Gifts for Best Friend That Get the Inside Joke

By the Gift DeskUpdated October 8, 202619 hand-picked ideas

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If they moved awayLong-Distance Friendship Touch Lamps~$62
Most personalCustom Music Playlist QR Plaque~$33
Under $15Best Friend Puzzle Piece Keychains~$12

A best friend is the person you chose, which is both the lovely part and the tricky part of buying for them. There’s no family obligation, no budget your parents set years ago, no shared childhood bedroom to mine for references. What you do have is years of private jokes, a group chat nobody else would understand, and a fairly exact idea of what they’d roll their eyes at.

This guide works for best friends of any gender, and it’s sorted by the shape of the friendship rather than by product. It starts with friends who’ve moved away, then gifts that are about the two of you, things to do together, a short word on keeping gift-giving even, small inside-joke gifts, and finally a section for a friend who’s going through a hard stretch and could use some care.

Shopping for an occasion? We have separate lists for birthday gifts for best friend and Christmas gifts for best friend, plus Galentine’s Day gifts for February.

Shopping for Christmas?Christmas Gifts for Best Friend

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For the friend who moved away

Adult friendships are often long-distance by default: someone takes a job in another city, someone follows a partner, someone moves home to help family. The friendship survives, but it runs on texts and the occasional visit. Gifts that create a small daily moment of contact are what work here.

1
Long-Distance Friendship Touch Lamps
Wi-Fi Touch Lamp Pair
A pair of lamps linked over Wi-Fi: touch yours and theirs glows in the color you’ve chosen. It’s a wordless way to say you’re thinking of them across time zones, without the pressure of a phone call neither of you has time for. Agree on what each color means (pink for good news, blue for a rough day) and it becomes a tiny private language. You’ll both need home Wi-Fi.
On Amazonabout $62
2
Dual Time Zone Desk Clock
A desk clock that shows two times side by side, yours and theirs. It’s a small, practical kindness for a friend who has moved across the country or abroad, and it stops you calling at 4am by mistake. Set both times before you wrap it so it works straight out of the box.
On Amazonabout $22
3
Custom Hometown Map Print
A print of the streets where you met: your college town, the neighborhood you grew up in, the city where you shared a terrible apartment. Hung on their new wall, it’s a reminder of where the friendship started. Name a couple of spots in your note (the bar, the dorm, the diner) so they know you remember.
On Amazonabout $30
4
Letter Writing Stationery Gift Box
Rifle Paper Co. Hydrangea Letter Writing Set
Good paper, envelopes and a pen, with the unspoken request that they write back. A letter in the mailbox feels different from a text, and some long-distance friendships settle happily into one a month. Write the first letter yourself and tuck it inside the box.
On Amazonabout $25

Know exactly who it’s for?

Gifts about the two of you

The gifts best friends remember usually point at something only the two of you share: a song from a road trip, a photo from a night nobody recalls clearly, a joke that started years ago and refuses to die.

Our favorite5
Custom Music Playlist QR Plaque
Engraving One Personalized Playlist Plaque
A small engraved plaque with a scan code that opens a playlist you’ve built for them. Fill it with the soundtrack of your friendship: the song you screamed at a concert, the one from the drive to the beach, the one that played at their wedding. It costs little and takes real thought, which is what a best friend notices. Host the playlist on an account you plan to keep, or the link may stop working.
On Amazonabout $33
6
Mini Scrapbook and Photo Album Kit
Kid Made Modern My Photo Journal
A small album kit with pages, stickers and photo corners. Print twenty or thirty pictures from your camera roll, fill it in yourself and add captions. It’s slow and homemade, and that’s what makes it mean more than a printed photo book: your handwriting is in it.
On Amazonabout $22
7
Instax Mini Instant Camera
A small instant camera for capturing nights out on prints that end up stuck to the fridge. Take the first few photos together before you hand it over. Great for the friend who’s always the one taking pictures; skip it for a minimalist, because the prints do pile up.
On Amazonabout $80

Things to do together

Some friendships run on doing things side by side more than on talking. A gift that comes with a plan actually gets used, and you’re part of it.

8
Cold Case Murder Mystery Case File Game
A detective game in a box: case files, evidence and suspects to work through over an evening or two. Made for true-crime fans.
On Amazonabout $30
9
Backyard Bocce Ball Set with Carrying Case
GoSports 100mm Regulation Bocce Set
A bocce set for parks and backyards. Easy to play with a drink in hand, and surprisingly heated once you start keeping score.
On Amazonabout $55
10
Table Tennis Retractable Net and Paddle Set
A net that clamps onto any table, plus paddles. Turns a kitchen table into a ping-pong rivalry for about the price of a pizza.
On Amazonabout $31
11
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
Everything a small group needs for a first campaign. If it takes, it becomes a standing night that keeps a friend group together for years.
On Amazonabout $50

Keeping it even without keeping score

Best friends rarely talk about money, which is exactly why gift-giving between friends can get awkward. One person spends $100, the other spends $20, and nobody says a word, but both notice. Or one friend earns far more than the other, and generosity starts to feel like pressure.

A few habits help. Match effort rather than price: a handwritten letter and a playlist can meet an expensive gift halfway. If your finances are very different, say so lightly and suggest a cap, or agree to swap experiences instead of objects, like a dinner the other one covers next time. And if they give you something unexpectedly lavish, a heartfelt thank-you is the right response, not a frantic plan to outspend them next year.

Small gifts for the inside joke

Cheap, specific and best given for no reason at all, which is often when a best friend gift lands hardest.

12.
Best Friend Puzzle Piece Keychains
Poff Creations Puzzle Piece Keychain Set
Two keychains that fit together like puzzle pieces. Sweet, a little cheesy and happily carried on both sets of keys.
On Amazonabout $12
13.
Friendship Bracelet Making Kit
Thread and beads for making each other bracelets, like you might have at summer camp. Make yours first and mail it with the kit.
On Amazonabout $14
14.
Extra Large Stemless Wine Glass
Big Betty XL Premium Jumbo Stemless Wine Glass
A wine glass that holds most of a bottle. For the friend whose "just one glass" has been a running joke between you for years.
On Amazonabout $30
15.
Flamin' Hot Snack Variety Pack
A box of fiery chips and snacks for the friend who orders everything extra hot. Send it with a note daring them to finish it.
On Amazonabout $10

For a friend going through a hard stretch

Breakups, layoffs, a sick parent, a baby who won’t sleep: sooner or later every best friend has a terrible year. A gift then isn’t about delight; it’s about comfort, and about proving someone noticed. Keep it simple, and send it without expecting a reply.

16
Heated Neck and Shoulder Wrap
A weighted wrap you warm up and drape over tense shoulders. Stress settles in the neck for a lot of people, and this gives them ten minutes of relief on the couch. It’s comforting without being sentimental, which matters when someone is tired of being asked how they’re holding up.
On Amazonabout $40
17
Soothing Herbal Tea Sampler
Bigelow Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea Variety Pack
A box of caffeine-free herbal teas for evenings when sleep doesn’t come easily. Making a cup is a small ritual, and small rituals help during a long, rough patch. It’s also a gentle choice for a friend who doesn’t want any fuss made.
On Amazonabout $25
18
Chenille Knit Throw Blanket
A soft, heavy throw for the couch where they’re probably spending more time than usual. It’s a warm gift that says "rest" without saying anything at all. Choose a color that suits their living room, since it will be on display.
On Amazonabout $35
19
Gourmet Snack Box
A Gift Inside Sweet and Savory Snack Basket
A box of good snacks for someone who keeps forgetting to eat properly or can’t face cooking. It arrives ready to open, no effort required. Better still, follow it with a food delivery gift card later in the week so they get a real meal too.
On Amazonabout $35

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Before you buy for your best friend

Scroll through your photos of the two of you from the past year. The best gift idea is often sitting in your camera roll.
Buy for their life as it is now. If they’ve had a baby, moved cities or started a demanding job, what they need has probably changed.
The note matters more with a best friend than with almost anyone. Write the thing you’d never quite say out loud.
If you’re part of a friend group, check that nobody else is buying the same thing. Two identical gifts from two friends is only funny once.
Still undecided? Describe your friend to our gift finder with a detail or two about what you do together, and you’ll get ideas with reasons attached.

Questions people ask about best friend gifts

What’s a meaningful gift for a best friend?

Something that points at your friendship: a playlist plaque of songs from your years together, a homemade photo album, a map print of the town where you met, or touch lamps if you live apart. The meaning comes from the specific memory, not the price.

What do you get a best friend who lives far away?

Gifts that create small daily contact: friendship lamps, a two-time-zone clock, stationery for writing letters. Ship it straight to them and schedule a video call for the day it’s due to arrive.

How much should you spend on a gift for your best friend?

There’s no standard, and plenty of close friends spend $20 to $60. What matters is that it feels even over time. If your budgets differ a lot, agree on a cap or swap experiences instead.

What’s a good gift for a male best friend?

Most of this page works for any friend. For a guy who isn’t sentimental, lean toward things to do together, like a bocce set or a detective game, or something small and funny with a sincere note inside.

Christmas Gifts for Best Friend Birthday Gifts for Best Friend Gifts for Wife Gifts for Mom Gifts for Her Gifts for Husband Gifts for Girlfriend Christmas Gifts Gifts for Brother Gifts for Dad Gifts for Boyfriend Gifts for Him Gifts Under $100 Christmas Gifts for Wife

For the friend who moved away

Know exactly who it’s for?

Gifts about the two of you

Things to do together

Keeping it even without keeping score

Small gifts for the inside joke

For a friend going through a hard stretch

Shop this guide by price

Under $25

$25–$50

$50–$100

Before you buy for your best friend

Questions people ask about best friend gifts

Related gift guides

For the friend who moved away

Know exactly who it’s for?

Gifts about the two of you

Things to do together

Keeping it even without keeping score

Small gifts for the inside joke

For a friend going through a hard stretch

Shop this guide by price

Under $25

$25–$50

$50–$100