'Tis the time of the year to start thinking about holiday gifts -- if you haven't already. And for many of us, a big part of this is figuring out how to check off the people on their gift list without blowing their budget.
A recent CNET survey found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents plan on making trade-offs to afford holiday shopping, from cutting back on everyday expenses to spending less on travel. Whatever strategy you're considering, a budgeting app can make it easier to set holiday spending goals and stick to them.
To help you choose the right app for you, we took a look at the top apps and narrowed the options down to the ones we think are best.
Best apps to budget for holiday gifts
There are plenty of apps available to help you budget for holiday gifts. (Note: Many of these apps have very similar names, so be sure to check that you're downloading the right one once you've chosen one.) Here are our favorite apps and what they have to offer.
Christmas Gift List Tracker
- Available on: iOS (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch)
- App rating: 4.9 out of 5
With this app, you can create gift ideas for each person on your list, set a budget and track spending. You can organize recipients into groups and passcode-protect your lists.
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In addition, you can view lists from previous years, shop curated gift lists and collaborate with other app users if you want to share your list. (You can mark a gift as "private" if you don't want the recipient to see it.) The app helps you budget and track overall gift spending too.
Christmas Gift List
- Available on: Android
- App rating: 4.7 out of 5
Christmas Gift List allows you to set a budget for each recipient, create multiple gifts for each person and check each gift off once it's bought and once it's wrapped.
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You can share your list with others or add a password to the app to protect your gift ideas from curious eyes. The main page shows you how much you've spent in total and how much you have left to spend.
The Christmas Gift List
- Available on: iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- App rating: 4.7 out of 5
The Christmas Gift List stands out for its convenient sorting and categorization options. You can add gift profiles easily from your contacts and sort gifts by store. You can also sort recipients by groups and password-protect your list if you want.
The app also gives you gift ideas, take photos of gifts and track your gifts' status at every step of the process, from idea to wrapped to shipped or presented.
Santa's Bag
- Available on: iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- App rating: 4.5 out of 5
Santa's Bag offers all the essentials you need to conquer your holiday gift giving, such as creating gift lists, tracking gift status, setting a budget and monitoring your spending.
It also allows you to save links to gifts using an app extension or drag-and-drop feature, sort by multiple filters and print gifts lists you can check off as you go.
North Pole - Christmas List
- Available on: Android
- App rating: 4.5 out of 5
North Pole - Christmas List allows you to create a profile for every person on your gift lists. For each profile, you can add notes, links and even specify a hiding place for the gift.
This app has a simple interface that makes it easy to see essential information at a glance. You can also view previous years' lists and review stats for each holiday season.
Christmas Planner Pro
- Available on: iOS (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch)
- App rating: 4.2 out of 5
Christmas Planner Pro lets you add recipients manually or import them from your contact list. You can track gifts in a variety of ways, including by store, and monitor their status from idea to wrapped and done. Plus, you can view previous years' lists and duplicate them.
One unique thing this app offers is the ability record gifts you've received -- a handy feature that can help you keep track of who you need to thank for what. You can even add pictures of each gift.
GiftTracker: Gift List Helper
- Available on: Android
- App rating: 4.0 out of 5
GiftTracker: Gift List Helper is for any gift-giving occasion -- it's not just for Christmas. You can create a list for every event, from birthdays to graduations to weddings and keep track of gifts you've given in the past, so don't give the same thing twice.
This app also allows you to shop Amazon through direct links on your list (although some users found it annoying that this was the default and they couldn't link to other stores). While it doesn't offer some of the features other apps have -- for instance, the only gift statuses you can track are idea, bought and wrapped -- it can be a great all-in-one resource for gift shopping throughout the year
Holiday gift shopping doesn't have to be a headache
Gift giving can be stressful, but a budget app can make things much easier and help you avoid overspending. To take your holiday shopping to the next level, check out these expert tips to maximize your savings while still making the holiday memorable.
Related holiday articles:
- How I Saved Money Over the Holidays
- I Overspent on Holiday Gifts. Here's How I Plan to Save Differently Next Year
- My Favorite Credit Card for the Holidays Might Surprise You