Does everyone in the group see who drew whom?

No. The group card shows that the exchange was drawn and how many people joined, but not the pairings. Each participant gets their own match in a private message from the bot.

Why does every participant have to press Start?

Telegram bots can only send private messages to people who have started a chat with them. If a participant never presses Start, the bot cannot deliver their match, so that person cannot take part in the draw.

How much does Pro cost and what does it add?

Pro is 150 Telegram Stars, paid once for the group. It removes the 10-participant limit, lets the organiser exclude pairs such as couples, allows /redraw, and sends participants a reminder three days before the exchange date.

Can we redo the draw after someone has seen their match?

In a Pro group the organiser can use /redraw, which creates a new set of pairings and sends new private messages. On the free tier a single draw is final, apart from ending the exchange and starting again.

How to Run a Secret Santa in a Telegram Group

A Secret Santa works best when nobody has to collect names in a spreadsheet, pair people by hand and then quietly message twenty screenshots. SantaDrawProBot keeps the whole exchange in the group: one member starts it, everyone else taps Join, and the draw happens inside Telegram.

The important part is that the group never sees the pairings. Each participant receives their match in a private message from the bot, which is why every participant has to press Start on the bot before the draw. Without that private chat, the bot has no way to deliver the name.

Free groups can run an exchange with up to 10 participants. Pro is a one-time 150 Stars payment for the group and lifts that cap, adds exclusions for couples, allows a redraw and sends a reminder before the exchange date.

Keep reading

Steps

Start the exchange in the group. Run /santa 25 EUR 2026-12-20 in the group you want to use. The three parts are the gift budget, the currency and the exchange date. The bot posts a card with a Join button and records whoever started it as the organiser.
Ask everyone to join and press Start. Each member taps Join, then opens a private chat with the bot and presses Start. This second step is not optional: the bot sends the match by direct message and can only reach people who have started that chat. A participant who never presses Start cannot be matched.
Collect wishlists privately. Participants who want to help their Santa can send /wish in the private chat with the bot, for example /wish warm socks, a paperback and good coffee. The wishlist is attached to their participation and forwarded to whoever draws them, not posted in the group.
Exclude couples before the draw, if needed. In a Pro group the organiser can run /exclude @alice @bob to keep two people from drawing each other. Use it for couples, flatmates or anyone else who should not be paired. Exclusions have to be set before /draw.
Run /draw when joining is closed. The organiser runs /draw in the group. The bot closes the participant list, creates the pairings and sends every participant their match in a private message. The group card changes to a drawn state, but it does not reveal who has who.
Redraw or remind before the exchange. If something is wrong, the organiser can run /redraw in a Pro group to create new pairings and send fresh messages. Pro groups also get a reminder to participants three days before the exchange date, and the bot posts an announcement in the group on the day itself.

Good to know

The free tier allows one exchange with up to 10 participants per group. The draw itself is free, and there is no subscription. Pro costs 150 Telegram Stars once for the whole group, not per participant, and adds unlimited participants, /exclude, /redraw and the three-day reminder.
The organiser is whoever ran /santa, not automatically a group admin. Only that person can run /draw, /redraw, /exclude or end the exchange with /santa end. If the organiser leaves the group, the exchange does not become editable for everyone else.
A draw needs at least two participants. If the exclusions are too strict, the bot may not find a valid pairing at all; in that case remove one exclusion or add another participant before trying again.
Matches and wishlists are kept until 30 days after the exchange date and then deleted automatically. The organiser can remove the data earlier with /santa end.
Do not treat the group card as the delivery mechanism. It is only a status card. The actual name arrives in a private chat, so tell people to look there rather than asking the bot to reveal the match in the group.

See SantaDrawProBot About the bot Open in the hub

FAQ

Does everyone in the group see who drew whom?: No. The group card shows that the exchange was drawn and how many people joined, but not the pairings. Each participant gets their own match in a private message from the bot.
Why does every participant have to press Start?: Telegram bots can only send private messages to people who have started a chat with them. If a participant never presses Start, the bot cannot deliver their match, so that person cannot take part in the draw.
How much does Pro cost and what does it add?: Pro is 150 Telegram Stars, paid once for the group. It removes the 10-participant limit, lets the organiser exclude pairs such as couples, allows /redraw, and sends participants a reminder three days before the exchange date.
Can we redo the draw after someone has seen their match?: In a Pro group the organiser can use /redraw, which creates a new set of pairings and sends new private messages. On the free tier a single draw is final, apart from ending the exchange and starting again.

Related guides

Related bots

SantaDrawProBot — Secret Santa for a Telegram group: join, draw, and matches sent by DM.
AnonInboxProBot — A personal link where strangers write to you anonymously; you reply and can block.
AnonSayProBot — Post anonymously into a Telegram group through the bot.
JoinApproveProBot — Approves every join request at once and sends each new member one welcome message.

Curious what the Pro features cost? See pricing.