Gift Tracking & Wishlists
Wishthis, Elfster, Amazon Wish List, Notion templates — Secret Santa, family gift planning, and "what did I give last year."
The "what did I give last year, what does she actually want, who has Aunt Linda for Secret Santa" overlap. For password / vault storage of gift-related secrets see Self-Hosted Passwords; for the family-wiki "everyone's birthdays + favorite books" runbook see Family Communication & Wiki.
Wishlists / wish-tracking
- ★ Wishthis — free OSS; self-host wishlist with multi-user, claim-without-giftee-knowing, per-event lists. The 2026 default OSS pick. Mentioned in Self-Hosted Personal Apps.
- ★ Amazon Wish List — free; the lazy default; everyone has Amazon; claim-by-purchase works (item drops off when bought). The drawback: locked to Amazon products.
- WishList App — paid + free; iOS / Android; multi-store; share via link.
- Giftster — paid + free; family-flavored; multi-store; "claim" workflow.
- Throne — free; creator-flavored; tipping-shape.
- MyRegistry — free; multi-store registry; works for weddings + baby + general gift lists.
- Elfster — free + premium; the Secret Santa default (random assignments + private wishlists).
- DrawNames — free + paid; cleaner Secret Santa than Elfster for some.
- GiftSwap — niche; community-flavored.
Self-host / OSS
- ★ Wishthis — see above; default OSS.
- Notion / Obsidian templates — endless gift-list templates; works if you'll keep it updated.
- Cattaillist — niche OSS wishlist.
- Nextcloud Tasks / Deck — works as a "giving / received" tracker if you already run Nextcloud.
Gift-given history (the underrated ask)
The hardest part is what did I give last year? Most apps are wishlist-only and don't track outbound gifts. Solutions:
- ★ Notion or Obsidian database —
Person | Date | Occasion | Gift | Cost | Reaction. Works forever. The reliable answer. - Apple Notes / Google Keep — same idea, lazier.
- Spreadsheet — same idea; sortable.
- Cake — paid + free; end-of-life-flavored but has gift-history features. See Estate, Will & End-of-Life Planning.
Secret Santa specifically
- ★ Elfster — free + paid; the incumbent; the Reddit gift-exchange standard.
- DrawNames — free + paid; Elfster alternative.
- MyDrawnames — free; lighter.
- Reddit Gift Exchanges — the "free, just send the spreadsheet" approach.
Family gift planning patterns
- One shared wishlist app per household that everyone updates throughout the year. Avoids "what does Dad want for his birthday?" panic.
- Birthday + holiday calendar in Family Calendars with 6-week-before-event reminders.
- A "gift fund" envelope (in YNAB / Actual Budget) so gifts don't blow up holiday months.
- Saved-for-later items in Amazon / Etsy / wherever as low-friction wishlist; export annually.
License / pricing
- Wishthis: AGPLv3, free, self-host.
- Amazon Wish List, MyRegistry, Throne, DrawNames basic: free.
- WishList App, Giftster, Elfster, DrawNames: paid + free.
- Notion, Obsidian: free + paid.
Pick this if…
- Default OSS, self-host: Wishthis.
- Lazy default, Amazon-heavy household: Amazon Wish List.
- Multi-store wishlists across the family: Giftster or MyRegistry.
- Secret Santa group: Elfster or DrawNames.
- Track what you gave (history): a Notion / Obsidian / Sheets table.
- Wedding / baby registry: MyRegistry (multi-store) or the retailer's own.