Wishorium, Elfster, Giftster, GoWish and Amazon Wish List at a glance
Each service’s column is only what its own pages say, checked 3 November 2026 (the links are below). Where one of them is the better pick, we say so.
| What we compare | Wishorium | Elfster | Giftster | GoWish | Amazon Wish List |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. A printed copy of the wish book is optional and paid. | Free (“Free Forever”). | Free: groups, lists, adding from any store and reserving. | Free to download the app. | Lists are part of your Amazon account. |
| What you can add | Anything from any shop: paste a link, pick from our shop, bring a whole Amazon wish list in, or type it in. | Gifts from any store, or from Elfster’s gift guides. | Anything from any store: paste a link and it fills in the details, or use its browser extension. | Wishes from your favourite brands; a wish can carry the shop’s product link. | Items sold on Amazon (not out-of-print, out-of-stock or not-yet-released ones). |
| Do the family need an account? | No. They open the link and type their name to circle (you can ask for an account if you’d rather). | Its kids’ page says relatives shop from one shared link; it doesn’t say whether they need an account. | A public list can be shared with people who don’t have a Giftster account; family groups are for members. | Yes: you must be logged in to reserve a wish. | The “purchased” marks and warnings only show while signed in; signed out, a list may give a surprise away. |
| Keeping it a surprise | The child never sees what’s circled. You see who is getting what, for the thank-you notes. | Gifts are privately marked as purchased, so it stays a surprise for the list’s owner. | Purchase status is hidden from the list maker; on a child’s list the parents can see what’s claimed. | The list’s owner doesn’t see reservations (unless they open their own shared link). | “Don’t spoil my surprises” is on by default: gifts stay secret for several weeks. |
| Children | Made for children: a wish book they flick through and circle, with a child mode, while you stay in charge. | A managed child account lets a child wish for gifts while grown-ups stay in charge. | Child accounts sit under one login, and both parents can manage them. | You can make a list on someone else’s behalf. | A separate Baby Wishlist for a new baby. |
| Secret Santa | A family draw: each grown-up draws a child from another family, and nobody sees the pairs, the organiser included. | Its Secret Santa generator draws names for friends, family or the office. | A Secret Santa drawing in your group, with exclusions; even the organiser can’t see the full drawing. | A Secret Santa Exchange. | Not on its wish list pages. |
| Where you buy | At the shop the wish came from. Some of those links earn us a small commission. | Any store. It says it may earn commissions from its links. | Any store. It says it keeps the lights on with affiliate link fees. | At the retailer: GoWish isn’t a shop. | On Amazon, with a gift message and gift wrap if you like. |
Where each one is the better pick
Elfster
A Secret Santa with friends, colleagues or the whole family, grown-ups included, where everyone has a wishlist of their own. It’s what Elfster is built around.
From its own pages, checked 3 November 2026: elfster.comElfster: Kids’ Wishlist
Giftster
A big family where every grown-up keeps their own list all year in one private group, and a Secret Santa that can keep couples from drawing each other.
From its own pages, checked 3 November 2026: giftster.com
GoWish
Grown-ups saving wishes for themselves from the brands they like, in an app, when everyone giving is happy to log in.
From its own pages, checked 3 November 2026: gowish.comGoWish help: reserving a wishGoWish help: buying a wishGoWish help: seeing reservations
Amazon Wish List
When everything on the list is sold on Amazon and the family buy there too: purchases are marked for you, with gift wrap and a gift message at the checkout.
From its own pages, checked 3 November 2026: Amazon help: Create Your Wish ListAmazon help: Surprise SettingsAmazon help: Purchase from a List
Which one should we use?
If the lists are for children, and the family includes people who won’t make an account or download an app, Wishorium is built for you: one link, and they circle what they’re getting. If it’s grown-ups swapping presents, or everything comes from one shop, one of the others may suit you better, and we say which above.
Try it before you move anything
Flick through an example wish book first. If it suits you, start one in a few minutes: paste links from the shops you already use, or bring your Amazon wish list in.
Questions from grown-ups
Can I bring my Amazon wish list into Wishorium?
Yes. Paste its link in the Add tab and every wish on it comes across, with its picture and price. The family can then buy from Amazon or anywhere else.
Is there a family Secret Santa for the children?
Yes: the family draw at wishorium.com/family-draw. Each grown-up draws one child from another family to buy for, and their own link shows that child’s wish book.
Is it free?
Yes. Some shop links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.
Ready when you are ✨
Free, five minutes to set up, and the family don’t need an app.