wish lists can be shared with friends and family who aren't on Elfster, and that you can follow the wishes of the people you buy for. Its App Store listing names desktop alongside iPhone and Android.

Before you pick, ask your group two questions: how will everyone join (app, browser, account or not), and what help do you want while shopping? Then check each app's current listing for exactly those features.

Which is better for exclusions and fair draws?

Both handle the basics: you can stop certain people from drawing each other.

Kinds of exclusions. Elfster's App Store listing names three: couples, kids and adults, and last year's pairs can all be kept apart. DrawNames' listing describes setting exclusions so that the people you pick don't draw each other.

The reveal. DrawNames' homepage mentions a live drawing option, where the whole group finds out together. That can be fun if your family does the draw together on a video call.

Whichever app you use, the same setup advice holds:

1. List your exclusions before you start. Couples, people who live together, and last year's pairs are the usual ones.
2. Don't over-restrict a small group. In a small group, a few rules per person can leave someone with no valid match. Keep rules to the ones that matter.
3. Put the budget and the gift date in the first invite, not in a follow-up message people will miss.
4. Odd numbers are fine. Each person gives one gift and gets one, so seven people work as well as eight.

For a full walkthrough with a timeline, see our guide to running Secret Santa online.

Which is better for wishlists?

Both apps let each person keep a list, and the draw is more useful when the person you drew has one.

Elfster's listing describes wishlists you can fill from any online store: paste a product link and the app pulls in the details. Lists can also hold your own ideas, experiences and gift cards. The listing also mentions trending gifts, gift guides, and suggestions tailored to the recipient.

DrawNames' listings describe personal wish lists and in-app gift ideas you can add to your list, and its website has a Gift Finder. Its homepage also mentions setting up a group only for sharing wish lists.

A tip for any app: ask everyone to put three specific items at the top of their list, with sizes, colors and a price range. A short, specific list helps a Secret Santa more than a long, vague one.

Which works better for relatives who don't like apps?

Many families have someone who won't install anything.

DrawNames' listings say people can take part from a web browser. Elfster's listings mention invitations by text, email, social media or a messaging app, desktop use, and sharing wish lists with people who aren't on Elfster.

Whatever you use, a few habits help:

• Send the invite in the group chat you already use, not a new channel.
• Pair up a helper with anyone who struggles with tech, so one person checks they've seen their match.
• Have a parent keep each young child's list, and agree on who that is before the draw.

If you'd rather skip accounts altogether, 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. Our post on Secret Santa without email walks through sending links by text.

Where does Giv-able fit?

Giv-able is our app, so weigh this section with that in mind. It's a third option, centered on profiles of the people you buy for, with an exchange plus birthday reminders and gift plans.

• Secret Santa with an automatic name draw and exclusion rules, for example, so partners are kept apart. Share one invite link; new people sign up, the host approves them, and they're added to the draw.
• Invites in one tap by text or the phone's share sheet, including each guest's private match link.
• Kids in the exchange: any parent taking part can add their own kids before names are drawn. Kids never draw their own parent or siblings, and each parent sees who their kids drew. Whoever draws a child sees the child's photo, age and top wishes.
• Profiles with interests and gift preferences, plus a dream board for bigger wishes, so there's something to go on even when a list is short.
• Wishlists shared by link, with up to three items marked Most Wanted.
• The rest of the year: birthday reminders, birthday events where guests claim wishlist items so two people don't buy the same thing, private gift ideas about the people you shop for, and gift plans with a budget.

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 shows their name, and you can find what they want through their profile or a wishlist link they shared.
• Wishlists from Amazon, Elfster or 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.

What about shipping gifts to relatives far away?

Whichever app you pick, someone still has to get the gift to the door. Giv-able doesn't sell or ship gifts, and the simplest approach works with any app:

1. Set a "ship by" date about ten days before the exchange.
2. Order straight from the retailer linked on the wishlist and ship to the recipient.
3. Ask people to note an address preference privately with the organizer, rather than posting it to the whole group.
4. Open gifts together on a video call if the family is spread out.

Which one should your group choose?

• Some people won't create accounts: check how each app lets people join, or try our free generator.
• You need specific exclusion types, gift guides or deal alerts: check each app's listing for those exact features.
• You want profiles, kids in the exchange, birthday events and private gift ideas about each person: try Giv-able.

Still comparing? Our Elfster alternatives and DrawNames alternatives roundups cover more apps, and our gifting tips cover setting a budget.