This year I joined the masses and got an iPhone and an iPad. That's right folks, up until this year my cell phone only made calls and sent texts. Can you imagine? How did I survive?
Well actually, I've had an iPod Touch for the last few years which accomplished the things that my basic cell phone didn't. But it is a lot more convenient to not have to carry two devices around.
The last couple of years I've used an app called Santa's Bag to keep track of my Christmas gift lists. And I was pleased with it, although they did a big update last year that changed the way the interface looked and I didn't love it as much. It was more cluttered looking to me.
So this year I decided to try out several different Christmas list apps and see which one I liked best. I tried six new apps, that range in price from free to $1.99. Since I have an iPad, I was also interested in seeing which ones work on both platforms. Here's how they shake out!
Cost: Free
Compatible with: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
My rating: 1 out of 5
Features:
- Create a list for each recipient
- List the name of each gift you plan to buy and the price.
- Cross off the items as they're bought.
- None
- Very little functionality
- Lots of annoying ads
- No password option
This is basically a list making app with a Christmas tree on it. The description on iTunes promises that there's a big update coming with a lot of new features. I may update this review once that's released, but as of now I don't recommend downloading this app, even for free.
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Features:
- Enter gift information along with the recipient's name and their relationship to you.
- Set individual budgets for each person on your list.
- Keep information on each gift including a description, price, and store.
- Mark each gift with a checkmark as it is bought.
- Sort gifts by store.
- Create an account and manually sync information across devices.
- Password protected
Features Unique to this App:
- Also includes a calendar function so that you can enter events, dates, times, locations and description.
- Does not have the ability to upload pictures of your recipients or of gifts.
- There is no group function as is common with other gift apps. This means every recipient on your list is grouped together alphabetically, which makes it more difficult to navigate.
- No archive function
- Can't assign gifts to multiple recipients
- No way to edit recipients' names, and the app comes loaded with several "example" names that you can only get rid of if you mass delete everything.
This is such a basic app that I really believe it should be free. It would make more sense to offer this level of functionality in a free app, with the option to upgrade to a pro version for more features. However, I do like the inclusion of a calendar function.
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Better Christmas List
Cost: $1.99
Cost: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch
My rating: 3 out of 5
Features:
Features:
- Countdown at the top of the screen tells you how many days left until Christmas
- Enter a photo for each recipient, and assign them to custom groups
- You can set budgets either by group or by individual recipient
- Enter a photo for each gift, the price, and the store where you plan to (or already have) purchased it
- A progress bar on each gift allows you to select an empty shopping cart to signify "need to buy," a full shopping cart for "bought," a gift for "wrapped," and a package for "shipped."
- Password protected
- Archive and export data
Features Unique to this App:
- A stocking next to each recipient "fills up" as you purchase gifts, which is cute.
- You can't assign the same gift to multiple people
- Views are very basic compared to other paid apps
Summary:
This app is basically good, but lacks the kind of features you would expect for a paid app. The other $1.99 app that I reviewed (see below) is a much better bang for the buck.
This app is basically good, but lacks the kind of features you would expect for a paid app. The other $1.99 app that I reviewed (see below) is a much better bang for the buck.
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Cost: $0.99
Compatible with: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
My rating: 4 out of 5
Features:
- Personalize everyone on your list with their picture and their birthday.
- Set individual budgets for each person on your list.
- Keep information on each gift including a description, price, store, notes, and a picture.
- Keep track of the status of each gift under the recipient's profile- you can file them under "need," "purchased," "wrapped," and "shipped."
- You can also keep an idea file for each recipient and archive gifts once the year is over.
- Sync data to iCloud and it will transfer your information across your devices instantly.
- Password protected
- You can create events to keep track of gift giving year-round-- birthdays, anniversaries, and other holidays.
- Interface is clean and functional, but not very festive.
- You can't assign the same gift to multiple people. So basically, if you are buying the same item for several teachers on your list, you will have to enter that information multiple times.
Summary:
While this app is functional, it didn't really wow me. The interface is so plain that it makes it less fun to enter all my gift information. However, I do like that you can sync your information across devices so that you can access it from both your phone and iPad.
No More Socks: The Christmas List Genius
Cost: Free, or $2.99 to upgrade to add-free
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* Best Free App *
No More Socks: The Christmas List Genius
Cost: Free, or $2.99 to upgrade to add-free
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch
My rating: 4 out of 5
Features:
- Personalize everyone on your list with their picture and their birthday.
- Set individual budgets for each person on your list.
- Keep information on each gift including a description, price, store, notes, and a picture.
- Keep track of the status of each gift under the recipient's profile-- put a checkmark next to "purchased."
- You can also keep an idea file for each recipient and a general idea file.
- Password protected
- You can actually search stores from inside the app to find the best prices and bookmark each site. This is an incredibly helpful feature!
- You can't assign recipients to groups, although you can accomplish the same thing by creating different "events" for each group of recipients.
- This is an app that is meant to be used year-round, so it's not really Christmas-y looking.
Summary:
For a free app, this has a great deal of functionality. I love the search-within-the-app feature. I wish it had a Christmas-y color scheme, but it's free so I can't complain.
For a free app, this has a great deal of functionality. I love the search-within-the-app feature. I wish it had a Christmas-y color scheme, but it's free so I can't complain.
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* Best Paid App *
The Christmas List
Cost: $1.99
Cost: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch
My rating: 5 out of 5
Features:
Features:
- Enter a photo and budget for each recipient, and assign them to custom groups
- See each group's total budget and number of gifts bought/to buy
- Enter gifts one at a time or quick add many gifts at once
- Enter a photo and the cost of each gift, along with the store where you plan to buy it-- the app comes already loaded with many popular stores to choose from, or you can enter your own
- Email your lists directly from the app
- Keep track of the status of each gift by marking it "to do," "purchased," "wrapped," "shipped," or "received."
- Assign a gift to multiple recipients (great for teacher gifts or when you buy the same thing for multiple people!)
- Archive data after Christmas is over
- Password protected
- Quick add feature lets you enter many gifts at once
- Assign an importance to each gift by selecting "maybe," "definitely wants," or "must have"
- View gifts to be purchased by store for easier shopping
- See your progress at a glance (with a pie chart!)
- You can select the background from a variety of options
- The iTunes store says it is compatible with iPad, but it would not download on mine. I would love to have this on my iPad!
Summary:
This app has pretty much everything I could ask for in a Christmas gift app. It has amazing functionality, especially for budgeting. The app itself is visually appealing and easy to navigate. When I started trying out all the apps, I entered the same information into each app so that I could get a feel for each one. It was so easy to use this app that almost before I even realized what was happening I started using it almost exclusively. I highly recommend this app if you're looking for an easy and effective way to keep track of your gift-giving this Christmas season!
This app has pretty much everything I could ask for in a Christmas gift app. It has amazing functionality, especially for budgeting. The app itself is visually appealing and easy to navigate. When I started trying out all the apps, I entered the same information into each app so that I could get a feel for each one. It was so easy to use this app that almost before I even realized what was happening I started using it almost exclusively. I highly recommend this app if you're looking for an easy and effective way to keep track of your gift-giving this Christmas season!
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