The Best Gifts Under $25 for Everyone on Your List (2026)

I’ve used Field Notes for years—they’re lightweight, sturdy, and a perfectly pocketable. The National Parks Series elevates what would otherwise be a utilitarian notebook to its giftable status, with artist-created covers inspired by our nation’s natural wonders—from Acadia to the Hawai’i Volcanoes.

My city recently got its own brick-and-mortar Muji store, and if you’ve never visited the famed Japanese retailer in person, it’s basically a mecca for stationery and desk accessories. These pens in particular are famous for their smooth ink and precision tips, and make a perfect companion for the Field Notes notebooks at left.

Set the right vibe in any room with this WIRED-recommended, Matter-compatible smart light bulb that features millions of colors, scenes, and effects you can control with Alexa, Google Assistant, or the Govee app. You can also sync it to music with the latter, using the microphone on your phone.

Let your giftee be heard wherever they go with their very own Bluetooth microphone. Former WIRED A/V editor Parker Hall especially liked this one for its series of playback and mixing controls, in addition to adjustable volume, echo effects, and the ability to play, skip, or pause your backing track.

Crowned our best earplugs for sleep, the silicone Loop Quiet 2 are capable of blocking out 24 dB and fit entirely flush with your head, ensuring that they’re perfectly comfortable when you lie on your side. The little handle makes them easy to pull out, and they come in four fun colors with a variety of ear tips to ensure your giftee can get the perfect fit.

Help your giftee’s personal space stay cool and fresh with this 4-in-1 fan, the best handheld fan I’ve personally tried. You can set it on a table or desk, hold it in your hand, clip it onto something with the bottom carabiner, or wear it around your neck. It’s plenty quiet enough to hold a conversation over, and it comes in four fun colors.

A sharp, trusty chef’s knife is a staple in any kitchen, and Kiwi knives are beloved by multiple members of the WIRED Reviews team for their ability to hold an edge just as well as knives that cost 10 times as much. I’ve had a Kiwi knife in my own knife drawer for more than 20 years, and it’s still going strong.

Who doesn’t love a colorful Le Creuset Dutch oven? The real-deal, enameled cast iron version may not be in your gifting budget, but the 8-ounce stoneware cocotte is perfect as a salt cellar, garlic roaster, or even a bowl to eat out of. Most of the classic colors are available, so you can match your giftee’s kitchen or other Le Creuset pots if they have them.

I received this dehydrated fruiting block in a box for my birthday a couple of years ago, and I was super impressed with how quickly and abundantly the oyster mushrooms grew—right on my windowsill. Growing mushrooms isn’t always easy, but this is a fun and educational method for kids and adults alike.

Tropical Monstera deliciosa houseplants are all the rage right now, but many people may not know that they actually bear a fruit. It’s rarely produced outside the monstera’s native climate, so you may not have the opportunity to taste it, but you can get the gist with this one-of-a-kind monstera fruit taffy. (It’s tart!)

WIRED contributing reviewer Alexis Berger organized multiple zones of her house with these QR Code stickers. They come with a free app that will scan and catalog all of a drawer or box’s contents using AI—that way you can just look on your phone for the location of an item instead of spending all day tearing your home and garage apart.

I cannot even begin to list all the times I’ve been glad to be carrying a reusable bag, but the ones I usually have in my purse are small and flimsy. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano loved this 25-inch-tall ripstop model that carries up to 50 pounds yet folds into a flat 5-by-5-inch pouch. It’s also machine washable and comes in 35 colors and prints.

WIRED reviewer Boutayna Chokrane recommends this Hydro Flask in her guide to the best travel mugs for its stainless steel rim that makes for smooth sipping. I have the tumbler version, but I wish it had a handle like this mug. Mine is not easy to hold when it’s cold outside and I’m wearing gloves. (Mug is hand-wash only.)

Though this simple warmer only turns on when you have a mug on it, it was effective and reliable when we tested it, and it makes a great gift for anyone who works from home and ends up having their coffee or tea run cold during meetings. I bought one for my husband for Christmas last year, and it’s still going strong.

Dr. Squatch soap is a pretty safe gift for teen boys (source: I have a teen boy), and a three-pack makes it more likely they’ll at least get one scent that’s a favorite. There are always lots of fun collabs each season, too—this year’s include Taijn seasoning and FIFA.

Yes, they are $1 over the limit, but these bag charms are worth the extra buck. They include little roller-ball bottles of popular Sand + Fog fragrance oils and come in a ready-made gift box, The charms look great on bags and backpacks, and would be a perfect stocking stuffer or angel-tree gift for teen girls.

These puzzles look like normal landscapes but contain a secret section not pictured on the box, with something jarringly incongruent like a dog pooping or a cat barfing. Remove the red sleeve and your giftee will have no idea anything is amiss until they put it together. I gave one of these to my husband, and the ruse worked flawlessly and was just as hilarious as I’d hoped.

I have given these boxes countless times with either a gift certificate or homemade coupon inside, and they’re always a hit, especially in group settings. Many of the dozen or so designs are toilet-themed, but each one is just serious-looking enough that it usually takes people a few long (and hilarious) minutes to realize it’s not a real item.

I carried a Nalgene all through college in the late ’90s before the brand’s polycarbonate was found to have BPA. Now Nalgenes are back with BPA-free Tritan renew plastic, which makes them lightweight and perfect for both outdoor activities and everyday use.

I’m a Leatherman kind of person myself, but sometimes you just need a bigger knife. In those cases, you won’t do better than this folding, portable number featured in our Buy It For Life guide. French Alps-based Opinel has been making knives since 1890, and the No. 8 in particular is so well designed it’s been displayed in museums.