The best Secret Santa platforms, ranked

This article has been updated. First released on December 14, 2020.

Vaccines, masks and booster shots bring some sense of normalcy to this holiday season. Some people, who have seen their families for the first time in Thanksgiving for the first time in two years, may be planning a similar gathering at the end of the year celebration. But then Omickron appeared, and some may not be sure if they would still be traveling or attending crowded family gatherings. If you are such a person, at least you should know that these new complications have not cancelled gifts.

Many virtual platforms have allowed people to celebrate the digital secret Santa event for years, and you can also participate. However, finding the right online tool to organize gift exchanges for social distancing can be difficult.

Save your time and energy and check out our list of the best secrets Santa platform. Use it as a gift we give you.

Too basic: SecretSantaOrganizer.com

Like most websites and applications on this list, Secret Santa Organizer has basic features: it allows you to extract names, send anonymous messages, and send invitations with party time and URL. But unlike other platforms on this list, it allows you to choose to request delete all data after completion.

[Related: Don't have time to give gifts? Here are 14 gifts you can make yourself. ]

If you don't need the Secret Santa Tool to provide more features, this is great, but be aware that it doesn't have more features. You can't exclude when drawing a name - for example, your mother won't get your father - even though it allows you to create a wish list, the interface is very unfriendly and you can only send it to you when drawing a name Links to create a wish list. If you already manage activities on the platform, you cannot click to enter the same page. Even if you manage to create a wish list, you realize that the interface is just a list of URLs—no preview display or other fields to detail the item you selected.

On the bright side, the platform is simple, and you can immediately start setting gift exchange dates, budgets, and the names and emails of people at your party (including yourself). Logging in to Secret Santa Organizer is also easy, just click on the link sent to your inbox. This saves you the way you previously signed up by creating and confirming your password, which is a small but nice detail.

Result: Full score of 5 points, 2 points ?

Nice but average: SneakySanta.com

Features, Sneaky Santa is not bad because it has all the features you expect: you can send invitations, draw names, write messages, and create wish lists. In fact, it provides the greatest flexibility of any tool on this list when it comes to providing some gift inspiration for your loved ones. You can also do the exclusion, but you need to check the names of people that each participant can draw, not the other way around. It's a little annoying – if you don't want your aunt to take your uncle's name, you have to check the names of everyone except your uncle at your party. This can be a little trouble if you have a lot of participants.

This platform has nothing to do with any store or supplier, so you can paste any URL into your wishlist. You can also add interests or hobbies, or just write down the name of your favorite store without specifying a specific item.

If you include children (or people who don't want to learn another platform), you can create a wish list for them without creating a separate account. The downside is that this sets you as the person's contact, which means that when you draw your name, you need to tell them who they are giving them a gift.

Signally, the Sneaky Santa is neither beautiful nor intuitive, so it won the Worst Interface Award. Another downside is that everyone has to create an account with a password to access the platform, and you don’t have an easy login alternative, such as using your Facebook or Google account. However, if you plan to use the same settings next year, you can use the same account and group, and the platform will automatically exclude this year's options for everyone, so people don't have to give the same person a gift for two consecutive years.

Lastly, if setting up a budget is important to you, check out elsewhere as this is one of the few basic features it doesn't have.

Result: Full score of 5 points, 3 points ?

There are many functions, but there may be too many: Elfster

Elfster seems to have all the features, but the devil is in the details. You can draw names, exclude, draft wishlists, and you can organize your gift exchange party by adding time and place to your invitation. The interface is beautiful and friendly, although a bit messy. But it's intuitive and easy to use, so even the least skilled person of your friends can use it without your help. Elfster also has a mobile app (for iOS and Android) that provides the same functionality as the web platform, but in a cleaner, more friendly environment.

First, Elfster will ask you to create an account, although it provides an alternative to login using Google, Apple, or Facebook. Unlike other platforms in this list, name extraction occurs when you create an event. But before people know who their secret Santa is, anyone on the list can invite more people to join by sending a link. Elfster is also the only platform here where you can opt out of your activities. This means that if you feel like a miser, but are your designated IT specialist, you can set everything up without having to participate in any gift giving.

Like Sneaky Santa, Elfster allows you to create a wish list for children or anyone who can’t manage their profile, but you need to create another account with a new email and password. Creating a wish list is easy: You can search for specific products from sites like Amazon, Nordstrom, Zappos, or Dick's Sporting Goods directly from Elfster and add them directly to your list. If you are unable or unwilling to participate in an actual gift exchange, you can fill in your address so that your secret Santa can deliver your gift directly to your doorstep.

It is important to know that unlike the other sites on this list, Elfster is more like a gift-giving social media platform. This means you can add friends and create events and you will be notified when your birthday is approaching. This may be a little too much if you just want to make sure that couples in the family don’t take each other’s names, or if you’re reluctant to share personal information just for some seasonal celebrations.

Result: Full score of 5 points, 4 points ?

Runner-up: Secret Santa Generator

Ask, most people like holidays, but some (not miser) just want to get things done so they can quickly get into the quieter half of the winter. If this is a good fit for you (we won't judge, we promise), Secret Santa Generator may be the answer to your gift-giving prayer.

No wish list, no invitation, no budget, no password, no auxiliary account: you provide a name list to the platform, click to select a name! , you're almost done. Apart from the participant list, you can only control three variables: how many gifts each person will receive, whether you are the omniscient game master or another player, and the exception to everyone.

The first two are drop-down menus and check boxes, but the latter is trickier. Secret Santa Generator has a highly simplified interface where you need to type or paste the participant's name (one name per line) into a single HTML text box. You need to add any exceptions after each name between braces, separated by commas - i.e. NAME, {exception1, exception2}. This can be a bit complicated, but if you make a mistake, the platform will tell you exactly what is wrong and where so you can fix it easily.

After you get the sorted list of names, you can add the participant's email address so that everyone will be notified. If you are a moderator and want to do it in an old-fashioned way, you can also write down your name and let people know who they get.

Secret Santa Generator is easy to use and since it requires minimal data to do its job, it is probably the safest platform on this list. Still, some prefer more feature-rich options, so this option may be too simple for you.

Result: Full score of 5 points, 4 points ?

Champion: DrawNames.com

DrawNames strikes a great balance between options and simplicity, and it has all the features you want the Secret Santa platform to have while staying super user-friendly. Before you start, you don’t have to confirm your password and enter your verification code, which is exactly the stress-free experience people need at this time.

[Related: This is the perfect year to give up wrapping paper]

Wishlists are easy, and even if they run well, they are probably the least attractive aspect of this platform. First, on the vendor side, you won’t find as many options as Elfster does, but DrawNames still offers direct integration with sites like Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, Macy's, and Columbia. Additionally, this feature is not as flexible as the Sneaky Santa. You can paste the URL as text into the Hobbies/Interests field, but you won't see a preview of the content.

One of the best aspects of DrawNames is its clean and very intuitive interface, in addition to easy registration and invitation. This seems like a small detail compared to the features offered by this website or any website in this list, but it is not. The easier the platform is, the easier it is for us to share our time with our loved ones. And this is the real gift.

Result: Full score of 5 points, 5 points ?

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