About & FAQ
secret.gift is a small gift hub — the boring parts of giving, taken care of.
It started as a Secret Santa generator and grew into a gift hub. Today it runs a gift exchange in any style, keeps a wishlist with photos and prices, lets a Santa ask their person a question without breaking cover, and carries a library of guides for when you have no idea what to buy.
Everything works from a single link. No account, no email, no app to install, nothing sold to advertisers. Groups live behind a link and a password saved in your own browser, and wishlists show reservations to everyone except their owner — so the surprise survives.
Thank you for being the person who gives gifts. Most of the internet is busy selling them.
What is inside
Gift exchange & Secret Santa
Draw names for any group in about two minutes. Three styles — Secret Santa, St. Nicholas, plain Gift Exchange — and two draw modes, secret or open. Wishlists, budget, gift day and delivery addresses included.
Start an exchangeWhite Elephant
The same room, a different game: no pairs at all. The draw hands out a shuffled pick order, everyone brings one gift, and stealing does the rest.
How it worksWishlists
A list of what you actually want — photos, prices and store links pulled from the page. Anyone can reserve an item quietly; you are the only person who never sees what is taken.
Make a wishlistGuides and ideas
Gift ideas by person and budget, questionnaires, traditions from around the world, and step-by-step guides for every flow on the site.
Read the guidesWrite through the form below — we read every message and usually answer the same day. Most of what the site can do today began as somebody's feedback: the anonymous chat, wishlists, White Elephant and the gift day were all requests from people running their own exchanges. If your group is missing something, tell us; small things often ship the same week.
Is secret.gift free?
Yes, all of it: unlimited groups, unlimited participants, wishlists, chat. There is no paid plan and no trial that runs out. Some gift guides carry affiliate links and partners can sponsor a page — that is how the lights stay on.
Do I need an account or an email?
No. A group is a link and a name — that is everything anyone types. We never ask for an email, so there is nothing to verify, nothing to unsubscribe from, and no address book to leak.
Is there a mobile app for secret.gift?
Not today. The site is built for phones and runs in the browser, which has been enough so far. An app is on the list and waiting on demand: the more people come from phones and ask for one, the sooner we build it. If you want it, say so in the form below — that is literally how we decide.
Can I use it outside Christmas?
Yes. Birthdays, weddings, baby showers, farewells, a random Tuesday: pick the plain Gift Exchange style and the wording drops the Santa hats. Wishlists have occasions of their own and work all year.
Who can see my delivery address?
Only the person who draws you, and only after the draw. Before that the group sees a tick that you filled something in, never the text. The organizer cannot read it either.
Can the organizer see who is whose Secret Santa?
No — in secret mode the draw is anonymous: the organizer cannot see who drew whom, and never sees anyone's password. They can only issue a NEW password to a participant who lost theirs; the old one stops working and the pairs stay secret.
Can I change the style or the draw mode after the draw?
The style, any time. The mode, no: once names are out it is locked, because switching a secret exchange to open would reveal pairs people were promised would stay hidden.
Someone wants to join after the draw — what now?
The draw closes the list on purpose, so nobody's assignment changes under them. Add the latecomer to the next round, or run a second small exchange for the people who missed it.
Can people reserve a gift from my wishlist without me knowing?
That is the whole idea. Reservations are visible to every visitor except you: your own list never shows what has been taken, so nothing is spoiled and nobody buys the same thing twice.
What should I do if I forgot my password?
First, open the homepage on the device you used — groups you create or join are saved there automatically under “Your groups”. If that does not help, ask your organizer: they can issue you a new password from the group page.
What if I joined the same group twice?
Ask the organizer to remove the duplicate before the draw — they can delete a participant from the group page. After the draw the list is locked, so do it early.
What happens to my data?
It stays inside the group. There are no accounts to profile, we never email you, and your password lives in your own browser. Ask us and we delete a group or a wishlist on request.
Tell us what is missing, what broke, or what you would build instead. Every message reaches a human.