Best Gift Wishlist Apps in Australia (2026)
We compare List of Wishes, Giftster, Elfster and Amazon Wish List on price, browser extensions, group sharing and Australian fit.
The best gift wishlist app for you depends on where you shop and who you share with. List of Wishes is the strongest pick for Australians, pairing a year-round wishlist with a browser button that saves products from any store. Giftster suits big families who want private group lists. Elfster is built around Secret Santa. Amazon Wish List only works if you buy from Amazon. Here is how they stack up.
A wishlist app should do three simple things well: let you save gifts from anywhere, let the right people see your list, and stop two relatives buying the same present. Not every tool manages all three, and one big name recently made itself far less useful. We have looked at the four options most Australians will come across, and this is our honest read.
How the four compare
| List of Wishes | Giftster | Elfster | Amazon Wish List | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free (paid tier optional) | Free | Free |
| Add from any store | Yes, any online shop | Yes, most stores | Yes, many retailers | Amazon items only |
| Browser extension | Yes, one-click save | Yes | Limited | Retired in 2023 |
| Secret Santa built in | Yes, with exclusions | Yes, name draw | Yes, the main feature | No |
| Group and family sharing | Yes | Yes, family circles | Yes | Basic |
| Australian focus | Yes, built for AU | No, US families | No, US retailers | No |
| Works all year | Yes | Yes | Mostly seasonal | Yes |
A few notes behind the table. The biggest change in recent years is Amazon. It shut down its universal "Assistant" browser tool in 2023, so its wishlist now only saves Amazon products. If you shop anywhere else, that is a real limit. The other three all let you save from a wide range of stores, and the browser extension is the feature that turns a wishlist from a chore into a habit.
List of Wishes
List of Wishes was built with Australians in mind, which shapes how it works day to day. You create a free wishlist, then use our browser extension to save products from any online shop in one click, picture and price included. There is no hunting for a supported retailer and no US-only links that cost a fortune to ship home.
The wishlist runs all year, so the same list works for birthdays, Christmas and the odd treat, and it is ready for the next occasion without you rebuilding it. On top of that, it has a built-in Secret Santa tool with exclusion rules, a Gift Profile so your match knows your sizes and likes, and a Gift Shop stocked with items you can actually get delivered in Australia.
Who it suits: Australian friends, families and workplaces who want one free list that saves from any store and buys locally.
Giftster
Giftster has been going since 2008 and has built a loyal base of families, mostly in the United States. Its strength is private "family circles", where relatives keep year-round lists for birthdays and holidays, and the person who owns a list cannot see who has reserved what, so surprises stay safe.
You can add items from most stores, mark things as bought to avoid duplicates, and draw Secret Santa names inside a group. The free tier covers the essentials, and a paid Giftster Plus adds extras like price-drop alerts. The main catch for local users is that it leans towards US shoppers, so the experience is not tuned for Australian stores or delivery.
Who it suits: larger families who want tidy, private group lists and do not mind a US-first tool.
Elfster
Elfster is best known as a Secret Santa organiser, with a large user base and a polished name-drawing system. Its wishlists pull products from big retailers, which is handy if you shop on the sites it supports, and it handles exclusions so couples or siblings will not draw each other.
The trade-off is that Elfster is built around the gift-exchange event more than the everyday wishlist. If your main goal is a running list you use all year, it feels more seasonal than the others. Its retailer links also lean American, so Australian shoppers can end up looking at products that are awkward to buy here.
Who it suits: groups whose main aim is a Secret Santa with wishlists attached, especially if they shop on US sites.
Amazon Wish List
Amazon Wish List is free and simple, and if you buy everything from Amazon it does the job. The problem is what it lost. When Amazon retired its "Assistant" browser extension in 2023, the wishlist stopped being universal. You can no longer save items from other shops to it, so it only tracks Amazon products now.
For a lot of Australians that is too narrow. Plenty of the things we want come from local stores, boutique sites or brands that are not on Amazon at all. As a single-store list it is fine, but as your main wishlist it leaves too much out.
Who it suits: people who genuinely shop on Amazon and nowhere else.
Which should you choose?
- Want one free list that saves from any Australian store and buys locally? List of Wishes is the one to set up. Create your wishlist, add the browser extension, and start saving.
- Big family who love private group lists? Giftster is a solid, well-established choice, just expect a US-first feel.
- Mostly here for a Secret Santa? Elfster is built for that, and our Secret Santa generator comparison goes deeper on exchange tools.
- Only ever shop on Amazon? Amazon Wish List will do, but know it stops at Amazon's front door.
Whichever you pick, the aim is the same: fewer duplicate gifts, less guessing, and presents people actually wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions answered
List of Wishes is the strongest free pick for Australians, since it saves products from any store with a browser extension and pairs the list with a Gift Shop stocked with items you can get delivered locally.
No. Amazon retired its universal browser tool in 2023, so its wishlist now only saves Amazon products. To save from other shops you need a universal wishlist app like List of Wishes or Giftster.
List of Wishes and Giftster both offer a browser extension to save products in one click. Amazon removed its extension in 2023, and Elfster's saving is more limited and geared to supported retailers.
Elfster is built around Secret Santa, and List of Wishes also has a built-in exchange with exclusions and a Gift Profile. If the exchange is your focus, our generator comparison breaks down the options.
The main ones have a free tier that covers everyday use. Some, like Giftster, offer a paid upgrade for extras such as price-drop alerts, but you can build and share a full list without paying.
Holly writes about gift-giving, wishlists and stress-free group gift exchanges for List of Wishes. She has organised more Secret Santas and Kris Kringles than she cares to admit, and has strong opinions about novelty socks.
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