---
{"title": "Connections Gift vs Elfster in 2026", "description": "Compare Connections Gift and Elfster for gift exchanges and gift lists: what each one does, how pricing works, and which job each tool suits.", "url": "https://uncommoncomforts.com/connections-gift-vs-elfster/", "date": "2026-10-23"}
---
Compare Connections Gift and Elfster for gift exchanges and gift lists: what each one does, how pricing works, and which job each tool suits.

Elfster's sources describe a gift exchange that is free to use, draws names, and sends invitations by email or text [^1] [^1]. Connections Gift's sources describe a gift list for different occasions that guests can use and that tracks thank-you notes [^2] [^2].

| Option | What it does for the person running it | Price as published |
|---|---|---|
| Elfster | Draws names for a gift exchange and sends invitations by email or text [^1] [^1] | Free to use [^1] |
| Connections Gift | One gift list for different occasions, shared by link or QR code [^2] [^2] | Free tier and paid tiers; exact tier numbers and prices not published [^2] |

## The short answer

Elfster is built around a gift exchange. It draws names for the group and handles the rest, and invitations can go out by email or text [^1] [^1]. Connections Gift is built around a gift list. An owner keeps one list for different occasions, shares a link with guests, and tracks thank-you notes afterward [^2] [^2].

If the job is drawing names for a group exchange, the Elfster sources describe that job directly [^1]. If the job is a list you share with guests and manage yourself, the Connections Gift claims describe that job [^2]. The Elfster sources describe its gift exchange as free to use [^1]. Choose by the job you need done, then check the price on each site.

## What Elfster is built for

Elfster's own pages describe a gift exchange as its central job. The gift exchange is free to use [^1]. It draws names for the group and handles the rest [^1], and invitations can be sent via email or text [^1]. Exchanges can be celebrated in person or virtually [^1].

Each user gets a personal wishlist [^1]. Users can follow friends' wishlists, get birthday reminders, and send gifts [^1]. Elfster may earn commissions from shopping links at no extra cost to the user [^1]. Elfster has an iOS app and an Android app [^1].

The Elfster sources used for this page do not describe how names are drawn or how gifts are paid for, so check those points on its site before you commit to a group.

## What Connections Gift is built for

Connections Gift is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a standalone web application for a person who keeps a list of gifts for an occasion [^2]. Its approach is one gift list for every occasion, with one list engine behind all of them [^2].

Owners can paste a product link to fill in the title, image, and price from supported store pages [^2]. Owners can also pick ideas from curated checklist templates for different occasions [^2]. Owners can share their registry link with guests or display a QR code [^2].

Guests can use the list without creating an account, giving only a name [^2]. Contributors can chip in toward group gifts or cash funds with an embedded checkout [^2]. Surprise mode hides who gave what from the list owner until the reveal date [^2]. Owners can track thank-you notes for gifts received and export that list to a CSV file [^2] [^2].

## Pricing and fees

Elfster's sources describe the gift exchange as free to use [^1]. They also say Elfster may earn commissions from shopping links at no extra cost to the user [^1]. Pricing for anything beyond the gift exchange is not listed in the Elfster sources used for this page.

Its free tier is limited to a small number of active published registries, with higher paid tiers above it [^2]. The exact tier numbers and prices are not published [^2]. The approved claims for group gifts do not state a fee [^2], so check the current pricing page before you set up contributions.

## Getting started

With Elfster, its sources say the gift exchange is free to use [^1]. Its sources say it draws names and sends invitations by email or text [^1] [^1]. Every user gets their own wishlist [^1], and the app is available for iOS and Android [^1]. The Elfster sources do not describe the sign-up steps, so check the first screens on its site.

With Connections Gift, start by making a gift list for an occasion, using a checklist template or a pasted product link [^2] [^2]. The owner then shares the registry link with guests, or shows the QR code [^2] [^2]. Guests can use the list by giving only a name [^2]. The approved claims do not describe the sign-up steps, so check the first screens yourself.

## Things to check before you choose

Which people will use the list, and do they need an account to join, or is a name enough? Connections Gift lets guests use the list with a name only [^2].

Do you need names drawn at random for a group exchange? Elfster describes that job [^1].

Do you need the list owner to stay unaware of who gave what until a set date? Connections Gift describes a surprise mode for that [^2].

Do you need a phone app? Elfster describes iOS and Android apps [^1], while the approved Connections Gift claims describe a web application [^2].

Do you mind that a tool earns commissions on shopping links? Elfster says it may earn them [^1].

## How to choose

If you need names drawn for a group exchange, with invitations sent by email or text, the Elfster sources describe that job [^1] [^1]. If you need a gift list that guests can use with only a name, the approved Connections Gift claims describe that [^2].

If you want guests to chip in toward a group gift or a cash fund, the approved Connections Gift claims describe that [^2]. If you want thank-you notes tracked, Connections Gift describes a tracker for that [^2]. If you want to follow friends' wishlists and get birthday reminders, the Elfster sources describe that [^1].

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elfster free to use?

The gift exchange is free to use, according to Elfster's page, which says: "It's free, fun, and easy." [^1] Elfster may also earn commissions from shopping links at no extra cost to the user [^1]. The Elfster sources used for this page do not list prices for anything beyond the gift exchange, so check its site for current terms before you sign up.

### Does Connections Gift have a free tier?

Connections Gift has a free tier that is limited to a small number of active published registries, with higher paid tiers above it [^2]. The exact tier numbers and prices are not published [^2]. Check the current pricing page before you build a list, because the limits are not spelled out on this page.

### Can guests join a gift list without an account?

On Connections Gift, guests can use the product without creating an account by giving only a name [^2]. Owners can share their registry link with guests or show a QR code [^2]. Elfster's sources describe invitations sent by email or text for its gift exchange [^1], but they do not say whether guests need an account, so check that on its site.

### Can a gift list hide who gave which gift from the owner?

Connections Gift has a surprise mode that hides who gave what from the list owner until the reveal date [^2]. Owners can also track thank-you notes for gifts received [^2] and export that list to a CSV file [^2]. The Elfster sources used here do not describe a reveal feature, so check its pages before you pick a tool.

### Does Elfster have an app for phones?

Elfster's page lists an iOS app and an Android app [^1]. Its gift exchanges can be celebrated in person or virtually [^1]. Connections Gift is described as a standalone web application [^2]. For phone use of Connections Gift, check the product's own pages, since the approved claims describe only the web application.

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. [^2] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. [^2] - [Visit Connections Gift](/go/connections-gift-vs-elfster)

## Sources

[^1]: Elfster, elfster.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.elfster.com)
[^2]: Connections Gift's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/connections-gift-vs-elfster)