Uncommon Comforts Plain comparisons of the tools you keep your people and your work in

Babylist vs Elfster in 2026

Babylist vs Elfster compared for gift lists and gift exchanges, with what each tool's own pages say, and where Connections Gift fits in.

By Uncommon Comforts ยท

Uncommon Comforts is published by the team behind Connections, whose products are compared here alongside other tools.

Babylist offers a universal registry that lets users add items from any store. [1] Elfster draws names for a gift exchange and handles the rest. [2] Connections Gift is one option among several, and the sections below set out what each tool's own sources say.

OptionOwn feeCard payment fee
Babylistnot publishednot published
ElfsterThe gift exchange is free to use [2]not published
Connections GiftFree tier limited to a small number of active published registries, with higher paid tiers above it; exact limits not published [3]not published

The short answer

Babylist offers a universal registry, where users can add items from any store. [1] Its page also describes an interactive checklist that comes with the registry. [1] Elfster draws names for a gift exchange and handles the rest. [2] Invitations to a gift exchange can be sent by email or text. [2] Connections Gift lets owners paste a product link to fill in the title, image, and price from supported store pages. [3] It also lets owners share a registry link with guests. [3]

If you need one list that gathers items from many stores, the sources for Babylist and Connections Gift both describe that. [1] If you need names drawn for a group exchange, Elfster's sources describe that. [2] For a shared gift that several people pay toward, Connections Gift's sources describe contributions to group gifts. [3]

What Babylist and Elfster are built for

Babylist's own page describes a universal registry that lets users add items from any store. [1] It describes an interactive checklist that comes with the registry and says it helps eliminate guesswork. [1] The page also describes expert-selected baby products, and products it calls real-parent-tested. [1] Creators of eligible registries can receive a free box of goodies. [1] Users can order a free breast pump through insurance. [1]

Elfster's own page says its gift exchange is free to use. [2] It draws names for the exchange and handles the rest. [2] Users can invite friends, family, or coworkers by email or text. [2] Every user gets a wishlist. [2] Users can follow friends' wishlists, get birthday reminders, and send gifts. [2] Gift exchanges can be celebrated in person or virtually. [2] The page also lists an iOS app and an Android app. [2]

What Connections Gift is built for

Connections Gift is made by the team at Uncommon Comforts, which publishes this site. It works as a web application. [3] Owners can paste a product link to fill in the title, image, and price from supported store pages. [3] They can pick ideas from curated checklist templates for different occasions. [3] They can share their registry link with guests or display a QR code. [3] Guests can take part without creating an account, by giving only a name. [3]

For shared gifts, contributors can chip in toward a group gift or a cash fund, paying through a checkout built into the page. [3] A setting hides from the list owner who gave what until a reveal date. [3] Owners can track thank-you notes for gifts they received. [3] They can also export the thank-you list to a CSV file, a common spreadsheet format. [3]

Pricing and fees

Elfster's page says its gift exchange is free to use. [2] It also says it may earn commissions from shopping links at no extra cost to you. [2] Babylist's page offers a free box of goodies to eligible registry creators. [1] The sources used for this page do not publish a Babylist price, so check its current pricing before you decide.

Connections Gift has a free tier limited to a small number of active published registries. [3] Higher paid plans sit above that, and the exact limits for each plan are not published. [3] The product is funded by affiliate commissions on outbound retailer links, which means it earns commissions when shoppers follow links to stores. [3]

The sources here do not describe card payment charges for any of the three, so check each tool's checkout terms before you pay for anything through it.

Getting started

Babylist's page asks visitors to create a registry, and eligible creators can receive a free box of goodies. [1] Once a registry is set up, the universal registry lets you add items from any store. [1] The sources used for this page do not describe the rest of Babylist's sign-up steps, so follow what the site shows you.

To run a gift exchange on Elfster, you invite people by email or text. [2] Elfster then draws names and handles the rest. [2] The gift exchange itself is free to use. [2]

For Connections Gift, the sources do not describe sign-up, so check the first screen when you begin. Once your list exists, you can paste a product link to fill in the title, image, and price from supported store pages. [3] You can also start from a checklist template for an occasion. [3] Then share the registry link with guests or show the QR code. [3]

Things to check before you choose

Which items do you plan to collect, and do they come from stores that one list can cover? Do your guests need an account to take part, or is a name enough? If the goal is a shared gift that several people pay toward, how does each tool's checkout work, and what does it cost? Do you need names drawn automatically, and will people join from phones? Do you need the list to stay hidden from the person receiving gifts until a set date? Will you want a record of thank-you notes, and do you need to export it? What is the current price of each tool, and does its free option cover what you need?

How to choose

If you want one list that gathers items from many stores, Babylist's universal registry matches that need. [1] Connections Gift's store-link feature matches it too. [3] If you want expert-picked baby products, Babylist's page describes that. [1] If you need names drawn for a group exchange, Elfster's page describes that. [2] Its invitations can go out by email or text. [2] If you want guests to take part without making an account, Connections Gift's sources describe that. [3] If several people will chip in toward one gift, Connections Gift describes contributions for group gifts and cash funds. [3] If you want a record of thank-you notes, Connections Gift describes a tracker for them. [3] If you plan to use a phone, Elfster's page lists apps for iOS and Android. [2] For any need these sources do not cover, check the tool before you choose.

Frequently asked questions

Is Elfster free to use?

Elfster's page says its gift exchange is free to use. [2] It also says it may earn commissions from shopping links at no extra cost to you. [2] The free statement refers to the gift exchange, so ask about any other charges before you plan a group around it. The sources used for this page do not cover card payment charges, so check the current terms on the Elfster site.

Does Babylist let you add items from any store?

Babylist offers a universal registry that lets users add items from any store. [1] Its page also describes an interactive checklist that comes with the registry. [1] Creators of eligible registries can receive a free box of goodies. [1] The sources used for this page do not publish a Babylist price, so check its current pricing before you set up a registry.

Can guests join without creating an account?

Connections Gift says guests can use it without creating an account, by giving only a name. [3] Owners can share their registry link with guests or display a QR code. [3] The sources used for this page do not describe guest sign-in for Babylist or Elfster, so check each tool's sign-up requirements before inviting people.

Is Connections Gift free to use?

Connections Gift has a free tier limited to a small number of active published registries. [3] Higher paid tiers sit above that, and the exact limits for each tier are not published. [3] The product is funded by affiliate commissions on outbound retailer links, which means it earns commissions when shoppers follow links to stores. [3] Check the current plan details before you commit to a registry.

Does Elfster have a mobile app?

Elfster's page lists an iOS app and an Android app. [2] The same page says gift exchanges can be celebrated in person or virtually. [2] Connections Gift works as a web application, so it runs in a web browser. [3] Check each tool's app options before you choose, since the sources used here do not cover that for Babylist.

Gift plans a free tier limited to a small number of active published registries with higher paid tiers, funded by affiliate commissions on outbound retailer links; exact tier numbers were deliberately not set in v1. [3] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. [3]

Try Connections Gift

Sources

  1. Babylist, babylist.com, read 2026-10-08
  2. Elfster, elfster.com, read 2026-10-08
  3. Connections Gift's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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