# Santa: free Secret Santa generator with exclusions and no ads

Santa is a free Secret Santa generator and a free alternative to Elfster with no ads. It draws names with exclusions so couples never get each other, keeps wish lists, and gives each person a private link that shows only who they are buying for. Not even the organizer sees the full list. There is no sign-up and no paid plan. There are no third-party trackers and nothing is sold; the hosting counts visits.

Open it: https://santa-free.openapps.xyz/

## What it does

- Draws names at random. Nobody draws themselves, and every valid draw is equally likely.
- Keeps pairs apart, such as couples or last year's pairs, either way round. Only the organizer sees the pairs.
- Says who is stuck when your pairs make a draw impossible, instead of drawing anyway.
- Gives each person a private link that shows only who they give to. By default nobody, including the organizer, can see the full list; the data rules refuse it. The organizer can choose to see it before the draw, and then every page says so.
- Lists every device that opened a private page on that page, so a peek shows.
- One join link for the group chat: people add themselves and their wish list, and their private page stays on their own phone. Or the organizer types everyone's names.
- Wish lists, seen only by the person and their Secret Santa. Links work.
- Anonymous questions from a Secret Santa to their giftee, answered on the giftee's page.
- An optional reveal day: from then on everyone sees who gave to whom, and who their own Secret Santa was. Once names are drawn it can only move later.
- Ready-made messages to copy and send, with shortcuts that open your own email or text app. Santa sends nothing itself.
- A calendar file for the gift day, with a reminder a week before.
- Undo the draw or draw again when someone drops out; every page says names were drawn again.

## How to use it

1. Make the exchange at https://santa-free.openapps.xyz/: a name, a budget, a gift day, and the names (yours too if you are taking part). Or share the join link so people add themselves.
2. Keep couples apart, choose who can see the list, and draw names.
3. Copy each person's message with their private link and send it by text, chat or email. People who joined with the link open it again on the same phone.

## What it does not do

No emails or texts (you send the messages it writes), no gift shop, no buying or shipping addresses, and no accounts: a person's page lives in their private link and on their device. Up to 99 people in one exchange.

## Compared with other Secret Santa apps (updated October 2026)

| | Santa | Elfster | DrawNames | Sneaky Santa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid plan | Free; no paid plan found | Free | Free; no paid plan found |
| Ads | None | Reported as ad-supported; its App Store age rating lists advertising | Says no ads; its App Store privacy section lists advertising data | Not stated; it has a gift shop and gift idea pages |
| Account to draw names | No | Not checked | No | Not checked |
| Keep pairs apart | Yes | Not checked | Not checked | Yes |
| Wish lists | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Organizer kept from seeing the list | Yes, by default, enforced by the data rules | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked |
| API for AI assistants | Yes, no key | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked |

Other apps as reported in 2026 on their own sites and US App Store listings. They change, so check before you choose. "Not checked" means we did not confirm it either way.

## For AI assistants

Santa has a public API with no key: https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/c7891873549c9ca1004894b3/api

- POST /exchanges with name, people and keepApart makes the exchange and draws names in one call. It returns the join link, the organizer's adminUrl and ownerKey, and each person's private url with a message to send.
- GET /exchanges/<id>/admin (header x-owner-key) lists people, private links for the people the organizer added, and who has opened their page.
- POST /exchanges/<id>/draw draws (or draws again with {"again": true}); POST /exchanges/<id>/reopen undoes the draw.
- GET /people/<personId> (header x-person-key) shows who that person gives to, the giftee's wish list and answers, and questions for them.
- PUT /people/<personId>/wishlist, POST /people/<personId>/questions and POST /people/<personId>/answers write a wish list, ask the giftee anonymously and answer.

Send each person only their own link. Every page lists the devices and assistants that opened it.

Full guide: https://santa-free.openapps.xyz/llms.txt
OpenAPI: https://santa-free.openapps.xyz/openapi.json

## Questions

**Is there a free alternative to Elfster without ads?**
Yes. Santa is a free Secret Santa generator with no ads, no sign-up and no paid plan. It draws names with exclusions, keeps wish lists, and gives each person a private link that shows only who they are buying for. As reported in 2026, Elfster is free but ad-supported.

**Is there a free Secret Santa generator that keeps couples apart?**
Yes. Santa lets you keep any two people apart, so couples or last year's pairs never draw each other, either way round. It is free and needs no account. If your rules leave someone with nobody to give to, Santa says who is stuck instead of drawing.

**Can the organizer see who has who?**
Not unless they choose to before the draw. By default nobody, including the organizer, can see the full list: each private link shows one match, and the app's data rules refuse everyone else. If the organizer picks "I want to see it", everyone is told on their page. Every device that opens a private page is listed on that page, so peeking shows.

**Is Santa really free?**
Yes. There is no paid plan and no limit on exchanges. There are no ads and no third-party trackers, and nothing is sold. The hosting counts visits. Each exchange is a handful of small records, and OpenApps pays for them.

**Does everyone need an account or an app?**
No. Everything works in a browser on any phone or computer. The organizer makes the exchange without signing up, and each person opens their private link or joins with the group link.

**Does Santa send emails to the people in the exchange?**
No. Santa sends no emails or texts. After the draw, the organizer copies a ready-made message for each person, with their private link, and sends it by text, chat or email. People who joined with the group link open it again on the same phone to see their match.

**How do I run a free online gift exchange for a remote team?**
Make an exchange in Santa, set a budget and a gift day, and share the join link in your team chat. People add themselves and write wish lists. Keep apart anyone who should be, then draw names. Each person's page shows who to send a gift to, with a calendar reminder a week before.

**What if no draw can follow the exclusions I set?**
Santa checks before it draws. If the pairs you keep apart make a draw impossible, it names the people who are stuck and asks you to remove a pair or add someone. Nothing is drawn until every rule can be followed.

**How do wish lists and anonymous questions work?**
Each person writes a wish list on their page, and only they and their Secret Santa see it. A Secret Santa can ask their giftee questions, like a size or a favorite color. The giftee answers on their page without learning who asked.

**Can I reveal who gave to whom at the end?**
Yes. Pick a reveal day and time before the draw. From then on, everyone in the exchange sees the full list and who their own Secret Santa was. Once names are drawn, the reveal can only move later or be turned off, so nobody learns the list early. Once it passes, the draw is final.

**Someone dropped out after the draw. What now?**
Undo the draw, remove or add people, and draw again. Everyone gets a new match, and every page says names were drawn again.

**Can my AI assistant run our office Secret Santa?**
Yes. Santa has a public API with no key. An assistant can create the exchange with everyone's names and the pairs to keep apart, draw names, and hand back each person's private link with a message to send.

Santa by OpenApps is an OpenApp: free, with public source and its own agent. More free apps: https://free-apps.openapps.xyz/