Free Secret Santa Generator — with gift ideas that fit the budget
Share one link — everyone adds themselves, no emails needed
Post one link in your group chat, set a budget, and when everyone's in we'll draw the matches secretly — keeping couples apart. Everyone gets a private page with their match, a wishlist, and price-compared gift ideas.
How it works
Setting a budget
Pick one figure and make it clear. £10–£20 is typical for offices and big families; £20–£50 suits small groups of close friends or family. Say whether it's “up to” or “about”, and whether delivery counts. The budget shows on everyone's page next to gift ideas that fit it, so nobody has to ask. If the group can't agree, go lower — nobody minds a thoughtful £10 gift, but plenty of people mind being asked to spend £40. Our budgets and etiquette guide has more.
Office or family?
Office groups work best with a lower budget, a join link posted in the team channel, and a cut-off a couple of weeks before the exchange so people working from home have time to post gifts. Keep presents neutral — our office Secret Santa ideas are a safe start. Family groups are usually smaller and closer: households matter more, wishlists save a lot of guesswork, and the exchange is often Christmas Day itself, so add the date and place to the exchange details.
Keeping couples apart
Give people who live together the same household — “The Patels”, “Flat 2” — and the draw will never pair them. You can also stop one person drawing another, which helps with exes or people who already swap presents. If your settings make a fair draw impossible (one household being more than half the group, for example), we'll tell you which setting to change before anything is drawn.
Keeping it secret — even from the organiser
Normally the organiser can see everyone's private link so they can send it on, but each match stays hidden behind a reveal button. If you're taking part too and would rather not know anything, tick “Keep it secret from me too”. You won't see anyone's match or link; we email each person their own link instead. That needs an email address for everyone you add yourself — people who join through the join link already have theirs.
After the draw
Everyone opens their private link and taps to reveal who they're buying for, along with that person's wishlist and note. As the organiser you can see who has opened theirs, but not who they got. Plans change, so you can still remove someone who drops out (we reconnect the chain with as few changes as possible), add latecomers, or undo the draw if nobody has looked yet. If people have an email address we can use, we'll remind them a few days before the exchange. Once it's all over, the group is deleted automatically — 60 days after the exchange date.
Secret Santa gift ideas
Popular picks for every budget, price-compared across the shops that stock them.
New to Secret Santa? Read how to run a Secret Santa.
Questions
Is the Secret Santa generator free?
Yes. Creating a group, drawing names and adding wishlists are all free, and nobody needs an account — not the organiser and not the people taking part.
Do I need everyone's email address?
No. Share one link in your group chat and everyone adds their own name — each person gets their own private link on the spot, and you see the names appear on your organiser page. When everyone's in, you press Draw. Giving an email is optional: anyone who does gets their link by email too, so they can't lose it.
How does everyone find out who they've got?
Everyone has their own private link. People who join through the group's link get theirs straight away and open it again after the draw. If you type people in yourself, you copy each person's link from your organiser page and send it however you like — WhatsApp, Slack or a text — or, if you add their email address and confirm your own, we email it to them.
Can I keep couples apart?
Yes. Give people who live together the same household and the draw will never pair them. You can also stop one person drawing a particular person. If your settings make a fair draw impossible, we tell you which setting to change before anything is drawn.
Can the organiser see who has who?
Only if you want them to. Tick “Keep it secret from me too” when you create the group and we won't show you anyone's match or private link. People who join through the link already have their own link; anyone you add yourself needs an email address so we can send them theirs. Otherwise you can see the links so you can send them on, but each match stays hidden behind a reveal button, so checking a link doesn't spoil it.
Can people say what they'd like?
Yes. Everyone can add items from the shops we compare or paste a link from anywhere, and leave a note — sizes, colours, allergies, things to avoid. Their Secret Santa sees it once they've revealed who they've got.
Will people get reminders?
If we can email someone — they joined with their email, or the organiser added it and has confirmed their own — we'll nudge them to add a wishlist shortly before the cut-off if they haven't yet, and remind them a few days before the exchange date.
What if someone drops out or joins late?
You can remove someone after the draw and we reconnect the chain so as few matches change as possible; anyone whose match changes sees the new one on their page (and gets an email if we can email them). Latecomers can be added in pairs, or one at a time while someone still hasn't opened their match, and their household is respected like everyone else's. If nobody has looked yet, you can simply undo the draw and redraw.
How many people can take part?
Between 3 and 100 people per group. With only three, everyone can work out who has them, so four or more makes for a proper secret.
When is my group deleted?
Automatically, 60 days after the exchange date. If you didn't set an exchange date, it's deleted 90 days after the draw, and a group that never draws is removed after 180 days. As the organiser you can delete it yourself at any time.