Digital wishlist – Santa reads online
The classic wish list is no longer in fashion. While our children may still write their wishes on paper, decorated with paintings to please Christ Child or Santa Claus, the wishes are preferably distributed digitally among family and friends.
There are several ways to create online wish lists. Both independent services and large mail order companies offer wish list functions. But it doesn’t always have to be the Amazon wish list. I present you different alternatives.
When testing the alternatives, I made sure that the tool is easy and comfortable to use, is not flooded with advertising, does not perform excessive tracking, is usable on mobile devices such as smartphones, and whether a free input of wishes is possible (so no binding to certain stores).
Wunschzettel.de
On wunschzettel.de you can also create free wish lists for any occasion. To do this, you can choose any URL below wunschzettel.de for your wish list (if it is not already taken).
After entering your name, e-mail address and a password, the wish list is already created and can be filled. You can enter your wishes freely, as well as insert a link to the article, whereupon in many cases details about the article are already pre-filled. The wishes can also be divided into categories.
The wish list can then be shared and anyone can check in for one or more wishes – even without signup. Practical: Anyone who signs up on wunschzettel.de also receives an overview of all the wishes of friends that they have clicked on and therefore have to buy.
mitbringen.net
On mitbringen.net you can create “bring lists” free of charge and quite freely. These lists are nothing more than lists of “things” that are needed for an event or similar – so the platform is also suitable for wish lists. The path to a new wish list is very short; registration is not necessary. All you have to do is enter a name for a list and two clicks later you are already in possession of an empty list that now wants to be filled. Optionally, you can now add a description or a short welcome text. Before you get to the new list, you will be shown a simple password, which you should remember, as this will allow you to fully customize and delete the list later.
The wishes can be entered as free text, with optional details or an optional link to the item in any store. The wish list can then be shared immediately; either by simply sharing the link to the list – which consists of a 6-digit, unique “list number” – or via the integrated “Share” function using a QR code or by entering the e-mail addresses of friends/relatives. Anyone with the link can then sign up for one or more wishes as they wish.
You can also let yourself be notified when something changes on your wish list. You will then immediately receive an e-mail. Nice: On the right-hand side, you can have a conversation parallel to the wish list, and even view a complete history of all changes since the note was created, and even undo (accidental) deletions. Photos can also be uploaded, e.g. to give an indication of the color of a wish.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Wishbob.com
Wishbob.com has a slightly different approach than its two predecessors, mitbringen.net and wunschzettel.de.
The creation of a new wish list is a bit more complex than with the others; you have to fill out a rather extensive form, in which the specification of an e-mail address and an occasion date are obligatory. Nice: If you enter an occasion – such as „Christmas“, you can choose from several designs for the wish list.
Once the wish list has been created, you can fill it in right away. At first glance, the design is a bit more confusing than the previously tested offers. This may be due to the rather large range of functions.
When adding wishes, the input form suggests that you have to enter a store URL; however, this is not the case – free text entries are also accepted. You can also enter a price directly. If you enter a URL for an article, details about the offer are also loaded from the URL and pre-filled – but no article image, but the price.
The presentation of the wishes is – also different from the predecessors – in card form instead of list form. You can share the wish list via the link, or directly from the page via various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc..
You can also download Wishbob as an app from Google PlayStore, Apple AppStore or Huawei AppGallery.
Wishly.de
wishly.de is the only offer that won’t let you enter wishes free style. Instead you can enter a search term and you will get a selection of products (apparently all from Amazon) from which you have to choose.
The creation of the wish list works without registration, similar to mitbringen.net.
The wish list can now be shared via URL or via various options on the website. Visitors can then „reserve“ products.
Comparison
| Freestyle wish input | Signup required | Free | Ads | Mobile friendly | Tracking / Privacy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wunschzettel.de | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 Yes | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 No banners, but affiliate links | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 No privacy statement 🟢 Operator from netherlands 🟡 Tracking via Google Analytics |
| mitbringen.net | 🟢 Yes | 🟢 No | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 Yes, Banners or small amount of money for ad-freeness | 🟢 Yes | 🟢 Operator from germany 🟢 Server location germany 🟢 Tracking via selfhosted matomo |
| wishbob.com | 🟢 Yes, but hidden | 🟡 Yes | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 No banners, but affiliate links | 🟢 Yes | 🟢 Understandable privacy statement 🟢 Operator from austria 🟡 Tracking via Google Analytics |
| wishly.de | 🟡 No | 🟢 No | 🟢 Yes | 🟡 No banners, but affiliate links | 🟢 Yes | 🟢 Operator from germany 🟢 Server location germany 🟡 Tracking via Google Analytics |
Conclusion
All of the tested offers are free of charge and quite convenient to use. If you want to give family and friends the choice of where to buy the wishes, you are well advised to use almost all of the alternatives (only wishly.de does not allow a free choice of store).
An online wish list makes it much easier for you to organize your gift-giving – so you avoid duplicate gifts and long faces.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)