Skip to content
OpenApps

Family

Santa

Santa by OpenApps is a free Elfster alternative. Free. No ads, no sign-up.

A free Secret Santa generator with private links and wish lists. Add everyone or share one join link, keep couples apart, and draw names fairly. Each person gets a private link that shows only who they give to, with wish lists and anonymous questions to their giftee. No ads, no sign-up and no paid plan.

Open Santa Free. No ads, no sign-up.

Instead of Elfster, DrawNames

What you get, free

  • Fair random draw: nobody draws themselves, and couples or last year's pairs stay apart
  • A private link for each person that shows only who they give to
  • Nobody, not even the organizer, sees the full list by default
  • One join link so people add themselves from the group chat
  • Wish lists and anonymous questions to your giftee
  • Budget, gift day, a calendar reminder and an optional reveal day
  • API for AI assistants: create an exchange, draw names and get every private link

An exchange is a few small records, so Santa costs almost nothing to run.

For AI assistants

An assistant can create an exchange, draw names and get back every person's private link through the public API, with no key.

The app's guide for assistants is at santa-free.openapps.xyz/llms.txt, and its API at https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/c7891873549c9ca1004894b3/api.

How it compares

AppFree planPaid plans
SantaFree. No ads, no sign-up.None
ElfsterFree, with no hidden fees, subscriptions or premium upgrades.Elfster is free: its App Store listing says there are no hidden fees, subscriptions or premium upgrades, and its age rating lists advertising (2026).
DrawNamesFree, with no account needed to draw names.DrawNames is free, with no account needed to draw names and no paid tier listed (2026).

Free plans checked October 2026 on each company's own page: Elfster, DrawNames. Paid prices are approximate and change often.

Questions

Is Santa really free?
Yes. No ads, no sign-up and no paid plan.
Can the organizer see who has whom?
Not by default. The organizer can turn on a view of the full list, and then everyone is told on their own page.
Does Santa send the emails?
No. It writes a message with each person's private link, and you send it by email, text or your group chat.
What if our rules make a draw impossible?
Santa says who is stuck, so you can loosen a rule and draw again.

More free apps for everyday life

Split

Free Instead of Splitwise, Tricount, Settle Up Split expenses with friends. Free, with no daily limit.

Sheets

Free Instead of SignUpGenius Free sign-up sheets for volunteers, potlucks and shifts.

Lingo

Free Instead of Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu Learn a language free. No hearts, no ads, no subscription.

Also free, for work: Sign, Forms, Links, When, PDF, Invoice, Bio, Book, Dictate, Images, Resume, Paste, Record, Polls, Meet, Tasks, Status, Feedback, Time, Drop, Canvas.

Use Santa now

No account. Free for as long as it exists, and it is an OpenApp, so its source is public.

Open Santa