What is the best way to track gifts?
It depends on how many people you buy for. For a few Christmas gifts, a note on your phone is fine. Once you are juggling birthdays and holidays all year, with a budget and a partner to keep in step, you need something that knows the dates and warns you before them.
I built GiftLoom because our house kept losing gift ideas and buying the same thing twice, so I am not neutral here. Here is what I would want from any tracker, mine included. Adding a gift should take seconds. Every gift should belong to a person and an occasion, and the spending should add itself up. And it should tell you what is still unbought while there is time to buy it.
By Jay Stants. I build GiftLoom, so read its column with that in mind. I checked every other app here against its own store listing on Sep 23, 2026.
The short answer
Notes app
Best for: A handful of gifts for one holiday.
Falls short: Ideas get buried, and it knows nothing about dates or money.
Spreadsheet
Best for: People who like building their own columns and formulas.
Falls short: It never reminds you, and editing it on a phone in the middle of a store is a chore.
Giftster
Best for: Families where everyone keeps their own wishlist.
Falls short: It tracks what people want. Your plan, your budget and their dates live somewhere else.
Santa’s Bag
Best for: Christmas shopping on an iPhone.
Falls short: It only runs on iPhone and iPad, it is built around Christmas, and it shows ads unless you pay $4.99.
GiftLoom
Best for: Whoever plans every birthday and holiday in the house.
Falls short: There is no app to install yet, and the trial is invite-only, with the first invites on Oct 11, 2026.
Side by side
“Not listed” means the store listing does not mention it. The app may still do it.
What is it?
- Spreadsheet
- A blank grid you design yourself
- Notes app
- Free-form text on your phone
- Giftster
- Shared wishlists for a private family group
- Santa’s Bag
- A Christmas gift tracker
- GiftLoom
- A gift planner for every birthday and holiday
Where does it run?
- Spreadsheet
- Any device with Google Sheets or Excel
- Notes app
- The phone or computer it came with
- Giftster
- iPhone, iPad, Android and the web
- Santa’s Bag
- iPhone and iPad only
- GiftLoom
- Any phone or computer browser, nothing to install
What does it cost?
- Spreadsheet
- Free with Google Sheets
- Notes app
- Free
- Giftster
- Free
- Santa’s Bag
- Free with banner ads; $4.99 removes them
- GiftLoom
- Free during the trial; later pricing is not set
How fast is it to add a gift?
- Spreadsheet
- One cell at a time
- Notes app
- Fast, but it stays loose text
- Giftster
- Add to a wishlist, or fill the details from a link
- Santa’s Bag
- Add it under a recipient, or save a link from the browser
- GiftLoom
- One line: “Scarf for Mom $120” files the person, price and link
Does it keep birthdays and other occasions, not only Christmas?
- Spreadsheet
- If you add a tab or column for it
- Notes app
- If you keep a note for each one
- Giftster
- Yes: Christmas, birthdays, weddings, baby showers
- Santa’s Bag
- Built around Christmas, with occasion budgets
- GiftLoom
- Yes, every birthday and holiday is its own event
Does it track a budget and what you have spent?
- Spreadsheet
- Yes, with formulas you write
- Notes app
- No
- Giftster
- Not listed
- Santa’s Bag
- Yes, per recipient and occasion, with progress bars
- GiftLoom
- Yes, per event, with last year’s totals
Does it show what is still left to buy?
- Spreadsheet
- A status column you keep up to date
- Notes app
- Checkboxes at best
- Giftster
- Items are marked purchased
- Santa’s Bag
- Checkable planning and shopping lists
- GiftLoom
- Idea, Ordered, Wrapped, Given on every gift
Does it remind you before the date?
- Spreadsheet
- No
- Notes app
- No
- Giftster
- An email three weeks before a group member’s birthday
- Santa’s Bag
- A Christmas countdown; reminders not listed
- GiftLoom
- A morning email before each event and gift deadline
Can you plan with a partner without spoiling their gifts?
- Spreadsheet
- Share the file, and they can see their own gifts
- Notes app
- A shared note shows them everything
- Giftster
- Family groups; a list maker cannot see what was bought
- Santa’s Bag
- Syncing with another person is not listed
- GiftLoom
- Share an event; gifts for your partner stay hidden from them
Can family claim items from a wishlist?
- Spreadsheet
- No
- Notes app
- No
- Giftster
- Yes, hidden from the person whose list it is
- Santa’s Bag
- No; lists can be emailed or printed
- GiftLoom
- Yes, from a shared link; you see who claimed what
Does it draw names for Secret Santa?
- Spreadsheet
- No
- Notes app
- No
- Giftster
- Yes
- Santa’s Bag
- No
- GiftLoom
- Yes, in exchange groups
Can you take your data with you?
- Spreadsheet
- Yes, it is your file
- Notes app
- Copy and paste
- Giftster
- Not listed
- Santa’s Bag
- Backup and restore inside the app
- GiftLoom
- Export everything as a file from Settings
Is a spreadsheet good enough for tracking gifts?
For one holiday, often yes. You already know how to use one, and a column of prices totals itself.
It gets harder over a year of birthdays. A spreadsheet never reminds you, it is a pain to edit on a phone in a store, and if you share it with your partner, they can see what you are getting them.
Can I just use my notes app?
It is the fastest place to catch an idea, which is why most gift lists start there. It is also where they go missing. A note has no dates or totals, and by November the scarf idea from March is buried under this week’s groceries.
What is the difference between a wishlist app and a gift tracker?
A wishlist app like Giftster or Elfster starts with the person receiving. They list what they want, and family claim items so two people do not buy the same thing. A gift tracker starts with the person giving, and keeps the ideas, budget and dates for everyone on their list.
The two work fine together. If all you need is a Secret Santa draw, look at Elfster first.
How does GiftLoom compare to Santa’s Bag?
They are built for the same person, the one doing the buying, and both keep recipients, budgets and links. Santa’s Bag is an iPhone and iPad app built around Christmas. It is free with banner ads, or $4.99 to remove them.
GiftLoom runs in a browser, so it works on Android too. Every birthday and holiday gets its own event and its own reminder email, and your partner can plan with you without seeing their own gifts. If you only shop for Christmas and only use an iPhone, Santa’s Bag is a good pick.
How does GiftLoom compare to Giftster?
They do different jobs. In Giftster, everyone in a family group keeps their own wishlist, and whatever gets bought stays hidden from the person whose list it is. GiftLoom is for the one person who ends up organizing the gifts, and holds their ideas, budgets and dates.
GiftLoom has shared wishlists too, but you keep them for someone else, like a child, and you can see who claimed each item. If your family already uses Giftster, keep it. GiftLoom can be your own plan next to it.
When is GiftLoom the wrong choice?
If you want something from the App Store or Google Play, GiftLoom is not there yet. It runs in the browser. It is also invite-only until the trial opens on Oct 11, 2026, and I have not set a price for after the trial.
Some stores get in the way, too. When you paste a link, GiftLoom pulls in the product photo, but Amazon, Walmart, Target and Kohl’s block that, so their gifts show up without one. Budget alert emails are not built yet.
Sources
- Giftster on the App Store
- Giftster on Google Play
- Giftster help: birthdays
- Santa’s Bag on the App Store
- Elfster on Google Play
Spot something out of date? Email support@giftloom.app and I will fix it.
Want to try GiftLoom?
I am sending invites in small groups from Oct 11, 2026. The trial is free, it needs no card, and you can export everything whenever you like.