Choose around your group
Wishmingle vs Elfster: wishlists and Secret Santa compared
Wishmingle and Elfster both support wishlists and Secret Santa. You can save a shop link or a written wish with either, so compare the joining flow, mobile options and features your group will actually use.
Prepared with AI assistance. Published by Wishmingle using public provider information. Features checked on the date above, with sources below.
| What matters | Wishmingle | Elfster |
|---|---|---|
| Core tools | Free wishlists and Secret Santa draws | Free wishlists and gift exchanges |
| Gifts from different shops | Paste a product link and review its details | Add a wish from a store link |
| Wishes without a link | Type a gift idea as text | Write a custom wish |
| Browser saving | Paste-link tool; Chrome extension prototype | Published Wish It! Chrome extension |
| Mobile access | Website in a mobile browser | Website plus iOS and Android apps |
| Invitations and reminders | You send invitations and reminders yourself | Provider documents email invitations and joining reminders |
| Group size | 3 to 30 participants per Secret Santa draw | Provider documents groups from 3 people to thousands |
Check what ‘any shop’ means in practice
Both services let you save a product link or a written idea. Neither can force a retailer to provide a usable photograph or price preview. Elfster’s own help explains that merchants sometimes block images and suggests writing the wish manually. On Wishmingle, give the wish a clear name and check the imported details rather than relying on a preview alone.
Choose your way to save
Wishmingle supports pasting a link on the website and has a Chrome extension prototype. It should not be mistaken for a reviewed browser-store release. Elfster documents its published Wish It! Chrome extension. If saving with one click is central to your habits, check the extension’s supported browsers, permissions and current availability before choosing.
Think about the people joining
Wishmingle uses signed-in accounts to join a Secret Santa group from an individual invitation and to keep lists for later. Elfster offers an established gift-exchange workflow and mobile apps. Ask your group whether they would rather open a website or use an app, and confirm any account or invitation requirements in the service you choose.
Compare gifts with your local shop options
Wishmingle’s gift browsing focuses on UK shop links and pounds. A saved shop link can still point elsewhere, so buyers need to check the retailer’s currency, delivery area and returns. If your group is international, agree where gifts will be delivered before people shop. A shared list does not remove retailer delivery restrictions.
Read the limits behind the feature names
Wishmingle gift reservations help buyers coordinate but do not place an order or collect payment. Its organisers can inspect the assignments they distribute. For either service, confirm the privacy settings, group size, reminders and any other feature you rely on. This comparison covers public documentation, not an independent performance, security or accessibility test.
Your questions, answered
Is this an independent review of Elfster?
No. Wishmingle publishes this comparison using its current implementation and Elfster’s public documentation. We have not independently tested every feature or declared an overall winner.
Sources and how we compared
We checked the pages below on 3 November 2026. This is a comparison from Wishmingle, not an independent test. Unassessed features are labelled. Check current terms with each provider.
Turn a good idea into a little list.
Try the wishlist makerA little more help
4 min readA practical comparison
Wishmingle vs Drawnames: which suits your gift exchange?
Both Wishmingle and Drawnames offer free Secret Santa tools, wishlists and exclusions. Choose around how your group wants to join, share invitations and find gifts, rather than expecting the name draw alone to decide it.
Read the guide4 min readOne list, several shops
How to make a wishlist with gifts from any shop
Create a Wishmingle list, paste each shop’s product link and give the wish a clear name. You can keep ideas from different retailers together and share one list with your gift buyers.
Read the guide
4 min readOne present is plenty
How to avoid duplicate gifts with a shared wishlist
Ask your gift buyers to use the same shared wishlist and reserve their chosen idea before buying. Reservations help coordinate the group, while purchases still happen with each retailer.
Read the guide