Comparison
Private family wish list apps compared
What 8 family wish list and gift exchange services charge, how each one earns money, and what each documents about its features, next to St. Nick's List as it works today. Every fact was checked on against the linked page.
St. Nick's List publishes this page, so read it as a vendor comparison. Nobody is ranked or scored. Prices and policies change; check the source link before relying on a fact.
At a glance
| Service | Price | How it earns money | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elfster | Free. No paid tier and no in-app purchase. | Affiliate commissions across 13 networks, paid brand placement, and ads in the Android app. | |
| Giftster | Free. No paid tier was available when checked. | Discloses that merchants pay it 2% to 4% on purchases made after a click-through; participates in Amazon Associates in seven countries, including Canada. | |
| Giftful | Free. | Not disclosed on the pages we checked. | |
| DrawNames | Free, with no ads and no registration required. | States “funding from our partners”, plus Amazon. | |
| Things To Get Me | Free. | Not disclosed on the pages we checked. | |
| GiftList | Free. | Declares affiliate relationships. | |
| Amazon lists and registries | Free. | Purchases made on Amazon; registry completion discounts encourage buying there. | |
| MyRegistry | Free to create a registry. | A cash-fund handling fee of $3.95 to $6.95 per gift plus PayPal’s 2.5%, paid by the giver; also sells registry software to retailers for $2,400 to $6,500 a year. | |
| St. Nick's List | Free. An optional Family Plus plan exists but is not on sale. | Designed to earn from retailer affiliate links and from a fee on optional group-gift contributions (3% plus $0.30, shown to the contributor before payment). As of the check date, no affiliate programme account is active. |
Service by service
Elfster
- Price
- Free. No paid tier and no in-app purchase.
- How it earns money
- Affiliate commissions across 13 networks, paid brand placement, and ads in the Android app.
Documented features
- Wish lists and Secret Santa gift exchanges.
- An invited person can accept and take part without first creating an account.
- Operates secretsanta.com.
- Publishes a large library of gift guides.
Checked . Source: Elfster: About; Elfster: Advertiser disclosure
Giftster
- Price
- Free. No paid tier was available when checked.
- How it earns money
- Discloses that merchants pay it 2% to 4% on purchases made after a click-through; participates in Amazon Associates in seven countries, including Canada.
What to weigh for a family
Almost every service here is free to the person making a list, so price rarely decides. What differs is how each one earns money, which shapes what it puts in front of you, and a few specific capabilities: what a parent managing a child's list can keep track of, whether prices are watched for you, whether the retailers and currency match where your family shops, and whether money for a group gift is held by the service or moved between people directly.
St. Nick's List is narrower than most of the services above. It is web only, its retailer price checks cover Canadian stores only, and it has no affiliate income yet. If your family shops outside Canada or wants a phone app, another service on this page may fit better.
Corrections: if a fact on this page is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] with a link to the page that shows the current fact. We update the page and its date. Read our editorial standards.