The 11 best gifts under $25 for 2025
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Keep things simple, and affordable, with these unique gift ideas.
Deputy Editor, Buying Advice
Updated
So you want to give someone a gift but you don’t have a ton of cash to spare. Don’t fret because first, you’re not alone, and second, there are tons of options to choose from. Especially if you’re looking in the tech space, it can feel especially daunting to find a gadget that’s affordable but also worth gifting — in other words, not a piece of junk that will eventually take up residence at the bottom of a drawer. But you don’t have to drain your wallet to get someone a cool gadget that will both be useful and make their lives easier. We’ve collected our favorite pieces of tech under $25 that make great gifts and help you to stick to a budget.
Best gifts under $25
If someone on your list commutes to work or takes road trips often, a phone mount like this ESR MagSafe car mount could change how they drive for the better. While most newer cars have built-in software like CarPlay, many older vehicles don’t. This mount uses a ring of N52H magnets to stick to smartphones like glue, so even the rockiest of roads can’t bump it to the floor. It can be attached to most car vents, or directly on the dashboard, depending on their preference, and they can rotate their phone to be in either portrait or landscape orientation. As someone who loves and respects her 2016 Subaru and has no intention of upgrading anytime soon, I wouldn’t leave my driveway without a mount like this in my car.
I’ve never been a huge fan of jigsaw puzzles, but the pieces of art the Magic Puzzle Company makes for you to assemble are a delight. For starters, each has gorgeous and distinctive artwork — while there are a variety of artists who’ve contributed to the company’s puzzle lineup, they all feel related, packed with color, whimsy and a bunch of secrets you’ll notice as you build. The puzzle pieces themselves are high-quality and solid, something that goes a long way towards making a puzzle fun to put together.
But my favorite part is the fact that once you finish the main puzzle, you’re not done. Each has sections that can slide around after you’re done, which opens up a new middle area to be filled in with a bonus section of pieces. This new addition seamlessly fits into the puzzle and expands on its story. It’s hard to describe, but it’s unlike anything I’ve seen in other puzzles. I’m pretty agnostic about my puzzle-makers, but I am itching to get my hands on more from the Magic Puzzle Company and explore their secrets. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor
If you have a tech-lover in your life who hasn’t yet started their own smart home ecosystem, a smart plug is a good place to start. Amazon’s Smart Plug in particular has a low barrier to entry: plug it in, follow an easy setup process in the Alexa mobile app and turn a “dumb” device into a smart one. It’s made even easier by Alexa voice commands — using the mobile app or an Echo device they already have, they can ask the voice assistant to turn off that bedroom lamp before they go to bed or turn on the coffee machine to get it percolating in anticipation of their morning cup of joe. Plus, the Alexa app lets them set schedules and routines for the plug, so that new smart gadgets can run in the background of their lives without missing a beat.
Read more: The best smart plugs
A gadget that kills two birds with one stone is great, but three is even better. This handheld 3-in-1 fan rarely leaves my bag for a number of reasons. First, I run hot and I’m not happy about it. Summer and I do not get along, but I can get overheated even during the cooler months of the year. This cute, portable fan does a great job of cooling me down quickly when I need it most. That’s enough to get me to keep it in my bag at all times, but it punches above its weight by also being a flashlight and a portable battery pack. Sure, it’s not going to beat any of our top picks for the best power banks when it comes to efficiency, but it can top up my phone when it’s close to dying and I still need to call a ride-share home.
Listen, I’ve tried to keep all sorts of plants alive over the years. Working from home, you think it would be easy — but any plant enthusiast, successful or not, will tell you it’s not as simple as you think. If you have a wannabe horticulturalist on your list, this Lego set will not only be fun for them to put together, but it will also give them a taste of that green satisfaction that they crave. The set comes with two adorable little Lego plants — a baby dracaena and baby pilea — and two interchangeable pots in which they live. Once assembled, they can live on your giftee’s desk, nightstand or shelf, always smiling down upon them and never wanting for more water.
iFixit’s Moray Driver Kit will arguably be most appreciated by the most tech-savvy folks in your life, but others can get a lot of use out of it, too. In it, they’ll get 32 precision bits that can help them take apart and repair all sorts of electronics like smartphones, laptops, tablets, small appliances and more. The socket on the included handle is magnetic for ease of use, and there’s even an integrated SIM ejection tool that those with older phones will appreciate. Is it a nerdy gift? Yes. Is it a gift that will become a mainstay in their kitchen, home office or garage? Also yes.
One can never have too many charging accessories, so you can’t go wrong gifting a device like this Anker 313 wireless charging stand. This unassuming stand delivers up to 10W of wireless power to all Qi-compatible phones, and your giftee can set their phone on it either in portrait or landscape mode to power up. That way they can continue watching that show on Netflix or video chatting with friends without missing a beat to power up. The stand even accommodates phone cases as well, making it even easier for them to drop their handset on it and forget about it while it recharges.
Wireless earbuds are a must-have, whether it’s for the office, the gym or a moment of quiet at home. I’m an Apple user, so in my situation, those earbuds are AirPods. And I laughed out loud when, for my birthday last year, my husband gifted me with an AirPods case cover shaped like the little backpack koroks from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Because unlike the rest of you monsters who engineered elaborate zonai devices to torment the adorable little leaf sprites, I adore koroks and would never treat them so disrespectfully. So even when I’m not using the case as a case, it still sits on my desk where I can smile at it.
You’ll want to double-check that you know what kind of earbuds your recipient has, because different models have slightly different case shapes. Once you know exactly what type of case you’re buying for, you can look for something that suits the recipient’s particular interests. Do they love Nintendo games? Or Star Wars? How about famous paintings? With the magic of the internet, you can find a perfect match for anybody. — Anna Washenko, Contributing Reporter
Yes, you can get a decent pair of wireless earbuds for $25. JLab’s Go Air Pop+ are a good pick thanks to their lightweight design, decent isolation, IPX4 water resistance and at least eight hours of battery life on a single charge. Not only do their onboard touch controls actually work quite well, but JLab also has a feature that lets users swap between three different EQ presets directly from the earbuds themselves. The included charging case adds another 24 hours of use and they have a built-in charging cable so your giftee has one less thing to worry about losing.
Perhaps the simplest way to give someone access to a large number of retro classics is through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The Mario maker’s online service comes with a number of emulated essentials from the NES, Super NES and Game Boy, all of which support instant save states and rewinding in case the going gets too tough. Upgrading to the Expansion Pack adds a range of N64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis titles. The N64 and GBA libraries aren’t quite as comprehensive as the other systems and, yes, it’s a bummer that the Switch doesn’t let you fully own these decades-old games. (The N64 app doesn’t support rewind either.) But if your loved one wants to experience some of Nintendo’s foundational titles for the first time or just take a stroll down memory lane, this is an accessible way to make it happen. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter
Sure, charging cables aren’t the sexiest gift, but no one can deny their usefulness. Whether your loved one just got a new iPhone 15 or they have a power bank always on their person, an extra cable that can handle all kinds of devices will be an indispensable gift. This Anker USB-C to C cable supports a max output of 240W, so it will allow them to power up smartphones, laptops and other mobile devices at the fastest speeds possible (provided they have an equally powerful charging brick to use it with). At 10 feet long, it’ll also give your giftee a bit more flexibility when they use it (no more sitting on an airport floor just to be close to an outlet). It’s also partially made with plant-based materials and its braided nylon construction can withstand all of the standard bending and twisting they’ll put this cable through.
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
