What Elfster does well (as of October 2026)
Credit where it's due. Elfster has been around since 2009 and it's built for people who take their gift exchange seriously. Based on Elfster's website and help center as of October 2026, it offers:
- A name draw with restrictions, so partners or close family don't get each other. Restrictions are set per person, so keeping a couple apart takes one for each of them.
- Last year's matches avoided automatically when you start the new exchange from the previous one.
- Invitations by email or a sign-up link you can share by text or social media. People open it, log in or create a free account and RSVP. The organizer can turn off late RSVPs.
- Wish lists with items from online stores, plus a browser button for saving things you find.
- Anonymous questions to the person you drew ("gold or silver?") without giving yourself away.
- Group messages from the organizer by email, to everyone or only to people who haven't replied yet.
- Address collection for exchanges where gifts get mailed. People enter it when they RSVP, so whoever draws them can ship the gift.
- Apps for iPhone and Android, plus the website.
- A hidden draw. Draw details are hidden by default. The organizer and any assistants can unhide them when they need to check something.
- A "Draw Now" option for classrooms or offices: the organizer draws right away without anyone's email. Participants then have no accounts, so they can't make wish lists or see their draw themselves. The organizer passes the names on.
Elfster describes itself as completely free. Everything on this list may change, so check Elfster's site for the current details before you decide.
Why people look for an Elfster alternative anyway
A platform with accounts is great once everyone is inside. Getting everyone inside is the hard part. The usual reasons people search for something else:
- One more account. Your uncle already has a drawer full of passwords he can't remember. Elfster's help pages say every participant needs their own account.
- The joining phase drags. You send invites on Monday and by Thursday three people still haven't clicked. Names are drawn on a set date and anyone who hasn't RSVP'd by then isn't in the draw until the organizer adds them.
- Email addresses. In a family or friend group, you often have everyone's number but not their email. At work, some people don't want their private address on a gift exchange list.
- It's a one-off. A book club with eight people, a group of roommates, a sports team. For one evening of gifts, a platform can feel like a lot.
- Kids are taking part. Children rarely have email addresses. Elfster handles that with Family Manager accounts run by a parent, which works but is another setup step.
None of that makes Elfster bad. It just means the best tool depends on how much your group wants beyond the draw.
Elfster alternative comparison: platform, link or hat
| Elfster (as of Oct 2026) | Draw by link (our generator) | Names in a hat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the organizer does | Creates an exchange, invites people, waits for them to join | Types names, taps draw, sends links | Writes slips, folds, shakes |
| What everyone else does | Opens the invite, logs in or creates a free account, RSVPs | Opens one link | Shows up and draws |
| Email addresses needed | For accounts (Draw Now works without, but then the organizer handles the draw) | No | No |
| Exclusions (couples, households) | Yes, set per person | Yes, both ways or one way | Only by redrawing |
| Avoids last year's matches | Yes, if you reuse last year's exchange | By hand, with one-way exclusions | No |
| Budget and exchange date | Yes | Yes, shown on every link | Only if you say it out loud |
| Wish lists | Yes, built in | No (use a shared doc) | No |
| Anonymous questions | Yes | No | No |
| Messages to the group | Yes, by email | No (use your group chat) | No |
| Group in different places | Yes | Yes | No |
| Organizer can play without knowing | Yes, as long as they don't unhide the draw | Yes, as long as they don't open the links | Only if someone else draws for absent people |
| Where the group is stored | In Elfster accounts | On the organizer's device, each match in its link | In the hat, then the bin |
The short version: Elfster wins on features, the link wins on speed and the hat wins on nostalgia.
Four ways to run Secret Santa without Elfster
Sorted from "almost no effort" to "a bit of homework". Each one replaces the Elfster Secret Santa generator part. The fourth also covers wish lists.
1. A Secret Santa generator that sends links
- Best forfamilies, friends, offices up to 50
- Timeabout 2 minutes
Our Secret Santa generator runs in the browser. You type 3 to 50 names, mark the couples, add a budget, a date and a note, and draw. You get one link per person ("Link for Sam", "Link for Priya") and send each one in a private chat. Opening it shows a small gift that unwraps to the name they drew. You can take part yourself without knowing any matches.
What it doesn't do: wish lists, messages, chat. It's a draw and a delivery, nothing more.
Free toolDraw Secret Santa names online2. Names in a hat, with one house rule
- Best foreveryone in one room, no couples
- Time5 minutes
Still unbeatable at a family dinner. The house rule: whoever pulls their own name says "me" right away and everyone puts their slip back for a redraw. It's clunky with couples, though. Keeping two people apart means redrawing until luck plays along.
3. A neutral elf who doesn't play
- Best forsmall groups, school classes
- Time15 minutes
Someone outside the exchange (a parent, a teacher, a partner who isn't joining) draws for everyone and texts each person their name. Works without any tool. The elf has to keep a straight face for a month, which is harder than it sounds.
4. Link draw plus a shared wish list doc
- Best forgroups that loved Elfster's wish lists
- Time15 minutes
The closest thing to the full platform without accounts. Create one shared document with a section per person and the same few questions, draw by link and paste the doc's address into the note that every draw link shows. Our Secret Santa questionnaire has questions and wish list templates you can copy straight in.
Switching from Elfster for one year
If your group used Elfster before and you want to try the lighter way, here's how to do it without anyone feeling lost.
- Tell the group first. One message saying "no app this year, you'll just get a link" avoids twenty "did I miss the invite?" questions.
- Copy last year's names. Paste the list into the generator, one name per line.
- Block last year's matches. If you remember who had whom, add those as one-way exclusions, so Sam can't draw Priya again (while Priya can still draw Sam).
- Set up a wish list doc if your group cares about wish lists, and put its address in the note.
- Draw and send each link privately. Not in the group chat. Anyone who opens a link sees the name in it.
- Remind people yourself. One message in the group chat a week before the exchange replaces Elfster's emails.
Quick Secret Santa update 🎅 This year we're skipping the app. I'll draw names tonight and send everyone a private link. Tap it, see who you're buying for, done.
Budget stays at $30, exchange is Saturday the 19th at Grandma's.
Wish lists go in this doc: [link]
Hi Priya! Your Secret Santa link 🎁 Don't open it with anyone looking over your shoulder. Wish lists are in the doc from the group chat.
[link]
psst … this makes it easier
Draw Secret Santa names in two minutes
- Add names and exclude couples if you like
- Everyone gets their own private link by text or WhatsApp
- Free, no sign-up, no email addresses
What you give up without a platform
Being fair means saying this clearly. A link-based draw skips the parts of Elfster that need accounts:
- Wish lists inside the tool. You'll use a doc or the group chat instead.
- Anonymous questions. Without them, ask a sibling or partner of your giftee, or ask the whole group the same question.
- Messages from the tool. You send reminders yourself. One is usually enough.
- Address sharing for shipped gifts. Collect addresses privately if you need them.
- A history across years. Elfster uses it to avoid last year's pairs. Our generator remembers the draw on your device only, and clearing your browser data clears it too.
If those features are the reason your group enjoys Secret Santa, stay with Elfster. If they're the reason your group never finished signing up, a link will feel like a relief.
Comparing other tools as well? We wrote a separate look at a DrawNames alternative for groups that want to skip email addresses entirely. And for everything around the draw (rules, budget, the reveal), see our Secret Santa guide.
Date still open?Find a day for the gift exchangeFrequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Elfster?
Yes. Our Secret Santa generator is free and works in the browser: you type the names, set exclusions and send each person a private link. Nobody needs an account or an email address. It doesn't do wish lists or group messages, so it fits groups that mainly want a fair draw.
Is Elfster free?
As of October 2026, Elfster describes itself as completely free. According to its help pages, every participant needs a free Elfster account, and children or people without email can be added to a parent's Family Manager. Check Elfster's own site for the current terms, since features and policies can change.
Do I need an account to draw Secret Santa names?
Not with a link-based generator. With ours, the draw happens in your browser, the group is saved on your device and each match travels inside the link you send. Platforms like Elfster keep your group in accounts, which is what makes their wish lists and messages possible.
Can I keep couples apart without Elfster?
Yes. Exclusions are standard in most Secret Santa generators. In ours you tap two names to stop them drawing each other, both ways or one way only. That also lets you block last year's matches.
Is AskForDates connected to Elfster?
No. AskForDates is an independent site and has nothing to do with Elfster. We describe Elfster here only so you can compare and decide.
Can we still do wish lists without Elfster?
Yes, just outside the draw. Use a shared document or a short questionnaire everyone fills in, then put the link in the note that comes with each draw link. Our Secret Santa questionnaire page has templates for exactly that.