I can finally relax! The app that took the stress out of my Secret Santa experience

1. Computing
2. Internet
3. Websites & Apps

I can finally relax! The app that took the stress out of my Secret Santa experience Features By Paul Hatton published 23 November 2025

Homescreen Heroes: Elfster is the essential app for organizing your gift exchange

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Call it boring, ungenerous, and a killer of the magic, but a number of years ago, my siblings and I decided that rather than buying gifts for everyone, we would instead do a Secret Santa gift exchange. It wasn’t because we didn’t love each other or want to be generous with one another, but in reality, there were now so many nieces and nephews on the scene that gift-giving in our family was starting to get out of hand!

Having made the decision, it now required administration. We needed a way to randomly assign names to each other without anyone finding out. This was infinitely more challenging given that we all live in different places and couldn’t do a rudimentary “pull the names out of a hat” system. We needed help.

• Amazon Black Friday deals are live: here are our picks!

I therefore turned to Google in search of a tech solution to all my Secret Santa problems. It wasn’t long before I had found a web-based system that took care of everything for me. It’s served us well, but over time, we’ve become a little disappointed by some of the ways its features are implemented. That led me to jump on the App Store in search of an alternative. That’s when I found Elfster: The Secret Santa App.

You may like

• Best calendar app of 2025
• This free app gives Android phones AirDrop-style file transfer powers – and it even works with Mac
• I'm a phones expert and these are my 5 must-have apps for iPhone and Android

Homescreen heroes

This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.

Elfster is a gift exchange app that claims to be the number one. I’m not sure what that claim is based on, but maybe we’ll just have to take their word for it. The app is perfect for all types of holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid al-Fitr. Beyond drawing names, it lets you make shareable wish lists as well as set exclusions and restrictions. Read on to find out how it all works.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Create a gift exchange

At the heart of the Elfster app is the ability to administrate a gift exchange. The process begins by adding the names of your friends or family members. You’ll also have to specify whether you’re participating in the gift exchange as well. All of this is incredibly straightforward thanks to the clean and uncluttered interface.

The next step is to add any restrictions that you want applied to the process of drawing names. For example, you might want to make sure that partners don’t draw each other. The obvious restriction of people drawing their own names is handled automatically.

From there, you’ll have to enter the name of the exchange, the date it’s taking place, and the sign-up deadline. You can also add a little note, which acts as a description for the exchange. Elfster provides a default paragraph of text, which I decided to use because I love an easy life. Elfster guides you seamlessly through it all.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

After adding an image from the predefined gallery, you’re ready to send the exchange to your friends or family. This is as simple as selecting whether you want to share the link via messages, WhatsApp, email, or other. It’s totally up to you. Your loved ones will receive a link that lets them draw a name, all secretly, of course. Job done.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Your perfectly curated wish list

Beyond the simple drawing of names, Elfster has some extended functionality, including the creation of customized wish lists. Personally, I’m a big fan of buying gifts for my loved ones without any hints, but I appreciate others who like to have more of an indication of what might be enjoyed.

Populating your wish list is super simple with gift guides to provide much-needed inspiration. More on that later. Personally, I loved the search functionality that lets you find specific gifts with no trouble at all. You can also browse by category, which is guaranteed to help you narrow down your search.

You may like

• Best calendar app of 2025
• This free app gives Android phones AirDrop-style file transfer powers – and it even works with Mac
• I'm a phones expert and these are my 5 must-have apps for iPhone and Android

With your wish lists created, Elfster lets you share them with friends and family, even if they don’t have Elfster. You can also follow your loved ones’ wishes, so you’ll always know exactly what to get them. You’ll never be left guessing again, wondering if that gift you bought is something they’ll love.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Help is at hand

If you’re struggling for present ideas, then Elfster also has a neat section that lets users see what gifts are hot for the holiday season. There are curated gift guides as well as suggestions for finding the perfect gift. There are guides named ‘TikTok Finds’, ‘Gifts Under $10’, and ‘Wellness Gifts’, to name just a few.

They are clearly laid out with all key details perfectly displayed. The app lets you browse to your heart's content, and when you've found something you like, you can either add it to one of your wish lists or buy the item for someone else. Elfster sends you directly to the retailer. The whole process couldn't be simpler.

Elfster is the perfect companion app for organizing a Secret Santa or any other gift exchange, for that matter. It’s easy to use and feature-rich, and I know I’ll be using it again next year.

Download Elfster on iOS and Android.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Paul HattonSocial Links NavigationFreelance writer

Paul is a digital expert. In the 20 years since he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science, Paul has been actively involved in a variety of different tech and creative industries that make him the go-to guy for reviews, opinion pieces, and featured articles. With a particular love of all things visual, including photography, videography, and 3D visualisation Paul is never far from a camera or other piece of tech that gets his creative juices going. You'll also find his writing in other places, including Creative Bloq, Digital Camera World, and 3D World Magazine.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Best calendar app of 2025    This free app gives Android phones AirDrop-style file transfer powers – and it even works with Mac    I'm a phones expert and these are my 5 must-have apps for iPhone and Android    Best email app for iPhone of 2025    I used ChatGPT to plan my wedding, and the results surprised me    Best money transfer app of 2025    Latest in Websites & Apps Quordle hints and answers for Monday, November 24 (game #1400)    NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, November 24 (game #631)    Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, November 23 (game #1399)    NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, November 23 (game #630)    X was down again – here's how its latest outage played out    Some Spotify fans are still experiencing a major app crashing problem    Latest in Features How I used ChatGPT to eat healthier and lose my belly fat    'I do hope and pray that at some point...there's a character that I would make sense for James [Gunn] to put me back into something,' says Polka-Dot Man's David Dastmalchian    6 prompts to get the most out of Gemini 3, Google's answer to ChatGPT    When is Spotify Wrapped 2025 going to land? Here's what we know    I'm a phones expert and these are my 5 must-have apps for iPhone and Android    Should you use Google AI Mode or is boring old Search better?    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1DJI's first 360-degree drone leaks again – and an official launch could be very soon
2. 2NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, November 24 (game #897)
3. 3NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, November 24 (game #631)
4. 4Quordle hints and answers for Monday, November 24 (game #1400)
5. 5Why some people are treating ChatGPT like a God – and what that means for the future of faith