Draw names online in 5 steps
Create the draw
Give it a name, then pick the exchange date, the budget and, if you like, the day and time of the draw. In Rimbi, the draw then runs on its own at the scheduled time.
Add the participants
Type in their names, or share a link or a code so everyone joins on their own. An email address isn’t required: a phone number is enough.
Add exclusions
Say who shouldn’t draw whom: couples, two siblings, or people who had each other last year. You can also rule out two-way draws.
Choose how people find out
By email, by text, in the app, or on a single phone passed around the table.
Run the draw
Each person only gets the name of the person they’re buying for. In Rimbi, the draw is checked before it runs: if your rules make it impossible, you know right away.
Exclusions: keep couples apart, avoid repeats
An exclusion stops one person from drawing another. It’s the most requested rule, so couples don’t end up buying for each other. The most useful rules:
| Rule | What it prevents | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusion | Two people drawing each other | Léa and Tom, a couple, don’t draw each other |
| No two-way draws | Two people buying for each other | If Inès buys for Hugo, Hugo doesn’t buy for Inès |
| No repeats | Getting the same person year after year | Tom doesn’t get Grandma Jo again after buying for her last year |
| No drawing yourself | Landing on your own name | Always applied |
Don’t overdo it: with many exclusions in a small group, no draw can satisfy every rule. Rimbi checks that the draw is still possible before running it, and by default avoids repeating any pairing from the last three years.
Run your Secret Santa with Rimbi
Name draw with exclusions, guests without the app by text or email, wish lists and group gifts. Free for up to 20 people, no ads.
Coming soon to iPhone and Android
No email: by text, on WhatsApp or on one phone
Many tools ask for every participant’s email address. You don’t actually need it:
| Method | What you need | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone’s address | The message can end up in spam | |
| Text message | Everyone’s number | Handy for people who rarely check email |
| Link on WhatsApp or Messenger | A group chat | The link is for joining the draw; results stay private, never in the chat |
| App | The app installed | Animated draw, reminders and wish lists |
| One phone | Everyone in the same room | The phone goes around; each person sees their name out of sight of the others |
In Rimbi, the organizer can send a guest a personal link by text or email, valid for 7 days: the guest sees who they drew and that person’s wish list, with nothing to install. For a whole group, a link or a code can be shared on WhatsApp, Messenger or by text.
Keeping the secret, even from the organizer
A good online draw only shows each person their own result. So the organizer can play like everyone else, without knowing who gives to whom. Three habits that keep the secret safe:
- Never post the results in the group chat: everyone sees their name privately.
- If someone forgets who they drew, they can find it again in the app or with their link, without asking the organizer.
- To ask the person you’re buying for a question (their size, their tastes), use an anonymous message rather than a chatty relative.
Adding or removing someone after the draw
A latecomer or a dropout doesn’t ruin the whole draw. Two options:
- Redo the draw. It’s simple, but everyone has to find out their new name, and some may have already bought a gift.
- Adjust it discreetly. In Rimbi, only one person’s draw changes, and the organizer doesn’t know whose. Everyone else keeps theirs.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online name draw really random?
Yes. The computer draws names at random, following only the rules the group set: exclusions, no two-way draws, no repeats. Nobody picks who gets whom.
Can you draw names for Secret Santa for free?
Yes. Rimbi is free for one group of up to 20 people, kids included, with every feature. Guests never pay.
Do you need everyone’s email address?
No. A phone number is enough to send the link by text, and a link or code shared on WhatsApp lets everyone join the draw on their own.
What if the draw is impossible?
It means there are too many exclusions for the size of the group. Remove an exclusion, allow two-way draws or add a participant. Rimbi checks this before running the draw.
Can you see who drew whom?
Not during the game: each person only sees their own draw, organizer included. At the end, the organizer can plan a reveal: everyone finds out who their Secret Santa was, or the whole gift chain is shown.