Exclusions that actually hold
Tell it which pairs can’t match — a couple, two roommates, last year’s pairing — and the draw never puts them together.
A free Secret Santa generator that draws the names for you
couples won’t draw each other, promise
Pull names for your group in one click — friends, family, or the whole office. Everyone adds a few wishlist ideas so nobody gets a dud, and who-got-who stays secret until the reveal. Free, no ads, no credit card.
How it works, in four steps
- 01
Add your people
Invite friends or coworkers with a link. They join the draw with a quick free sign-up.
- 02
Draw the names
One click and everyone gets the name they’re shopping for — kept secret from the whole group, you included.
- 03
Peek at their wishlist
Each person sees their match’s wishlist and borrows an idea — no repeat gifts, no wild guesses.
- 04
The reveal
On the day, everyone finds out who had who — and the group chat lights up for five minutes.
Why Rat List over the usual name-picker
No ads, no spam, no account to snoop
We don’t run ads, sell data, or blast your group with email. Wishlists are open to view with a link — no account needed just to look.
Your group sticks around
The same circle carries over year to year. Next December you re-draw in a click instead of starting from scratch.
Works great for
The office
Thirty coworkers, one budget, and nobody has to chase anybody down a hallway. Exclusions keep the two who sit together from drawing each other.
Family Christmas
Grandparents included. Set the budget once, keep couples apart in the draw, and let the kids’ lists do the work for you.
A group of friends
The same circle carries over to next December — you re-draw in a click instead of retyping everyone’s name.
A remote team
Everything happens over a link, so it works the same whether your group is in one room or five time zones.
Running one at the office?
No pre-filled wishlists at work? No problem. Draw names between coworkers who barely know each other, and let everyone add a couple of ideas after the fact. Stuck on your own person? Let the gift finder toss you a few ideas.
Common questions
How does the Secret Santa generator work?
Two ways. In the account draw everyone joins your group with a link and adds a short wishlist; you draw the names, and each person gets one name to shop for plus their wishlist for ideas. In the no-signup draw you type the names yourself and hand each person a private link — faster to start, no wishlists. Either way the matches stay secret until they are revealed.
Can I stop couples from drawing each other?
Yes, in the account draw. Before you draw, set exclusions — any pair you list will never be matched. Handy for couples, roommates, or a repeat of last year’s pairing. The no-signup draw does not take exclusions yet.
Can we set a spending limit?
Yes. Put the budget on the draw — "under $25", "nothing over a tenner" — and everyone sees the same number on the event page, so nobody overshoots and nobody feels cheap.
Is it really free?
Yes. No ads, no credit card, no paywall, and both draws are free all the way through the reveal.
Do people need an account to join?
Depends which draw you run. The no-signup draw needs no accounts from anybody — you type the names in, and each person opens their match from a private link. The account draw asks everyone for a free sign-up, and that is what buys you a wishlist per person and exclusions.
How many people can join?
The no-signup draw takes 2 to 50 names — the form stops you at both ends, and so does the server. The account draw has no ceiling: four friends or thirty coworkers scale the same way.
Can the organizer play too?
Yes. In the account draw you are drawn like everybody else, and no panel shows you who drew whom. The no-signup draw is the same on pairs — the organizer panel does not list them — but that panel does hold each person’s private link, so those links are theirs to open, not yours.
Before you draw
New to this? Start with how Secret Santa works — the rules, the budget talk, and the parts groups usually argue about. If the gifts themselves are the hard bit, there is what to put on a Christmas list when nothing comes to mind, and how to organize a group gift for the years your office skips the draw and chips in on one present instead.
Not drawing names at all this year? The Christmas list maker does the wishlist half on its own — same no-account-to-view rule.
Your Secret Santa, minus the spreadsheet
and the group-chat chaos