Score a great gift for everyone on your list without breaking the bank. Every one of these gifts comes WIRED-recommended.
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Gift shopping on a budget is stressful. Prices sometimes soar around the holidays, making it tough to find genuine bargains. To help, we spent countless hours testing all manner of gizmos and gadgets to bring you expert advice on what is worth buying. These gifts are sure to bring a smile to your loved ones’ faces without breaking the bank too badly, though we know $100 isn’t exactly cheap, either.
For more ideas, the WIRED 101 is full of things (sometimes expensive) that are sure to impress. If you don’t mind spending more, check out our Best Tech Gifts guide, and if money is tight, we’ve also made a list of the Best Gifts Under $25. For giftees with a particular passion, you can find tailored options, like gifts for audiophiles, coffee fans, book lovers, and more.
Updated November 2025: We’ve added several new gadgets.
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Portable Sound
Despite the affordable price, the Tribit StormBox 2 sounds great, with dual-firing drivers and passive radiators. It comes in a 7-inch-long pill shape and can output up to 30 watts, with a bass boost button for that extra oomph. Battery life is up to 24 hours, and it supports stereo pairing if you have more than one.
This gadget appears in our Best Bluetooth Speakers guide.
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Light It Up
Most light strips are designed to be tucked away in recesses, but this Govee strip has a diffuser, so you can stick it anywhere you want and it still looks great. The adhesive-backed metal brackets make for easy installation. The Govee app allows you to schedule, cycle through colors, play animations, and even create your own scenes. Some transitions are blocky, and the app can be confusing, but this is a great way to introduce your recipient to smart lights.
This is our favorite diffused light strip from our Best Smart Lighting guide.
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A Smart Speaker
This cute ball of sound is the latest Alexa speaker from Amazon. You get rich, powerful sound from the Echo Dot Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends), a nice sloped design that makes it easy to see and press the buttons, and it also brings access to Alexa+, Amazon’s souped-up version of its voice assistant. While Alexa+ offers a more natural conversation experience, the caveat is that it requires a subscription once Early Access mode ends. It’ll cost $20 per month, though if your giftee has Amazon Prime, they won’t have to subscribe.
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Power Up
Sling a good portable charger in your bag, and you will never be stranded with a dead phone again. Our favorite is Nimble’s Champ, which is compact, light, and packs a 5,000- to 20,000-mAh capacity, capable of recharging most phones and laptops at least once, fully at its smallest size. It comes in snazzy speckled colors with a handy lanyard strap and a small USB-C cable. We are also big fans of Nimble’s environmental efforts (using bioplastics and plastic-free packaging).
This power bank is the top pick in our Best Portable Chargers guide.
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Desk Tidy
We love multifunctional gadgets like this headphone stand from Oakywood, which offers a place to hang your cans and a spot to wirelessly charge your phone. The angular base in solid walnut or oak is super stylish, and the steel stand keeps your headphones neatly out of the way.
This headphone stand appears in our Best Wireless Chargers guide.
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Game On
Comfy to hold for long gaming sessions, with a subtle texture that adds grip, this mobile controller combines sensitive analog sticks with clicky buttons and an excellent D-pad. It can connect via Bluetooth or USB-C cable for gaming on a Nintendo Switch 2, MacBook, Windows PC, Android phone, or iPhone. Battery life is 20 hours, it has programmable buttons on the back, and it’s easy to remap.
This is a top pick in our Best Mobile Controllers guide.
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Smarter Home
For folks looking to make their home a little smarter, a motion sensor can prove very handy indeed. This one from Eve reliably tracks room occupancy and light levels, works with Matter for easy compatibility, and makes it very easy to automate things like smart lights and smart shades.
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Forty Winks
This combination sound machine and night-light is also a dimmable bedside clock. You can customize colors, adjust the volume, and play content from the sound library in the app, but you can also just tap the top to cycle through options (there is a child lock if you need it). The optional $50 annual Hatch membership adds bedtime stories, lullabies, and meditations.
This gadget appears in our Best Sound Machines and Best Night-Light guides.
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Wireless Keyboard
One of the best scissor-switch keyboards available, the Keychron B2 Pro offers a comfortable and quiet typing experience, is fully customizable (you can use Keychron’s Launcher software to remap keys and set up macros), and it looks pretty stylish.
You’ll also find this deck in our Best Keyboards guide.
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Gaming Mouse
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Photograph: Henri Robbins
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Photograph: Henri Robbins
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Photograph: Henri Robbins
You don’t have to spend big to snag a great gaming mouse, and the Steelseries Rival 3 proves it. This mouse is lightweight, responsive, and has a lovely rubbery scroll wheel and a couple of handy side buttons. It’s everything most people need without the unnecessary frills.
This is the budget pick in our Best Gaming Mice guide.
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Coffee to Go
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Hydro Flask
Coffee with Flex Sip Lid
With a practically indestructible powder coating, this travel mug is ideal for folks seeking a low-maintenance mug that doesn’t need careful handling. It also has a pebbled texture that adds grip, and it holds plenty of coffee.
This is the top pick in our Best Travel Mugs guide.
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Waffle House
Solidly made, with a sleek stainless lid surrounded by sturdy plastic, this Cuisinart waffle maker (7/10, WIRED Recommends) can feed a family of four. It weighs about 10 pounds, so storing it under the counter is recommended. There are five settings to get the shade of waffle you prefer, and it is mercifully tough to burn them with this gadget.
This waffle maker appears in our Buy It for Life guide.
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TV Time
This clever stick plugs right into an HDMI port on your TV and comes with a hands-free remote, so you can use voice commands to pick movies and shows. Roku’s interface is responsive, easy to navigate, and acts as a gateway to every streaming service under the sun.
This is the top pick in our Best Streaming Devices guide.
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Vinyl Revival
Despite the ease with which you can stream just about any track ever recorded, a whole new generation is discovering the delights of collecting vinyl. This nifty turntable gives them something cute and affordable to play records on. There is a built-in speaker, but you can also wirelessly stream to another device.
This appears in our Best Tech Gifts for Kids guide.
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Frothy Milk
Whether you want to up your coffee game or make better hot chocolate, a milk frother is a great way to do it. This uncomplicated frother has a 10-ounce max capacity and makes perfectly drinkable wet foam steamed to between 130 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
This gadget is featured in our Best Milk Frothers guide.
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Party Game
Easy to grasp, quick to play, and often hilarious, Telestrations is the game that always comes out when we have people over (eight players is ideal). Telestrations challenges you to draw words or phrases to pass along and then to identify the sketches that other players pass to you. When the erasable books get back to the owners, everyone reveals how far from the original message things got.
This game appears in our Best Family Board Games guide.
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Stop Slouching
The gift every grandma has been dreaming of encourages us to sit up straight at the dinner table. The Upright Go S gently vibrates to remind you when you are hunched over and encourage you out of bad habits. It sends your slouching data to the companion app so you can track your posture progress.
This is our top pick in our Best Posture Correctors guide.
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A Classy Fitness Tracker
I don’t think you’ll find a nicer-looking smartwatch under $100 than the CMF Watch 3 Pro from Nothing. Don’t let its price fool you; it can accurately track your heart rate, and even offers up an “Active Score” to determine if your giftee has been active. The battery lasts more than a week, the screen is bright, there’s dual-band GPS, and it can track sleep and blood oxygen levels as well. No need to wear an ugly fitness tracker anymore!
This is the budget pick in our Best Fitness Trackers and Best Smartwatches guides.
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Blow Dry
This lightweight, reliable hair dryer won’t let you down. It boasts a powerful high-torque DC motor, three heat and two speed settings, and a removable filter to help extend its lifespan. It’s a budget workhorse that’s ideal for rough-drying before hair styling.
This is the affordable pick in our Best Hair Dryers guide.
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Stay Dry
Most folks grab a cheap umbrella when it rains, or go without, but a well-made, compact umbrella is a smart addition to any bag. This brolly combines tough fiberglass ribs and shaft with a quick-drying Teflon fabric. It opens and closes automatically, has a pouch with a zipper for compact storage, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
This is the top pick in our Best Umbrellas guide.
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Radio Ga-Ga
Featuring a classic design that’s perfect for a garage or workshop, this dinky portable radio sounds pretty good for the price, has a large display to show the channel you’re on, and easy-to-use dials. It takes three AA batteries for portable mode, but you can plug in the included AC adapter if you prefer.
Find out more about this device in our Best Radios guide.
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Pocket Knife
The iconic red plastic handle of Victorinox’s Deluxe Tinker makes it easy to spot, and it packs an impressive 17 mini-tools. It is light, compact, and durable enough to slip into a pocket or bag and forget about until you need it. The company offers a lifetime warranty.
This appears in our Best Multi-Tools guide.
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Warm Hands
These eye-catching knitted mitts come in all sorts of fun color combos and keep your fingers cozy. Even better, the tips of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger all work with touchscreens, so you can use your phone without having to take your gloves off. They are machine washable, too.
These gloves appear in our Best Touchscreen Gloves guide.
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Cha-Ching
This tough, minimalist, aluminum wallet with a leather cover has a clever trigger to quickly draw your cards when you need to pay. You can fit six cards in the main compartment, which also has RFID blocking. There’s a strap to hold cash and some extra pockets in the cover.
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Reading Light
You can read without disturbing your partner with this clip-on light. It has an easily adjustable gooseneck and two swiveling light bars with seven LEDs apiece. The large, padded clamp supports various positions, and you can cycle through five levels of brightness and three warm colors with minimal blue light. The battery life is up to 80 hours on the lowest brightness, and there’s a USB-C port for charging.
This gadget appears in our Best Reading Lights guide.
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Handy Backpack
Capable of carrying textbooks and a laptop in its dedicated 15-inch sleeve, this versatile bag also works as an overnight bag stuffed with clothes and a pair of shoes, or as a carry-on with essentials. The 600-denier polyester with faux leather bottom and handle is a durable combo.
This appears in our Best Backpacks guide.
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Be Cool
Our favorite fan features three easy-to-press speed buttons and will happily sit on a table, sideboard, desk, or the floor to quietly and effectively push air throughout your home. It even has a handle for easy carrying, and you can unscrew the front grille to clean it.
This appears in our Best Fans guide.
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Super Fiber
Merino wool is natural and renewable, and manages to be cool or warm when you need. This top is just the right weight for a base layer, with heavy-duty seams that don’t rub. At only 87 percent merino wool (blended with nylon), this is a great intro to the delights of a wool base layer.
This top appears in our Best Merino Wool Clothes guide.
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Retro Sling
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Long Weekend
Monterey Sling
It might be designed as a camera sling, but your giftee can use this stylish, retro bag from Long Weekend for anything. The larger pocket can fit a decent amount of stuff, there’s a zippered pocket on the outside, and a little pouch next to it. It can be worn as a fanny pack or crossbody bag.
This bag appears in our Best Camera Bags guide.
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Stay Charged
Jet off to more than 200 countries with this compact adapter, and you can keep all your gadgets charged. It’s easy to slide out EU, UK, and US plugs, and you can rotate the pins for sockets in Australia and China. The plugs lock securely in place. This charger is lightweight, and it has plenty of ports that can deliver a generous charging rate of up to 70 watts.
This is the top pick in our Best Travel Adapters guide.
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Extended Battery
You can keep your iPhone or Qi2 Android phone going for a little longer or bring it back from the dead with this handy magnetic power bank that sticks to the back unobtrusively to deliver up to 10,000 mAh (enough for at least one full charge). It also has a handy wee fold-out kickstand and a display.
This is our top pick in our Best MagSafe/Qi2 Power Banks guide.
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Kids’ Headphones
Altec Lansing
Kid Safe 2-in-2 ANC Headphones
Volume-limited headphones are essential for protecting your child’s ears, and they can give you some peace from the din of repetitive cartoons or strange YouTube videos. This comfy pair from Altec Lansing sound great and boast active noise cancellation, making them ideal for road trips.
These appear in our Best Kids’ Headphones guide.
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Beard Art
No matter how good your sculpting skills are, a decent beard trimmer is a necessity to avoid looking like a mountain man who has just awoken from hibernation. This one cuts close and effectively, has decent battery life, and comes with a laundry list of attachments.
This is the value pick in our Best Beard Trimmers guide.
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Cable Keyring
Rolling Square
InCharge X 6-in-1 Cable
Your giftee will never be without that charging cable they need ever again if you snag them one of these handy multi-cable keyrings. It boasts six charging combinations, with USB-C and USB-A on one end of the short braided cable, and Lightning, MicroUSB, and USB-C on the other.
This handy gadget is in our Best USB-C Cables guide.
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Square Eyes
Cute desk ornament or crafter’s delight, this tiny, fully working TV can be loaded with hours of video. Home movies, music videos, or your favorite films and shows can be loaded on here. It even has a tiny remote control.
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Light Show
A light strip on the back of your TV that reacts to the onscreen action can be a lot of fun, and this one works pretty well. Signify is the company behind Philips Hue, and Wiz is its budget brand. While this kit isn’t perfect (it won’t work with smart TV apps and only has one HDMI input), it’s the cheapest option without a camera.
You’ll find alternatives in our Best Smart Lighting guide.
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Keeping Tabs
These handy wee trackers can help you keep tabs on your luggage, keys, pets, and whatever else you attach them to on your iPhone using Apple’s Find My app.
These are featured in our Best Trackers guide.
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Hot House
A great gift for gardeners, this easy-to-assemble grow box features three LED light strips at the top with a timer and varied light-intensity settings. It’s perfect for cuttings, seeds, starts, and other green-fingered projects.
This gadget is featured in our Best Gifts for Plant Lovers guide.
Simon Hill is a senior writer for WIRED and has been testing and writing about technology for more than 15 years. You can find his previous work at Business Insider, Reviewed, TechRadar, Android Authority, USA Today, Digital Trends, and many other places. He loves all things tech, but especially smartphones … Read More



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