Giftster, GiftList and Onelist come up a lot when parents look for a free gift list for a kid's birthday. They're all good tools, and they all stop duplicate gifts. They just solve slightly different problems. Here's an honest side-by-side, so you can pick the one that fits your party, even if it isn't ours.
All facts below were checked on each service's own website in November 2026. Features change, so double-check anything that matters to you before you decide.
The short answer
- Giftster is best for a year-round family wishlist group: everyone in the family keeps a list, and relatives shop each other's lists for every holiday.
- GiftList is the biggest all-occasion option: wishlists for weddings, babies and birthdays, digital invitation designs, a gift-idea shop, phone apps and a browser extension.
- Onelist is a simple, free wishlist with invitations that share the same link, in five languages.
- Giftic is built for one thing: a kid's birthday party. One link has the invitation, who's coming, a gift wishlist guests reserve, and an optional cash pot for one bigger gift.
Price
- Giftster: completely free, per its own FAQ.
- GiftList: free for everyone, no premium tier, per its FAQ.
- Onelist: free, no premium tier, no credit card.
- Giftic: free for parents and guests. No subscription, no fee on cash-pot payments.
All four are free. Price won't decide this one.
Do guests need an account?
This matters most for grandparents and busy parents who won't sign up for anything.
- Giftster: guests can mark items reserved or purchased on a public list without an account. Giftster's model is built around family groups, so it shines when relatives do join.
- GiftList: anyone with your link can view and reserve without an account, and without an email address.
- Onelist: no account, but guests enter a name and email to reserve.
- Giftic: no account and no email. Guests tap Reserve and type a name, or reserve anonymously.
On every service, the parent who makes the list signs up. On Giftic that's email (a sign-in link, no password) or Google.
Invitation and who's coming
- Giftster: no event invitations. Its “invitation-only groups” are private family groups, not party invites.
- GiftList: yes, a large library of digital invitation designs (including kids' themes) that can include the wish list.
- Onelist: yes, free online invitations that share the same link as the gift list.
- Giftic: yes. The party page is the invitation: date, time, place with a map, and a tap to say who's coming. Print the QR code on a paper invite if you like.
Cash pot and group gifts
- Giftster: not mentioned on its site.
- GiftList: cash funds and group gifting. Money goes straight to you through Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or Cash App, with no GiftList fee.
- Onelist: not mentioned on its site.
- Giftic: an optional cash pot for one bigger gift. Guests pay you directly with Venmo or PayPal (up to $500 per guest). Giftic never holds the money and takes no cut.
Gifts from any store
All four let you paste a link from any online shop and fill in the name, picture and price. On Giftic, prices show in the shop's currency, so a link from a euro-zone store shows euros, not dollars.
Apps
- Giftster: iPhone, Android, web and browser extensions.
- GiftList: iPhone, Android, web and a browser extension.
- Onelist: web.
- Giftic: web only, on purpose: nothing for you or your guests to download. There's no phone app and no browser extension.
Where Giftic is not the best pick
- You want one list per family member, used all year for every holiday: choose Giftster or GiftList.
- You're planning a wedding, baby shower or graduation: choose GiftList, which covers every occasion.
- You want a browser button to save gifts while you shop: Giftster and GiftList have one, Giftic doesn't.
- You want dozens of invitation designs to choose from: GiftList has far more.
Where Giftic is the best pick
- It's a kid's birthday party and you want the invite, who's coming, the gift list and a chip-in pot in one link.
- Your guests won't make accounts or hand over an email just to pick a present.
- You'd rather have one gift they'll love than a pile of plastic, fiver-party style, without writing an awkward note on the invitation.
FAQ
Which is the best free kids' birthday gift registry? If you only need a wishlist, all four work. If you want the party invitation, who's coming and a cash pot in the same link, Giftic and GiftList are the closest fit; Giftic is the one built only for kids' birthdays.
Can guests reserve gifts without an account? Yes on all four. Onelist asks for a name and email; GiftList and Giftic need neither.
Do any of these charge fees on cash gifts? Giftic and GiftList don't add a fee; guests pay you directly through Venmo or PayPal (GiftList also supports Zelle and Cash App). Payment apps may have their own fees.
Ready to try it? Create your kid's party page in about two minutes, or see an example party page first.