# Secret Santa - gift exchange — user reviews > 120 indexed App Store user reviews of Secret Santa by Joylord Systems Ltd, rated 4.68/5 from 2,466 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-santa-gift-exchange/id1065534129/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-santa-gift-exchange/id1065534129.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,007 · 4★ 283 · 3★ 87 · 2★ 25 · 1★ 64 ## What do users think of Secret Santa? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Easy to use - 👍 Useful features - 🎄 Great for holiday gift exchanges - 💡 Customizable options - 🎅 Helps organize Secret Santa **Cons** - 💰 Paid features required for larger groups - 🤔 Organizer can see gift assignments - 🙅‍♀️ Limited to 6 participants in free version - 🤨 Unclear pricing upfront - 🐛 Technical issues with sending emails/texts **Commonly reported bugs** - Wish list not working - Inconsistent behavior when upgrading - Emails not being delivered - Crashes and freezing **Most requested features** - Ability to hide gift assignments from organizer - Option to add non-contact participants - Wish list functionality for participants - Bulk sending of messages - Customizable email/text templates ## Newest reviews (14 of 120) ### 4/5 — Wishlist *2024-12-10, version 3.0.11* Have used secret Santa gift exchange for the last 3 years, but this year the invitees were having trouble accessing the Wishlist. I emailed Ashley tonight advise and as a quick as a flash she had given me two options to sort the problem. It all worked well and now everyone can use the Wishlist and hopefully they’ll receive exactly what they’ve asked for. Thanks so much for sorting out for me so quickly. ### 3/5 — v3.0.11 sending bug when added as a guest only *2024-11-08, version 3.0.11* There is an option to add guests as guests or guests and contacts. When adding as guests only, unable to send (either email or phone). Error: guest does not have any contact details. Sending out works only when a guest is added to contacts. ### 3/5 — One main bug/issue *2023-10-31, version 2.18* The only main issue with this app is the fact it's locked to USD $, it'd be handy to be able to switch the currency. The I app adverts are annoying but shorter that many others. Please add an option to change the currency Hi there, Hank you for your email reply I have just received saying "The app uses the currency for the region that your phone is set to; I'm assuming yours is set to the US?" That's odd as I'm UK based and my phones region is also set for the UK. Thanks ### 3/5 — Won’t let me generate a wishlist *2021-12-20, version 2.12* I kept trying..won’t let me generate a list ### 3/5 — Good app but needs some updating *2021-11-07, version 2.12* Easy to use. Invites are sent immediately but would be nice to have an option when to send the invite. Also wish list needs to accommodate links to wish lists in other websites like Amazon or other retailers. ### 3/5 — Will only send to iPhones *2020-12-05, version 2.12* Can’t add e-mail addresses after texts fail ### 4/5 — Great App *2020-12-03, version 2.12* Really enjoyed using the app always works great for me for what I need. I do have the in app purchase version. I do have an issue with the wishlist that’s provided. When filling out basic questions I have put in for everyone. They do not always save, when being filled out by each individual. Have to go back in and save them 3-5 times before they finally stay. Always had that issue, wish there was a solution or a fix in the future. A suggestion I could say for future updates is the text message should be a pdf or a file that I cant easily go back to see in my text message.(I don’t ever peek, ruin the fun) but it’s so easy to see who has who. Overall great app, room for small improvements. ### 5/5 — Great!! *2020-11-05, version 2.12* So easy to use :) ### 2/5 — Why is this rated so highly?? *2020-10-18, version 2.12* The host sees everyone’s secret Santa and the Wishlist that I paid $6 for is something everyone can edit. Seems stupid. ### 3/5 — Want to purchase... *2020-10-01, version 2.12* This app is just what we’re looking for and we Want to try this app for our family Secret Santa gift exchange this year. I am willing to pay to unlock it because we have more than 6 people in our pool, but I have a couple of questions first. Does each guest get to create their own wish list? And can wish list items contain images and/or links to websites where items can be purchased? Will happily bump this rating up a star or two if it works for us. ### 2/5 — You’re charging to send now?! *2019-12-18, version 2.12* Sorry but I’m not paying to use this app when I’ve used it in the past for free. Especially when I only need it ONCE a year whenever we do play Secret Santa with the fam. ### 2/5 — False Promises *2019-12-16, version 2.12* The app is easy to set up, accesses your contacts and it took five minutes to set the event and send the information to invitees. However, the description in the App Store says “now with wish list”. What it neglects to tell you is this will then cost you £3.99. I only paid, as I couldn’t be bothered to find another. Cheeky and costly for something I will likely only use once. ### 4/5 — Pretty decent *2019-12-10, version 2.12* Features are great and it’s easy to use, would be great if you could bulk send the text message invitations rather than having to cycle through them one at a time and manually issue. ### 5/5 — Costs money to send SMS *2019-12-06, version 2.12* Developers should be more transparent in the app description that it costs 5.99 to use the app to send messages via SMS. It’s not a lot of money but I won’t use this app on principle because that is a shady way to operate. Be open with your customers and you will do better!! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Secret Santa has gone missing *2024-06-02, version 3.0.4* The recent update crashes and doesn’t load. Please bring back Santa before Christmas. ### 1/5 — WISH LIST NOT WORKING *2022-11-24, version 2.12* I sent several messages to developer and no response. This was a nice future if it worked. ### 1/5 — Paid for it and struggling to restore the purchase *2020-11-21, version 2.12* I really like to look ad feel of the app, when I realised I could only have 6 people I decided to pay the £3.99 which I have done but I cannot get past the restore app option. It just buffers. Very disappointing. ### 1/5 — Hidden costs *2020-11-16, version 2.12* This was advertised as a free easy app to use. I input 14 people’s information, and then when I got to the review/send step, I was informed that to send by any channel other than mail, it would cost me $5.50. There was also no ability to attach mailing addresses to people’s information in order to mail presents. ### 1/5 — Wish lists disappear *2020-11-16, version 2.12* Paid the cost to upgrade the app to have more than 6 guests. Then guests start loading their wish list, only to have them disappear the next morning. This is very annoying, specially for paying for an app that doesn’t deliver as it promises. ### 1/5 — You had one job... *2019-12-24, version 2.12* The app messed up and sent the same person to two members of our swap - which meant one person had two gifts on Christmas and the other, none! The admin list didn’t match the emails everyone had received. Hopefully just a glitch but I wouldn’t risk using this app again. ### 1/5 — Should be more obvious that this is £££ *2019-11-20, version 2.9.1* More than 6 people costs £3.99. Should say that upfront as I wouldn’t have wasted my time inputting all the details. I’m happy for apps to charge, they take time and commitment to create, but it should be clear immediately ### 1/5 — It’s actually $4 app... *2019-11-18, version 2.9* Deceptive description. I wanted to review name selections and manually distribute names myself but can’t even see name assignments without paying a $4 fee. Deleting. ### 1/5 — Email format ruins surprise and wasted my time. *2019-11-17, version 2.9* I wanted to receive copies of the emails just in case, but unfortunately due to poor planning the copied emails are sent with each persons name and gift-receiver directly at the beginning of the email so even if I don’t open them, I still see everyone’s ruining the surprise. Tried to re-do everything without sending these emails, emails were still sent second time. Huge waste of my time. So frustrating. ### 1/5 — Total Fraud! Don’t pay for it. *2019-10-26, version 2.8.2* Pay for it and non of my guests receive an email. It didn’t work at all. Total Fraud! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Love this app *2025-11-20, version 3.0.11* I’ve been using this app for 6 years and love how easy it is to use. Best feature, results can be text. 🎄😀 ### 5/5 — Great App *2025-11-15, version 3.0.11* Lovely touches like tailoring who buys for who - ### 5/5 — Awesome joy lord app *2024-12-11, version 3.0.11* Best app ever ! ### 5/5 — Great App *2024-12-03, version 3.0.11* We have used this app every year for the last 4 years as a family Secret Santa gift exchange assignments. GREAT APP!!! ### 5/5 — Super helpful *2024-11-25, version 3.0.11* This app has everything I need to organize a gift exchange, including making sure that couples aren’t buying gifts for each other. Great work! ### 5/5 — Nice easy to use app *2024-11-16, version 3.0.11* I use it every year for our secret Santa. Works very well and allows to ensure some people can’t pick others (we do it so spouse don’t pick each others). Je le recommande! ### 5/5 — Great Secret Santa app *2023-11-15, version 2.19.2* We do Secret Santa with my family every year and I’ve been using this app for years and I keep coming back to it as it has everything I need. I love being able to set that spouses cannot get one another and that I can send the notifications easily without me seeing anything myself. This app makes the logistics so easy since we all live far from one another. ### 5/5 — Great app *2023-10-18, version 2.17* Easy to use, use it every year. ### 5/5 — Been using this app for years for family secret Santa *2022-12-01, version 2.12* Can choose who can and can’t buy for each other. Sends everyone a text so don’t read them if you want the surprise! Very good ### 5/5 — Awesome!!! *2020-12-07, version 2.12* Our family has used this app for several years and it’s awesome!! --- *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 2026-08-23.*