Capture a clue
Choose Idea or Hint, choose a person, then type or dictate one thought. That is enough to save it. Links, photos, prices and other details can be added when useful.
Private gift tracker & idea planner for Apple
Remember what they’d love.
A private gift tracker and idea journal for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Keep the small things that make a gift thoughtful: what someone mentioned, the ideas you saved, the occasion ahead, what you spent, what has arrived, what you gave last time and the gifts you received.
It is organised around people, not shopping lists, so the useful memory is still there months — or years — later.
14-day full-feature trial
One-time Full Unlock
No subscription
Private iCloud sync included
UK Full Unlock price: £24.99. Localised App Store pricing applies.
Birthday · 18 days
Mum
Ready
Occasion budget
£180 planned
£42 remaining
On the way
Expected Tuesday
Tracking saved
Version 1.4 · submitted to App Review
Relationship Memory goes further in Version 1.4.
Version 1.4 adds Person Received Gifts, Practical Details with current-value freshness and editable history, private Stored at memory, photo-first/offline capture, discreet notifications and Portable Journal v2 — with English and German kept in parity across the 2,089-source-string catalog.
Build 311 RC3 submitted · 5 October 2026Version 1.3 remains the current public App Store release while Version 1.4 awaits App Review. The earlier Build 281 submission was withdrawn before review.
How it works
From “they mentioned something…” to ready.
Capture gift ideas first. Add detail only when it helps. The journal keeps each thought with the person and occasion it belongs to, then does the remembering between moments.
A one-minute look at how The Gift Journal keeps people, ideas, occasions and gift history connected.
Build useful context
Keep current interests, dislikes, favourite themes, life changes, “avoid gifting” notes and the reason an idea exists alongside the person they belong to.
Plan the occasion
See who is covered, what still needs attention, how the budget is looking, and which gifts are Chosen, Bought, Arrived or Wrapped.
Keep the history
Mark what was given, record an optional reaction and keep intentional-repeat memory so next year starts with what you already know.
Inside Version 1.4
More relationship memory, with privacy and preservation built into the details.
Version 1.4 extends the journal in both directions without turning it into a possessions database. The new fields stay optional, capture stays explicit, and the preservation/export contracts expand with the data.
Remember gifts a Person received
Keep Given by you, Gifts they received, Gifts they gave and Gifts received from them distinct, with real recipient/giver roles and exact, month, year or unknown historical dates.
Read the guide →Useful now — and remembered when it changes
Add flexible labelled Detail or Avoid values without a fixed questionnaire. The current value can show a quiet Updated month/year, while Record a change preserves the old value in Previous values and Correct information fixes an error without inventing history.
Remember where it’s hidden
Stored at is optional journal-only memory for outgoing gifts from Chosen onward, deliberately excluded from notifications, system search, widgets, Watch transport and ordinary sharing.
Start with the photo, even offline
On iPhone and iPad, capture an Idea or Hint from Camera or a locally available Photo Library image with no web URL required. Save remains explicit.
Discreet by default
Occasion and fulfilment notifications use generic wording by default. Richer Person/occasion detail is available only through an explicit device-local opt-in.
Portable Journal v2
Version 1.4 activates semantic schema 5 for private Cloud round-trip and adds Portable Journal v2 for Received Gifts, Practical details and Stored at while keeping Portable Journal v1 frozen.
The app in action
See the journal doing the remembering.
Real app screens across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch show how the people-first journal, occasion planning, gift detail and private sharing fit together. The examples deliberately mix the available colour themes.
iPhone · Alabaster & Pale Mineral
Calm readiness at a glance
Today brings upcoming occasions and readiness into one quiet view, so you can see what needs attention without opening every plan.
See this screen in the gallery →
iPhone · Alabaster & Pale Mineral
People first, not shopping lists
Profiles keep the person, their upcoming moments and the useful relationship context together over time.
See this screen in the gallery →
iPhone · Champagne & Smoked Quartz
Keep the meaning with the gift
A gift can carry its source, price, recipient, inspiration, notes and progress without turning capture into admin.
See this screen in the gallery →
iPad · Alabaster & Pale Mineral
Plan the whole occasion
Occasion Mode gives a wider view of people, readiness, gift status and budget when you want to plan at a glance.
See this screen in the gallery →
iPhone · Velvet Plum & Rose Quartz
Preview before you share
Selective Private Sharing shows exactly what will leave the journal, while private notes, history and surprise planning stay private.
See this screen in the gallery →
Mac · Champagne & Smoked Quartz
Research and organise on the Mac
The native Mac view gives gift research, wishlist items, people and journal records more room, with keyboard-first organisation when you want a deeper planning session.
See this screen in the gallery →
Apple Watch · Velvet Plum & Rose Quartz
Capture the thought from your wrist
Apple Watch keeps voice capture quick: choose an Idea or Hint, speak it, and continue in the same journal on your other devices.
See this screen in the gallery →Want to see every supplied screen?Choose a colour theme, then scroll through iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch views.
Open the app gallery
The Gift Journal · Version 1.4 submitted
A complete toolkit for thoughtful gifting.
Version 1.3 remains the current public release. Version 1.4 Build 311 RC3 is submitted to App Review and adds the completed Relationship Memory package, including the expanded Practical Detail timeline, while carrying forward the established v1.0–v1.3 feature set.
Relationship memory that lasts
Create people manually or from Contacts. Keep relationship, birthday, photo, notes, favourites, preferences, current interests, dislikes, “Avoid gifting” notes and intentional-repeat memory in one long-lived profile.
Each person brings together their upcoming occasions, Ideas, Hints, Context and gift history.
Ideas and Hints in seconds
Capture an Idea or a lighter Hint with minimal required input. Type or dictate, then optionally add a URL, photo, price, priority, tags, occasion, planned or given date, booking/action deadline, valid-until date, reference currency/FX or a post-given follow-up.
Pasted and shared product links can fill in title, image, price, currency, source and description while always preserving the original URL.
Save from Safari without breaking your flow
Use the Mac Safari extension to confirm the current page and place it in Browser Saves. Review later on Mac, iPhone or iPad, then deliberately save it to a person or My Wishlist.
The inbox is non-destructive: Cancel leaves a capture waiting, and a save is consumed only after a successful journal Save or explicit Remove.
Remember what came back to you
Keep a received gift as relationship memory: title, photo, saved link, notes, price, giver, received date and optional occasion or reason.
Version 1.4 also lets an ordinary Person have Gifts they received, while keeping gifts you gave them, gifts they gave and gifts you received from them as distinct relationship histories rather than a possessions inventory.
Preserve the item instead of deleting it
When a Wishlist item becomes a real gift, mark it as received and carry forward its photo, link, price, notes and origin. The Wishlist entry changes only after the received-gift save succeeds.
Remember why an idea mattered
Link Ideas back to the Hint that inspired them, use gift-tone tags such as Sentimental, Humorous, Practical, Luxury or Experiential, and keep living Context such as a new hobby, current obsession or recent life change.
Pin context that should stay prominent, archive what no longer needs attention, and let older unpinned context become quieter without deleting the memory.
Birthdays, Christmas and much more
Plan Birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, engagements, weddings, christenings, graduations, new homes, new babies, retirements, new jobs, promotions, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, housewarmings, thank-yous and “just because” moments — plus Chinese New Year, Easter, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Diwali, Purim, Ayyám-i-Há, Raksha Bandhan, Rosh Hashanah, Guru Nanak Gurpurab and custom occasions.
Recurring occasions roll forward automatically, while a person’s birthday stays aligned with their Birthday occasion.
See the whole event without losing the people
Open a specific occasion to see people covered and remaining, readiness, saved ideas and counts across Chosen, Bought, Arrived and Wrapped gifts.
Person rows remain the main unit, so every overview leads straight back to the relationship and gift context behind it.
Know the plan, the spend and what remains
Set an occasion budget and see the target, planned total, actual spent total and remaining amount. Keep estimated/reference price separate from the optional Actual paid price.
Multi-currency totals use reference FX data, and a gift shared by several recipients is counted once.
Calm readiness at a glance
Today surfaces upcoming occasion occurrences with clear Needs attention, Ideas saved and Ready states. Readiness follows the actual occurrence a gift covers instead of guessing from pooled notes.
Useful nudges, not notification debt
Use several lead times, built-in presets from eight weeks through day-of, or your own number of days or weeks. Each occasion can use defaults, a custom schedule or no reminders.
Notifications are privacy-safe and open the relevant person or occasion.
From idea to given
Move a gift through Idea → Considering → Chosen → Bought → Arrived → Wrapped → Given. Record when it was actually given, and keep the result as searchable history.
Optional reactions — Loved it, Good, Neutral or Miss — make that history even more useful.
Repeat on purpose, not by accident
Potential duplicates show as explainable warnings rather than blocks. Mark repeats as intentional when a gift is consumable, replenishable or part of a tradition.
Keep the useful order details with the gift
Add an expected arrival date, tracking URL, order/reference number and return-by date. Today and Occasion Mode surface gentle cues when something is still on the way or a return deadline is getting close.
Share only what you choose
Create a curated share from a Wishlist, occasion plan or selected suggestions, then preview exactly what the recipient will see before you send it.
Private Hints, Context, notes, history, prices and surprise planning stay out unless you deliberately include a shareable field. Recipients do not need The Gift Journal installed to view the shared artefact.
Your own wishes, kept separate
Maintain a private Wishlist with title, description, URL, photo, price, priority and notes. It supports your own gift requests without turning the rest of the app into a wishlist-first product.
One real gift stays one record
Give one gift to several people without duplicating it. The same stable gift keeps one status, one price, one provenance trail and one history identity wherever it appears.
Find the memory from any angle
The Journal stays chronological and memory-led while search spans People, Ideas, Hints, previous gifts and Occasions. Filter by date, person, occasion, record type, gift status, source/shop and price, then sort by useful fields.
One journal across your devices
Changes save locally first and sync through your private iCloud database. Create, edit and delete People, Occasions, Ideas, Hints, Context, Wishlist items, Received Gifts and preferences from supported devices.
Photos sync too. Offline changes wait safely, deletions do not reappear from stale devices, and conflicting edits are protected rather than silently overwriting one another. Settings shows clear sync states and includes Sync Now when you want an explicit refresh.
Glance, capture and continue
See upcoming occasions and readiness without putting private gift detail on your wrist. Use voice-first capture for an Idea or Hint; it is safely queued on Watch, committed by iPhone and then appears in the same journal on Mac.
Occasion reminders follow Apple’s normal iPhone-to-Watch routing, with privacy-safe long notifications. Continue on Apple Watch prepares the relevant Watch destination from iPhone and sends it immediately when reachable or for the next Watch launch.
Upcoming moments without private detail
On iPhone and Mac, Next Occasion, Coming Up and Event Readiness widgets show only the small amount of information needed for the surface. They do not include Idea titles, Hint text, URLs, notes, prices or photos by default, and a tap opens the matching app context.
Deep organisation and browser research
The native Mac app is built for keyboard-first searching, filtering, creating and editing. Import Contacts, capture links while researching, drag URLs and images, use Quick Look and context menus, multi-select rows and keep window/focus state.
Version 1.1 deepens the desktop role: Save from Safari / Browser Saves creates a durable browser-to-journal inbox, while refined navigation, detail views and adaptive layouts make review and organisation more comfortable.
Useful output, not screenshots
Print or create PDF/CSV output for Upcoming Occasions, Person / Gift Planning, Gift History, Ideas & Hints, Wishlist and a Complete Journal Summary. A4 and US Letter use real page geometry, pagination and branded headers/footers; CSV uses stable IDs, ISO-style dates and standard escaping.
Your meaningful data in a documented format
Export an ordinary .zip file you can open with standard tools. Inside are README.txt, a versioned manifest.json, semantic journal.json, the v1 JSON Schema and referenced image assets. Stable IDs preserve the relationships between People, Occasions, Ideas, Hints, Context, Wishlist items and history without depending on The Gift Journal to interpret them.
The portable ZIP contains journal meaning rather than CloudKit revisions, sync queues, entitlements, diagnostics or other implementation-only state.
A separate recovery path
Full-journal backup and restore preserve the app’s recovery data and referenced images. Restores are validated before confirmation, use a pre-restore safety copy and can roll back if anything goes wrong. Clearing local data and deleting the private cloud copy are separate, deliberate actions.
A calm journal on every screen
Choose Champagne & Smoked Quartz, Velvet Plum & Rose Quartz or Alabaster & Pale Mineral. Readiness always uses text or symbols as well as colour, with VoiceOver labels, contrast, reduced-motion support and keyboard access for essential Mac workflows.
Control the journal without exposing it
Manage regional date/currency/timezone behaviour, reminder defaults, iCloud state, backup/export/restore and purchase status. Support & Feedback offers Problem, Improvement and Correction routes plus optional privacy-safe diagnostics that exclude journal content by default.
One journal. Four Apple experiences.
Use the device that suits the moment.
iPhone
iOS 18.2 or later
Everyday capture, camera and Contacts import, Share Extension, Today, reminders, widgets, Browser Saves review and complete editing including Received Gifts.
iPad
iPadOS 18.2 or later
Comfortable browsing and planning in portrait, landscape, Split View, Stage Manager and resizable windows, with Browser Saves review and Received Gifts.
Apple Watch
watchOS 11.2 or later
Upcoming occasions, readiness, privacy-safe reminders and fast voice capture for Ideas and Hints.
Mac
macOS 13 Ventura or later
Native desktop research, Contacts import, deep search and editing, multi-selection, Quick Look, Print/PDF/CSV and widgets. Version 1.1 adds the Mac Safari extension and Browser Saves, plus refined navigation, detail views and adaptive layouts for deeper organisation.
See the FAQ for minimum compatible hardware families. Hardware eligibility follows Apple’s support for the minimum operating-system versions above.
Private by design
Your relationships are not an advertising profile.
The Gift Journal is funded by its users, not by ads, affiliate ranking or behavioural-data monetisation. Core use does not require a proprietary account.
Local firstYour journal opens and saves locally even when iCloud is unavailable.
Private iCloudSync uses the user’s private CloudKit database rather than a public social journal.
Minimum disclosureWatch, widgets and selective shares receive privacy-minimised views rather than the whole journal.
Data stays readableTrial expiry never deletes journal records, and reading, backup, restore and export remain available.
Portable by designPortable Journal Export v1 preserves meaningful data in a versioned, machine-readable archive.
Compare approaches
Gift journal vs wishlists and gift exchanges.
The Gift Journal is designed as a private relationship-memory and planning system. GiftLog is closer to a gift-log and event-history model, while GiftList, Giftster, Elfster and Giftful are more centred on wishlists, sharing and coordination. All five competitor products were re-audited against their currently published product/help/store materials on 5 October 2026. The table now makes a documented assessment in every row wherever the public evidence supports one, rather than leaving whole competitor columns blank.
Gift Journal release status: Version 1.3 is the current public App Store release in English and German. Version 1.4 Build 311 RC3 was submitted to App Review on 5 October 2026 after the earlier Build 281 submission was withdrawn before review to complete Practical Details. The final scope adds Person Received Gifts, Practical Detail current-value freshness and editable history, private Stored at memory, photo-first/offline Quick Capture, discreet notifications and Portable Journal v2.
| What it is for | The Gift Journal | GiftList | Giftster | Elfster | Giftful | GiftLog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core organising model | People-first private journal | Universal wishlist, registry, events and gifting tools | Family wishlists, registries and private groups | Gift exchanges plus wishlists | Universal wishlists, registries and shopping/discovery | Gift logging for gifts given and received, plus Events and Wishlists |
| Published languages | English + German — German is labelled Beta; Version 1.4 keeps all 2,089 source strings in English/German parity | Current iOS App Store listing: English | Current iOS App Store listing: English; user-entered list and preference text can be written in any language | Current Elfster help says exchange experiences support English, Spanish and French; the UK iOS listing currently labels the app English | English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish | Current UK iOS App Store listing: English |
| Plan gifts you are giving to other people | Yes — Ideas, Hints, Context, Occasions and history around each person | Yes, coordination-led — shared lists, My Gifts, groups and Secret Santa rather than a private person journal | Yes, coordination-led — family groups, managed/child lists, suggested items and purchase status | Yes — private Idea Lists, exchange assignments and Gifts I Gave | Yes — lists can be created for yourself, another person or a pet; current guidance also describes organizing separate lists by person | Yes — gifts link to Contacts/Events; likes/dislikes and Wishlists support future choices |
| Remember gifts you received | Yes — giver, date, occasion/reason, notes, photo, link and Wishlist provenance | Yes, list-linked — Gift Tracker/My Gifts shows revealed gifts reserved or contributed on your lists and who gave them | Yes — current app listing says you can view lists of gifts received or purchased for later reference | Yes — Gifts I Received can be filtered by date or person and can hold notes | No dedicated received-gift ledger is published in the reviewed product/help material; the core flow remains wishlist + anonymous claim | Yes — received gifts are a core feature, with giver/contact, photos, notes and status tracking |
| Two-way relationship gift history | Version 1.4 — separates gifts you gave a Person, gifts they received, gifts they gave, and gifts you received from them | Partial — My Gifts brings purchased and received list-linked gifts together, but public docs do not describe a four-direction person relationship timeline | Partial — received and purchased history is documented, but not a full giver/recipient relationship journal | Partial — separate Gifts I Gave and Gifts I Received views are documented; history is tied to Elfster wishlist/exchange activity | No published two-way gift-history feature found in the reviewed sources | Yes — GiftLog records gifts given and received and lets you view exchanged gifts by Contact or Event; an additional recipient field is also documented |
| Private Hints / relationship Context | Yes — first-class private Hints, Context and provenance around a Person | Closest published fit: private lists, item Gift Details, groups and Secret Santa Q&A; no person-level private relationship journal is advertised | Closest published fit: private lists, suggested items and Gift Preferences; these are list/group tools rather than private relationship Context | Closest published fit: private Idea Lists and wishlist notes/descriptions; not a person-level relationship journal | Closest published fit: private wishlists/account settings and list descriptions; no person-level Context model is advertised | Closest published fit: Contact likes/dislikes plus gift notes/photos; broader relationship Context is not the public model |
| Flexible practical preferences / things to avoid | Version 1.4 — labelled Detail/Avoid values on a Person without a fixed regional questionnaire | Partial — Gift Details can hold size/color notes; Secret Santa Mystery Q&A supports interests, allergies, things to avoid and optional sizes | Yes, shared preferences — Gift Preferences cover clothing sizes, colors, hobbies/interests and what not to get | Yes, wishlist-level — descriptions can include likes/dislikes, allergies and preferences; individual wishes support size/color/style notes | Partial — current guidance documents size, color, model and description details, organized by person or occasion | Yes — Contact likes/dislikes and Wishlists include things wanted and not wanted |
| Preference/detail changes over time | Version 1.4 — current values show quiet Updated month/year freshness; genuine changes can preserve multiple Previous values with optional dates, while corrections do not manufacture history | No published preference-value timeline found in the reviewed GiftList sources | No published preference-value timeline found in the reviewed Giftster sources | No published preference-value timeline found in the reviewed Elfster sources | No published preference-value timeline found in the reviewed Giftful sources | No published preference-value timeline found in the reviewed GiftLog sources |
| Private hiding-place memory | Version 1.4 — optional Given-Gift Stored at, excluded from notifications, Spotlight/App Shortcuts, widgets, Watch and ordinary sharing | No published equivalent found in the reviewed GiftList sources | No published equivalent found in the reviewed Giftster sources | No published equivalent found in the reviewed Elfster sources | No published equivalent found in the reviewed Giftful sources | No published equivalent found in the reviewed GiftLog sources |
| Capture an idea without a web URL / from a photo | Version 1.4 — Camera or a locally available Photo Library image can start an Idea or Hint, including offline; Save remains explicit | Partial — manual gifts are supported and images can be edited; no camera/photo-first offline capture flow is documented | Partial — items can be typed manually and the iOS Share Extension is documented; no camera-first/offline gift-idea flow is published | Photo/manual custom wish — a custom wish can be created without a URL and can use an uploaded image or a photo taken in the app; offline behavior is not documented | Partial — public materials focus on adding from any website and list descriptions; no photo-first offline capture flow was found | Photo support — gift records can use the camera or photo library, but GiftLog says the app requires its cloud account and cannot be used locally/offline |
| Save from a browser | Yes — Mac Safari extension → durable Browser Saves inbox → explicit review on Mac/iPhone/iPad | Yes — Chrome/Safari/Edge desktop extension plus built-in mobile browser | Yes — browser extensions, Fetch and iOS Share Extension | Yes — Wish It! on Chrome/Safari plus link-based mobile capture | Yes — Chrome plugin and Safari extension | No browser extension/save flow is advertised on the reviewed website or App Store listing |
| Spotlight Search & Apple Shortcuts | Yes — optional privacy-first Spotlight destinations and deliberate App Shortcuts on iPhone/iPad | No published Spotlight or App Shortcuts integration found in reviewed current sources | Spotlight: Yes — iOS 6.2.4 added Spotlight search for lists/family members; no App Shortcuts actions are documented | No published Spotlight or App Shortcuts integration found in reviewed current sources | No published Spotlight or App Shortcuts integration found in reviewed current sources | No published Spotlight or App Shortcuts integration found in reviewed current sources |
| Notification privacy / spoiler control | Version 1.4 — generic occasion/fulfilment wording by default; richer Person/occasion detail is an explicit device-local opt-in | Spoiler-aware — purchase notifications are off by default; before reveal, GiftList sends only a general heads-up when the first gift is reserved | Notifications available — current iOS history documents push notifications and a notifications feed; no comparable discreet-content mode is published | Notification controls — email categories can be opted in/out and exchange messages preserve anonymity; no comparable discreet-content mode is published | No comparable discreet notification-content mode found in reviewed public sources | No comparable notification privacy mode found in reviewed public sources |
| Occasions, reminders & gift lifecycle | Yes — recurring Occasions, readiness, reminders and Idea → Chosen → Bought → Arrived → Wrapped → Given | Yes, coordination-led — Occasions calendar/reminders, reservations/purchases and giver order/tracking details | Yes, coordination-led — year-round lists, Birthday Mode and reserved/purchased status | Yes, exchange-led — exchange date/reminders plus sent/received and tracking/thank-you workflows | Partial — claims, price tracking and occasion-specific lists are documented; a multi-stage gift fulfilment plan is not | Yes — Events plus keeping/returning/exchanging/re-gifting states and Send Thanks tracking |
| Event / occasion budget planning | Yes — target, planned, actual and remaining | Partial — Secret Santa supports a budget; cash funds/group gifting track goals, but a personal occasion planned/actual/remaining budget is not the published model | No dedicated event budget control found in the reviewed Giftster help/product pages | Partial — organizers set a spending limit for an exchange | No dedicated event budget field found in reviewed public product/help material | Partial — gift prices help track spend, but target/planned/remaining occasion budgeting is not advertised |
| Sharing & coordination | Curated preview-before-sharing projection; private journal remains private | Public/Friends/hidden-on-profile lists, optional passwords, guest reservations, collaborators, groups, events and QR/link sharing | Private groups, shared/public lists, guest reservations/purchases, public-list links/QR and Secret Santa | Public/Limited/Private wishlists, share links, exchange feeds and anonymous exchange messages/questions | Shareable wishlists with anonymous claims; private wishlist/account settings are documented | Event Wishlists can be shared; gift records can be shared by email; external registry links are supported |
| Secret Santa / gift exchange | No — intentionally focused on personal gift memory and planning | Yes — organizer-blind draw, exclusions, Mystery Q&A, anonymous Santa Mail and budget | Yes — group draw with exclusions and prior-draw avoidance | Yes — a central product use case with budgets, anonymous questions and sent/received tracking | No dedicated Secret Santa/name-draw feature found in reviewed current Giftful sources | No dedicated Secret Santa/name-draw feature found in reviewed current GiftLog sources |
| Account & offline model | No proprietary account for core use; local-first and usable offline, with optional private iCloud/CloudKit sync | Free account required to create/manage lists or see a Secret Santa match; guests can view/reserve without an account. No local-first/offline journal mode is advertised | Free membership/account-based shared service; no local-first/offline mode is advertised | Account-based service for wishlists/history; exchange invite links can be joined without an app, but no local-first/offline journal mode is advertised | Registered account service; shared links work in a browser. No local-first/offline journal mode is advertised | Cloud account required; GiftLog explicitly says local/offline use without signing in is not possible |
| Platforms advertised | Native iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac | Web, iPhone/iPad, Android; Apple Silicon Mac compatibility is listed for the iOS app; Chrome/Safari/Edge extension | Web, iPhone/iPad, Android; Apple Silicon Mac compatibility is listed for the iOS app; browser extensions/share extension | Web, iPhone app and Android; Chrome/Safari browser capture | Web, iPhone/iPad, Android; Apple Silicon Mac compatibility is listed for the iOS app; Chrome plugin and Safari extension | iPhone/iPad and Android |
| Commercial model | 14-day trial + one-time Full Unlock; no recurring subscription, advertising or affiliate dependency | Free with no subscription/item limit; public disclosures say some links are affiliate links and the current iOS listing labels the app as containing advertising | Free; Giftster says affiliate-link fees support the service | Free; Elfster says it may earn commissions from external links and works with affiliate programs | Free; current Google Play copy says no ads | Free on the UK App Store; current listing shows no in-app purchases, and GiftLog says it has zero adverts |
| Portable machine-readable export | Yes — documented Portable Journal v1/v2 ZIP export; v1 remains frozen and v2 covers Version 1.4 relationship semantics | No documented machine-readable personal-data/journal export found in reviewed product/help pages | No documented machine-readable personal-data/journal export found in reviewed product/help pages | No documented machine-readable personal-data/journal export found in reviewed product/help pages | No documented machine-readable personal-data/journal export found in reviewed product/help pages | No machine-readable export is advertised; current public listing documents email sharing of gift records instead |
My Gifts, occasions and coordination are now clearer
Current public docs describe a My Gifts history hub, occasion reminders, groups, events, gift tracking, password-protected lists, Secret Santa and spoiler-aware purchase notifications alongside universal wishlists.
Family coordination plus Spotlight and push notifications
The current listing documents received/purchased gift history, Gift Preferences, iOS Spotlight search from 6.2.4 and new push notifications for group invites/requests in 6.2.5.
Exchange history and multilingual support are explicit
Elfster documents Gifts I Gave and Gifts I Received, wishlist notes/preferences, exchange spending limits and current English/Spanish/French support in its 2026 help content.
Wishlist capture, sharing and discovery continue to expand
Giftful now advertises seven iOS languages, Safari and Chrome capture, anonymous claims, price comparison/tracking, private settings and lists organized by person or occasion. No dedicated gift-history or Secret Santa ledger is published.
Still the closest direct gift-history comparator
GiftLog explicitly supports gifts given and received, Contact/Event history, likes/dislikes, Event Wishlists, gift photos and thank-you tracking. Its FAQ still says an account/cloud database is mandatory and local/offline use is unavailable.
Comparison audit checked 5 October 2026. This matrix assesses every listed product against each row using currently published product pages, help centres and store listings. Where a capability is not documented, the table says no published equivalent found rather than leaving it unassessed; that is evidence about published positioning, not proof that an undocumented internal or experimental feature cannot exist.
Sources: GiftList FAQ, GiftList App Store, Giftster product page, Giftster Help, Giftster App Store, Elfster, Elfster Help, Elfster App Store, Giftful, Giftful updates, Giftful App Store, Giftful Google Play, GiftLog, GiftLog FAQ and GiftLog UK App Store.
Read the transparent comparison guide or the current product facts.
Frequently asked questions
The practical details.
Which devices and operating systems are supported?
Minimum software: iPhone on iOS 18.2+, iPad on iPadOS 18.2+, Apple Watch on watchOS 11.2+, and Mac on macOS 13 Ventura+.
Minimum device families:
- iPhone: any iPhone capable of iOS 18.2 — iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later.
- iPad: iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation+) or 11-inch (1st generation+), iPad Air (3rd generation+), iPad (7th generation+), or iPad mini (5th generation+).
- Apple Watch: a model capable of watchOS 11.2 — Apple Watch Series 6+, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation+) or any Apple Watch Ultra — with a compatible paired iPhone.
- Mac: any Mac capable of macOS Ventura 13 or later. The oldest Ventura-compatible models vary by family, including 2017 MacBook/MacBook Pro/iMac and iMac Pro, 2018 MacBook Air/Mac mini, 2019 Mac Pro and 2022 Mac Studio.
Apple’s operating-system compatibility lists determine hardware eligibility.
How does the 14-day trial and Full Unlock work?
The app starts with a 14-day full-feature trial — there are no artificial limits on the number of People, Ideas or Hints during that period. Full Unlock is a one-time purchase, with a UK price of £24.99 and localised App Store pricing.
The trial is shared across the product family rather than restarting on every installation, and reinstalling does not create a new trial.
Is one purchase enough for iPhone, iPad and Mac?
Yes. Full Unlock is one StoreKit entitlement across supported host platforms. A purchase on iPhone/iPad unlocks Mac for the same App Store customer identity, and a Mac purchase unlocks iPhone/iPad. Apple Watch is part of the companion experience and does not have a separate purchase.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. The Gift Journal is local-first: each device saves locally and remains useful when the network or iCloud is unavailable. Local changes queue safely and sync when connectivity returns.
How does private iCloud sync work?
There is one private journal across supported devices. People, Occasions, Gifts/Ideas, Hints, Context, Wishlist items, preferences and managed images sync through the user’s private CloudKit database. Stable IDs, durable deletion state and conflict safeguards prevent duplicates, stale resurrection and silent data loss.
What happens to my journal if the trial ends?
Your existing data stays yours. Reading and searching remain available, as do backup, restore, print/export and privacy-safe read-only widgets. The app does not delete People, Ideas, Hints, photos or history because a trial expired; Full Unlock is required for new journal create/edit/delete actions.
What is the difference between Backup and Portable Journal Export?
Full Backup is the lossless recovery format used to restore The Gift Journal, so it can include app-specific recovery metadata.
Portable Journal Export v1 is the durable, documented data-ownership format. It contains meaningful journal concepts, stable relationships and referenced assets in a versioned machine-readable archive, while leaving out CloudKit state, sync queues, entitlement state and diagnostics.
How does Selective Private Sharing protect surprise planning?
You choose a Wishlist, occasion plan or suggestions to share and preview the exact projection first. Private Hints, Context, notes, history, prices and surprise planning are excluded by default. Sharing does not expose your private iCloud journal or your full portable export.
Is The Gift Journal a Secret Santa or group-exchange app?
No. It is a private, people-first memory and planning app for the person doing the giving. If your main need is drawing names and running a group exchange, services such as Giftster or Elfster are built around that workflow. The comparison above explains the distinction.
What makes The Gift Journal different from a wishlist or ordinary gift tracker app?
The Gift Journal is organised around people and long-term relationship memory rather than shopping lists. It keeps private gift ideas, Hints, Context, Occasions, budgets, fulfilment details and history together — including what you gave, what you received and, in Version 1.4, what another Person received from you or somebody else.
My Wishlist is one part of that journal. It can still be shared selectively, and an item you receive can become a Received Gift memory without losing its photo, link, price, notes or origin.
How can I remember gift ideas people mention months before a birthday or Christmas?
Capture the thought as an Idea or Hint against the person as soon as you hear it. It can be a few words, a dictated note, a link or a photo; you can add more detail later.
Because the thought lives with that person, their occasions and their gift history, you do not have to remember which note, message, screenshot or scrap of paper you used months earlier. Read more about the idea in Memory before shopping.
How does Save from Safari / Browser Saves work?
Version 1.1 adds Save from Safari on Mac. Enable the Safari extension, confirm the current page, and it is placed in a durable Browser Saves inbox without forcing The Gift Journal to open.
Browser Saves sync privately so you can review the capture on Mac, iPhone or iPad, then save it to a person or My Wishlist. Cancel is non-destructive and Open Page returns to the source. The extension acts only on the page you deliberately invoke it on — it does not monitor browser history or background browsing.
Can I remember gifts I receive?
Yes. Received Gifts keep the giver, received date, optional occasion or reason, photo, saved link, price and notes. Version 1.4 extends the same relationship memory to ordinary People, so a Person can have Gifts they received while recipient and giver roles remain explicit. Partial historical dates can be exact, month/year, year-only or unknown rather than inventing precision.
If the gift started on My Wishlist, Mark as received carries its useful details into the memory rather than making you delete the item and start again.
Does The Gift Journal support regional settings?
Yes. Regional date, calendar, currency and timezone settings are available so the journal can match the way you organise dates and prices.
What’s new in Version 1.4?
Version 1.4 Build 311 RC3 was submitted to App Review on 5 October 2026. It adds Person Received Gifts, expanded Practical Details with current-value freshness and editable Previous values, private Stored at memory, photo-first/offline Quick Capture, discreet notifications, Portable Journal v2 and relationship/date/People-directory corrections. The earlier Build 281 submission was withdrawn before review so the Practical Details timeline could be completed inside Version 1.4. Version 1.3 remains the current public release until review completes. See the Version 1.4 release page →
Version 1.3 available now · Version 1.4 submitted to App Review
Keep the thought. Remember the person.
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