Giftster makes everyone create an account and join a group before they can see your list. With Giftwhale, you share a link and anyone can view and reserve — no sign-up needed.
100% free. No subscription. Trusted by 61,000+ families.
Both Giftster and Giftwhale are free wish list tools with reservations, child accounts, and Secret Santa. The differences are in the details.
| Feature | Giftwhale | Giftster |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Guest-friendly sharing, thank-you letters, gift planning, modern interface | Native app users, established communities, group-based organisation |
| Core wish lists | ||
| View and reserve without an account Share a link and anyone can browse and reserve. No sign-up needed. Giftster requires everyone to create an account. | Yes | No |
| Reservation visibility controls Choose when and whether you see reservations on your own list, so surprises work exactly how you want | Yes | No |
| Free to use | Yes | Yes |
| Add items from any website | Yes | Yes |
| Gift reservations | Yes | Yes |
| Gift preferences (sizes, colours, interests) | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension / bookmarklet | Yes | Yes |
| Family and kids | ||
| Works without joining a group first Giftster requires creating or joining a group to use child accounts and other features | Yes | No |
| Memorable dates tracker Track birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions with reminders | Yes | No |
| Child accounts | Yes | Yes |
| After the gift | ||
| Thank-you letters Send a personalised thank you to the gift-giver, linked to the specific gift | Yes | No |
| Gift ideas vault Save gift inspiration for anyone, even people not on Giftwhale | Yes | No |
| Suggest items to someone else's list Giftster lets you secretly add items to another person's list | No | Yes |
| Secret Santa and groups | ||
| Gift exchanges | Yes | Yes |
| Random draw with exclusions | Yes | Yes |
| Budget limits | Yes | Yes |
| Platform | ||
| Modern interface | Yes | Dated UI (common review complaint) |
| Works worldwide, any retailer | Yes | Yes |
| Works in browser, no download needed | Yes | Yes |
| Native mobile app Giftster has iOS and Android apps. Giftwhale works as a web app on any device. | Coming soon | Yes |
Best for
Core wish lists
View and reserve without an account
Share a link and anyone can browse and reserve. No sign-up needed. Giftster requires everyone to create an account.
Reservation visibility controls
Choose when and whether you see reservations on your own list, so surprises work exactly how you want
Free to use
Add items from any website
Gift reservations
Gift preferences (sizes, colours, interests)
Browser extension / bookmarklet
Family and kids
Works without joining a group first
Giftster requires creating or joining a group to use child accounts and other features
Memorable dates tracker
Track birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions with reminders
Child accounts
After the gift
Thank-you letters
Send a personalised thank you to the gift-giver, linked to the specific gift
Gift ideas vault
Save gift inspiration for anyone, even people not on Giftwhale
Suggest items to someone else's list
Giftster lets you secretly add items to another person's list
Secret Santa and groups
Gift exchanges
Random draw with exclusions
Budget limits
Platform
Modern interface
Works worldwide, any retailer
Works in browser, no download needed
Native mobile app
Giftster has iOS and Android apps. Giftwhale works as a web app on any device.
“We switched from another wish list app and haven't looked back. The child accounts alone made it worth it.”
Giftwhale user
Send your wish list to Gran, your uncle, or a colleague. They click the link, see your list, and reserve a gift. No account, no password, no fuss.
After the birthday or Christmas, send a personalised thank you to each gift-giver, linked to the specific gift they bought. Beats a generic text message.
The memorable dates tracker keeps birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions in one place with reminders. Check someone's wish list right from the reminder.
Spot something perfect in March for a December birthday? Save it to your gift ideas vault. Works for anyone, even people who aren't on Giftwhale.
Good for simple lists. Not ideal for family coordination without everyone signing up.
Everyone needs an account to view or reserve. Requires joining a group for most features. Dated interface.
Best for families who want easy sharing without everyone needing an account.
“We built Giftwhale because organising gifts across birthdays, Christmas, and family events shouldn't need multiple tools. It should just work, for kids and grandparents alike.”
- The Giftwhale team
“Our family is spread out and coordinating gifts was always a nightmare. Giftwhale has solved this completely! Grandma can see exactly what my kids want, and the reservation system means no duplicates from different relatives. Brilliant for extended families!”
- Giftwhale user
“What I love most about Giftwhale is how intuitive it is. No instruction manual needed! I showed my 70-year-old grandma how to use it and she was adding items within minutes. That's the sign of truly good design.”
- Giftwhale user
“The reservation system is what makes Giftwhale special. When someone reserves an item, it's marked so others know not to buy it. No more duplicate gifts! But the clever bit is I can't see who reserved what, so there's still surprise on the day.”
- Giftwhale user
It depends on what you need. Giftwhale is better if you want to share lists without making everyone sign up, send thank-you letters, or track birthdays with reminders. Giftster is better if you want a native mobile app or the ability to suggest items to someone else's list. Both are free.
Guest reservations without accounts, thank-you letters, a memorable dates tracker, a gift ideas vault, reservation visibility controls, and a modern interface. Giftster has native apps and a "suggest items" feature that Giftwhale doesn't.
Not with Giftwhale. Anyone can view a shared wish list and reserve gifts without signing up. Just share the link. With Giftster, everyone needs an account and must join a group to see lists and reserve.
You're in control. Giftwhale has advanced reservation visibility settings so you can choose whether you see reservations on your own list or not. Keep it a complete surprise, or see what's been reserved if you prefer. Either way, you never see who reserved what.
Yes, both platforms support child accounts managed by parents. The main difference is that Giftster requires creating a group first, while Giftwhale lets you set up child accounts straight away.
There's no catch. Both Giftwhale and Giftster are completely free. Giftwhale has no premium tiers and no credit card required.
Click "Reserve" on any gift. Other visitors see it's taken, but the list owner doesn't. If plans change, you can unreserve. That's it.
Giftwhale works as a web app that you can add to your home screen on any phone or tablet. There's no native app to download. Giftster has iOS and Android apps.
Paste a few product links, share with family, and you're done. No credit card, no commitment.
No subscription. No credit card required.
