A Giftster alternative where nobody needs an account

Giftster is built for families who keep the same lists going all year. You set up a group once, and it stays for birthdays, holidays and next Christmas, with no new links to send each time.

It also does more around the lists themselves. If your family would rather use a phone app, wants to add ideas from a browser extension or the phone's share sheet, or likes an email reminder to update your list before your birthday, Giftster covers those and we don't. Children can have their own lists inside a parent's account.

When getting everyone signed up is the hard part. In a big family, someone always lags behind: the cousin who never checks email, the grandparent who won't make another password. With a link there's nothing to chase. People tap their name, set a PIN and start adding ideas.

It's also the better fit when you'd rather not hand over contact details for a one-off occasion, or when you want the group gone once the holiday is over. There are no ads, no emails are collected, and each group deletes itself after it goes quiet.

In GiftMyCrew, the organizer sends one group link to the family chat. Each person opens it, taps their name, sets a 4-digit PIN and adds up to 30 ideas, pasted from any store or typed in. Shopping from someone else's list works from that same link, with nothing else to set up.

In Giftster, according to its own help center, you first need your own Giftster account to join a group, and each account needs its own email address. Someone without an account can still shop a public list from the website as a guest, which asks for their name and email; that guest option isn't in the phone apps.

Neither approach is wrong. An account keeps your lists and groups ready for every occasion. A link gets a whole family in within minutes, and nobody needs to sign up to take part.

Going account-free has real trade-offs for a family that gifts all year, and it's worth knowing them before you choose.

• No year-round lists: a group is deleted after 90 days without activity (or 30 days after the event date, if that's later), so next year you start a fresh one.
• No phone app, browser extension or share-sheet button: you paste links or type ideas in the browser.
• No birthday reminders or emails of any kind, because we never ask for an email address.
• Your links are your access. The browser you used remembers them, but on a new device you'll need your link again.
• Each list holds up to 30 ideas, and a group holds up to 100 people.

Both run a draw inside the group. Giftster needs at least three approved members, and its exclusions work one way, so keeping a couple apart takes two exclusions. You can also set exclusions so nobody gets last year's pick. Its help center says not even the organizer knows who drew whom.

In GiftMyCrew, a draw works from 2 people up, and blocking a pair works both ways by default, with an option to block one direction only. If someone drops out, they're removed and the draw is repaired without redrawing everyone, where the rules allow. Giftster is stronger on one point: our share page doesn't show who drew whom, but the organizer holds everyone's private link, so if that matters, ask someone outside the exchange to set it up.

There's no import, so it's a fresh start. Create a group wishlist with everyone's names and share the group link. Each person adds their ideas again by pasting the product links from their Giftster list, which takes a few minutes per list. If you also want a draw, set up a Secret Santa; it includes a wishlist for everyone.