# Santa's Secret Service — Run your Secret Santa mission

> Digital secret Santa organizer for group gift exchanges. (iPhone/iPad app by David Hsieh.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-secret-service/id946781328 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [David Hsieh](https://appshunter.io/developer/517537122)
- Category: Lifestyle, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 53 App Store ratings · 59 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-12-11
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-secret-service/id946781328/reviews.md

## What is Santa's Secret Service?

Santa's Secret Service organizes your Secret Santa exchange. Add everyone taking part, set a budget, keep certain pairs from drawing each other, and let the app make the draw in secret. Every person gets an email saying who they're gifting. The full list stays hidden, even from you.

EVERY EXCHANGE IS A MISSION
Your group is a roster of agents, and the mission gets a codename. When the draw runs, every agent is assigned a target, and each one receives a Mission Briefing by email: target, budget, place, time, and the codename it all runs under.

KNOW EVERY BRIEFING LANDED
The app reports delivery agent by agent, so you can see that every briefing was accepted, and resend any that weren't. One tap resends a single briefing. No more asking around to find out whether everyone got their assignment.

PLANS CHANGE. MISSIONS ADAPT.
Once briefings go out, the mission is sealed as a record of what was sent. If someone joins late or a redraw is unavoidable, Plan B copies the mission into a fresh draft under a new codename, without touching the original.

THE FINE PRINT
• Exclusions keep couples or rivals out of each other's draw.
• A codename for every mission.
• A budget line agents see on their briefing.
• Light and dark appearance.
• Premium runs several missions side by side. One mission at a time is free.

Privacy policy: https://santassecretservice.app/privacypolicy/
Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Digital gift exchange organization
- Group creation
- Participant management
- Automated email invitations
- Recipient assignment
- Unlimited groups (premium)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $0.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Secret Service Elite Agent | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Santa's Secret Service?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient for organizing
- 📧 Emails sent successfully
- 🌟 Great for large groups (with upgrade)
- 💡 Cute theme/interface
- 💰 Worth the small upgrade fee
- ✅ Works as intended
- 🤝 Good customer service
- 🔄 Reliable for years

**Cons**

- ⚠️ Free version limited to 4 people
- 💸 Unexpected payment required
- 📧 Emails not sending
- 🐛 Duplicate assignments
- 🚫 Cannot add from contacts
- 🤷 No confirmation of email receipt
- 🔄 Reshuffles participants on resend
- 🤔 Basic functionality for paid version

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Emails don't send
- Not one person got the email
- Froze and unexpectedly asked for upgrade
- Every email added came back with an error message
- Sent the same name to two different people
- Paid for it and still couldn't add any extra people
- Doesn't work as it should (incorrect assignments)
- App doesn't work after upgrade
- Glitchy
- Doesn't work and paid for it
- Can only add 4 people or it tries to charge you
- The app gave the same name to two people

**Most requested features**

- Allow editing previous year emails
- Increase limitations on agents (e.g., prevent siblings from getting each other)
- Option to make sure couples don't get each other
- Ability to add rules like not getting spouse/partner
- Option to select who someone should or should not buy for
- Ability to force a pairing
- Access to master list if emails are spammed/lost
- Text message option
- Create a wish list
- Add restrictions for who gets whom
- Ability to exclude certain targets from being selected by certain agents

## Recent user reviews (10 of 59)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santas-secret-service/id946781328/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Does what it needs to

*2023-11-18*

I’ve used the app for years and it’s done the job. I wish that it had a better way to pull in previous year emails when someone is being taken off the list. It allows me to edit the previous year emails, but not delete or add.

### 1/5 — Emails don’t send

*2022-12-11, version 2.0.3*

All a bit pointless. Ended up having to just look at the list and text people individually because the emails didn’t send

### 5/5 — Customer service

*2021-12-02*

I cannot say enough about the developer of this app. I reached out to him with a problem and he responded quickly and resolved my issue.

### 3/5 — Restrict combinations

*2020-12-05, version 2.0.3*

The app is good but it would be helpful If you could increase the limitations on some agents so they are not able to get more than one other people. Useful with siblings in a Kris Kringle when you don’t want the same family to get each other.

### 5/5 — Excellent app

*2019-12-22*

Every year we make little pieces of paper with names on it.  Everyone looses it and it is an absolute mess.  This worked like a charm.  Only feedback is that I wish I knew before that the email identifies the secret Santa by name so parents can receive the emails for their kids.  Easy pezy. Love it!!!!

### 1/5 — Not one person

*2019-12-19*

I have used this app before and nothing like this has ever happened. Not one person got the email

### 5/5 — Froze and unexpectedly asked for upgrade

*2019-12-16*

Editing my review bc we used it this year and it worked perfectly. Thank you!

**Developer response:** Hello Maddie! Just wanted to let you know what version 2.0 now was rewritten from scratch. It performs better, it doesn’t have the previous versions bugs and now you may set exchange restrictions!

### 5/5 — App works great.

*2019-12-15, version 2.0.3*

I’ve been using this app for the last 3 years for family exchange. Works amazing. Love the new interface.

### 5/5 — Great App!

*2019-12-01*

This app has helped our family do an ornament exchange for years!  It is very helpful especially when a wrong email address as been entered, they help remedy the situation immediately!

### 5/5 — Super easy!

*2018-11-27*

Great app! Totally worth the .99 Super easy to use!

## Frequently asked questions about Santa's Secret Service

### What does Santa's Secret Service do?

This app simplifies the process of organizing secret Santa or gift exchange events. It allows you to create groups, add participants, and automatically send out email invitations assigning each person a recipient for their gift. This eliminates the need for traditional paper-based methods and can be done remotely.

### What are the key features of the app?

The app allows you to create groups, add participant names and emails, and send automated email invitations with recipient details. The free version supports one group with up to five participants. Premium users gain access to unlimited groups and participants, along with the ability to fix and resend invitations automatically.

### How much does Santa's Secret Service cost?

The app offers a free version with limitations on groups and participants. A 'Premium' subscription is available for $0.99 per year, unlocking unlimited groups and participants, as well as enhanced invitation management. Pricing may vary based on iTunes account settings.

### Is Santa's Secret Service compatible with my device?

The provided information indicates that the app charges via your iTunes account and mentions 'Restore Purchases' for previously bought features, suggesting it is available on iOS devices. Specific compatibility details would typically be found on the app's store page.

### Can I use this app for any gift exchange event?

Yes, the app is designed for any gift exchange event, commonly known as 'Secret Santa'. It's particularly useful for organizing these events among friends, family, or colleagues, especially when participants are not in the same physical location.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0.0 — 2026-08-29

Santa's Secret Service has been rebuilt from the ground up. A new design, a new draw, and delivery you can finally verify: the app now reports each briefing as accepted or failed instead of assuming the best.

A rebuilt app means a fresh start. Missions from earlier versions don't carry over. If an exchange is mid-flight, finish it before updating; setting one up again takes about a minute.

### 2.0.3 — 2019-12-15

What's new in 2.0.3
- Increased maximum date limit to 18 months from current date.

### 2.0.2 — 2019-12-13

What's new in 2.0.2
- FIX: App crashes when trying to delete a participant. 
- FIX: Grammatical errors and typos.
- Improved performance and smaller size of the app.

### 2.0.1 — 2019-12-04

FIX: Legacy "Elite" users are unable to restore purchase

### 2.0.0 — 2019-12-02

Version 2.0.0 is here! Redesigned and completely rewritten from scratch.

===What's new===
- Slightly our app name (makes more sense now)
- Restrictions: Choose who shouldn't be matched with other
- Import participants from contacts
- Premium mailing service (Less likely to be blocked as spam)
- Option to send one or more emails yourself if needed.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*