Secret Santa is one of the most loved (and loathed) holiday games. While we all enjoy getting gifts and trying to guess who our secret Santa could be, the stress of setting up the exchange and figuring out what to buy can zap the fun out of the game. Luckily, there are apps to help you organize your family, friend, or work gift exchange and take the guesswork out of picking presents.
Apps like Elfster and Santa's Secret Keeper allow you to create Secret Santa games and customize rules to fit your budget and needs. Plus, using apps like Giftster and the Christmas Gift List Tracker lets you to merge your Secret Santa needs into your overall Christmas shopping list.
Let’s see how each of these apps can help you crush Secret Santa this year, whether it's for family or your coworker Rodney at the desk across from you. (Hi, Rodney!)
How we picked the best Secret Santa apps 🎁
-
Easy to use
We leaned towards simple and intuitive interfaces so you can get to work right after downloading. -
Year-round use
These apps are geared towards the holiday season, but they’re also helpful tools for organizing gift exchanges and creating shopping lists throughout the whole year. -
Availability
We chose apps that are available for both iOS and Android or offer sharing features to people without the app. No one is left out of the holiday fun!
Secret Santa apps
1. Best overall Secret Santa app: Elfster
Elfster is one of the most popular apps for Secret Santa. You can create multiple games, make wish lists, and even set specific rules for participants to follow. The app works with both iOS and Android devices, but you can also share links to join with people who don’t want to download the app. Once you’ve created a game, you can choose whether to be surprised or create a list for your Santa to follow.
The app even offers an in-app store with links to online stores like Amazon or retailers like Urban Outfitters, Sephora, and dozens more. Still not satisfied? You can also install an Elfster Chrome extension that let's you add any shopping page on the internet to your wishlist with a click.
Elfster makes it incredibly easy to organize every part of your Secret Santa gift swap. While it’s geared toward the holidays, you can create other family or friend gift exchanges for the entire year. Elfster is rated 4.9 on the iOS Store with over 314,000 ratings.
2. Best simple Secret Santa app: Santa’s Secret Keeper
If you’re looking for a simpler app, Santa’s Secret Keeper is all you’ll need. It’s completely free, doesn’t include ads, and offers an easy interface for setting up a simple gift exchange. You can set your own rules and budgets and send invites out by email.
That said, Santa’s Secret Keeper doesn’t include wishlists or links to stores. Instead, you’ll have to pick gifts the old-fashioned way by figuring out what your recipient might like. The app is highly rated, reaching 4.9 on both the Android and iOS Stores with thousands of reviews.
3. Best overall gifting app: Giftster
Giftster is perfect for almost any occasion where you give others a gift. While it shines during the holiday season, it’s also great for wedding and baby shower gift registries. The app allows you to create wishlists and share them with your friends and family. You can easily shop from the app and have gifts delivered to yourself or the person on your list. There’s even a Secret Santa feature that allows you to make a special list and invite friends to participate.
Christmas list apps
4. Best iOS Christmas list app: Christmas Gift List Tracker
- Devices: iOS
- Cost: Free
Christmas shopping is complicated. Not only do you have to worry about presents for your own friends and family, but you might be part of several Secret Santa games too. The Christmas Gift List Tracker app is the solution to keeping up with all your lists. The app has a ton of great features:
- Make multiple lists.
- Create budgets.
- Track all gift ideas.
- Share your lists with others.
- Use its Christmas countdown clock.
- Visualize your holiday and exchange budget for easy tracking.
The app is only available for iOS devices, but it is the top-rated Christmas list tracker on the Apple Store with a 4.9 rating and over 26,000 reviews. That said, you can still share your lists with Android devices and other kinds of devices. The app turns selected lists into a PDF that you can text or send through email.
Check out our other holiday app lists
The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year. Luckily, you can find tons of great apps to help take some of the burden off your shoulders.
Check out our lists of the top holiday planning apps and the best apps for holiday travel.
5. Best Android Christmas list app: Christmas Gift List
- Devices: Android
- Cost: Free
This is Android’s answer to the Christmas Gift List Tracker from above. It offers many of the same features—like individual lists, budgets, pie charts, and a Christmas countdown–but is only available on Android devices. Like the iOS app, you can also share lists with other people who don’t have Android phones through text and email.
Do I have enough data for holiday shopping and gifting?
Holiday shopping usually means running between dozens of stores looking for that perfect gift. The last thing you need is your phone to slow down when you’re trying to compare prices between stores or remember what the kiddos wanted for Christmas. Luckily plenty of data plans include large data allotments that won’t break your bank account.
Smaller carriers called MVNOs offer service at discounted rates on the larger carrier’s networks. While they don’t usually offer many perks, you can find plans with big allotments of priority data at much friendlier prices than the major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Plus, MVNOs usually offer access to 5G networks too, so you can count on having fast speeds.
Mint Mobile offers service on T-Mobile’s massive 5G and 4G LTE networks. You can snag an Unlimited data plan with 50GB of premium data and a 20GB mobile hotspot for just $30/month ($15/month for the first 3 months). While you do have to prepay for at least three months in advance for Mint, the overall cost is much cheaper than many other carriers.
Mint Mobile Unlimited Data Plan
| Carrier | Mint Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get this plan for just $25/mo. when you switch to Mint Mobile using promo code 15OFF at checkout. Upfront payment required |
| Total Price |
$25 per month
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
| View Plan |
You can get access to Verizon’s network Visible. Verizon offers incredibly fast 5G speeds and the largest 4G LTE network in the nation. Visible has competitive unlimited plans. The $35/month Visible+ plan and $45/month Visible+ Pro plan include unlimited premium 5G ultra-wideband data. Plus, it offers an unlimited mobile hotspot with speeds limited to 5-15Mbps. That’s plenty of speed for basic browsing tasks like social media and streaming.
Visible $35 Visible+ Plan
| Carrier | Visible |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Total Price |
$35 per month
Taxes & Fees included
|
| View Plan |
Customers wanting AT&T service can look into Boost Mobile. It offers service on both the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, so you’ll be assigned to the networks strongest at your address. Boost’s top Unlimited Data plan includes 35GB of premium data and a 12GB mobile hotspot for $50 a month.
Boost Mobile Unlimited+ Plan
| Carrier | Boost Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Total Price |
$50 per month
with AutoPay
|
| View Details |
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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