Secret Santa generator
Draw names in 30 seconds — no emails, no accounts, no app. Each person gets a private link that reveals only their match, so even the organizer can play. Keep couples from drawing each other with one click.
1
Add your people
One name per line — family, coworkers, the group chat. Add a budget and date if you want them on everyone's card.
2
Draw names
The draw guarantees nobody gets themselves, and any couples you exclude won't get each other.
3
Send the links
Each person gets a private reveal link — text it, Slack it, whatever. They tap, they see their match, nobody else does.
Why this one (and not the app-store ones)
No email addresses required. Most Secret Santa sites make every participant hand over an email and create an account before they can see their match. Here, the organizer types names and gets links — how they reach people is up to them. Group chats were invented for this.
The organizer can play too.The draw happens on the server, and the organizer's page shows only the links — never who drew whom. Add yourself, open your own link, and be surprised like everyone else.
Exclusions that actually work.Spouses who already buy each other gifts, siblings who'd phone it in — add them as exclusion pairs and the draw routes around them. If your exclusions make a draw impossible, it says so plainly instead of silently breaking the rules.
Links expire after the season. Groups are automatically deleted about six months after the draw — nothing lingers.
Common questions
How does this Secret Santa generator work?
Type in your participants (one name per line), optionally set a budget and exchange date, and click Draw. The generator assigns everyone a person to buy for — guaranteeing nobody draws themselves and honoring any exclusions you set — then gives you a private reveal link for each participant. Send each person their link however you like (text, WhatsApp, email, Slack). When they open it, they see only their own match. No accounts, no email addresses required, completely free.
Can the organizer participate without seeing the matches?
Yes — that's the whole design. The draw happens on our server, and the organizer page shows only the list of reveal links, never the assignments. Add yourself to the participant list, send everyone else their links, then open your own. You'll be as surprised as everyone else.
How do I keep couples from drawing each other?
Use the exclusions field. Add a line like "Alex & Jordan" and the draw guarantees those two won't get each other (in either direction). You can add as many exclusion pairs as you like — couples, siblings, roommates, last year's matches. If your exclusions make a valid draw mathematically impossible, the generator tells you instead of producing a broken draw.
What's a good Secret Santa budget?
The most common budgets are $20–30 for workplaces and friend groups, and $25–50 for families. The right number is one everyone can comfortably afford — the game is more fun when the constraint is creativity, not money. Set the budget in the generator and it appears on everyone's reveal page so nobody has to ask.
How does Secret Santa work, exactly?
Everyone in the group is randomly and secretly assigned one person to buy a gift for, with a shared spending limit. At the exchange, gifts are handed out (or piled anonymously), and part of the fun is guessing who drew whom. Variations abound: some groups reveal the givers at the end, some never do, and some play White Elephant instead — where gifts are pooled and stolen rather than assigned.
Do participants need to download an app or create an account?
No. Each participant just opens their private link in any browser — phone or computer — and taps to reveal their match. There's nothing to install, no signup, and no email address required from anyone, including the organizer.
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