55 Best Black Friday Deals Under $50 (2024)

I made a joke earlier this week in my family group chat that everybody was getting $2 and a macaroni picture frame for Christmas. But seriously, have you seen those grocery store prices? I’m shopping for 20 people, and my bank account is already wincing. Luckily, with these Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals under $50, holiday shopping doesn’t have to be pricey. We’ve rounded up deals on affordable tested-and-approved gear so you can get your shopping done without crying afterward.

Updated December 1: We’ve added more deals, cut expired ones, and corrected prices.

WIRED Featured Deals

Tech and Gaming Deals

Photograph: Simon Hill

For under $20, this Arlo camera streams crisp 1080p video straight to your smartphone and even includes motion detection alerts and two-way communication to check in on pets. Whether mounted on a wall or tucked on a shelf, it’s also stealthy security spy. With an $8/month subscription, you’ll also get extra features like cloud storage. It’s peace of mind (and one of our favorite indoor security cameras) on a budget. —Boutayna Chokrane

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is a small upgrade with a game-changing payoff. An intuitive interface, customizable home screen, and access to a variety of free channels—what more could you ask for? No wonder it is our favorite Roku device and overall streaming device. —Boutayna Chokrane

Photograph: Logitech

Logitech’s G203 Corded Gaming Mouse has six programmable buttons, a quick DPI switch, and RGB lighting. Contributor Brad Bourque says that the only downside is a relatively low max DPI, though, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for most users. and for under $40, it makes a nice upgrade from a non-gaming mouse or a backup option for LAN parties. —Boutayna Chokrane

The 8BitDo Ultimate controller is one of the best game controllers for gamers on PC and Nintendo Switch. With five buttons on the front, a pair of rear paddles, and Bluetooth support, it’s a versatile alternative to the Switch Pro. Reviewer Simon Hill also notes that its software allows users to customize the buttons, sensitivity, macros, and vibration intensity. It also comes with a charging dock and a 2.4-GHz dongle for lag-free play. —Boutayna Chokrane

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is truly tiny yet powerful. It’s the Alexa smart speaker I always have set up somewhere in my house, even if I’m testing other voice assistants. This smart speaker might only be a few inches tall, but its audio quality can almost rival the larger Echos. The small footprint makes it easy to add almost anywhere in your home. —Nena Farrell

The Echo Pop (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the cheapest Amazon Echo speaker on a normal day, and it’s the only one you’ll find for under $20 this Black Friday. It’s downright adorable, with a half-moon shape and a couple of fun colors you won’t find in other Amazon speakers. It’s not the most impressive speaker—no surprise with the smaller form factor it has—but it’s not bad for the price, you’ll get all the usual features of a smart speaker. If for some reason you want two of them, some Amazon customers can get an additional $5 off with the code POP2PACK. —Nena Farrell

If you watch mainly Amazon Prime content, the Fire TV Stick is the streaming device you need. You can stream from any service, of course, but it’s heavily geared toward the company’s own content. This 4K Max is faster, with 16 gigabytes of storage versus eight, but if you want to spend less and stay in the Amazon ecosystem, the 4K Stick is on sale for $22 ($27 off).

Photograph: Amazon

The Echo Show 5 is typically overpriced at $90, but the deal price of $40 matches the best we have tracked. Just keep in mind that it goes on sale quite frequently. We prefer the Echo Show 10 for its larger size, but the smaller footprint of the Echo Show 5 is good for a nightstand or tiny kitchen.

This owl- or dragon-patterned, Alexa-powered smart speaker is our favorite speaker for kids, and it opens up a world of music, audiobooks, and kid-friendly content. You get a year of Amazon Kids+ (usually $3 per month), it’s easy to configure via the parent dashboard, and it can serve as a regular Bluetooth speaker. Just bear in mind that it is internet-connected and has a microphone.

Photograph: Nomad

This little USB-C to USB-C cable goes on your keychain, and if you’re ever in a situation where you need power, well, now you always have a cable on you! Just hope there’s a USB-C power source somewhere nearby. The two zinc cable ends magnetically stick together and can carry up to 60 watts, which can even slowly juice up a MacBook Pro. The Lightning to USB-C version is also on sale if you have an older iPhone. Read our Nomad Black Friday Sale roundup for more Nomad goodies.

This might be the best sale of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s a heck of a deal on a metal and glass wireless charger, and it supports Qi2—it’ll work perfectly with iPhones and upcoming Android phones with the Qi2 magnetic charging system. (You can also use it if you have a MagSafe case on your Android phone.

Need a cheap pair of earbuds to not think too much about? Look no further than the Go Air Pop, which are utterly usable earbuds that cost less than $20 this Black Friday. I like keeping a pair in my car or gym bag for when I forget to bring nicer buds with me and still want music. —Parker Hall

Photograph: TriBit

The WIRED Gear team battles over who gets to review each generation of this adorable Bluetooth speaker because it’s just so handy. A tiny little rubber strap lets you attach it to everything from handlebars to backpacks. It sounds shockingly good for its size, too, and a rugged IP67 rating means you don’t need to worry if it takes a spill. —Parker Hall

I was initially skeptical of Disney Dreamlight Valley, but now it’s one of my favorite cozy games. It’s fantastic on the Nintendo Switch as well as other consoles. You’ll run around doing the typical life-sim video game activities: mining gemstones, fishing, growing crops, and changing your outfit. The game features a whole host of characters from Disney and Pixar media, but the storyline is surprisingly grown-up and touching. It’s a great game for playing during these colder months. This version comes with bonus cosmetics.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Apple’s latest version of its wireless charger now has a much longer cable (more than 6 feet!) so you can keep wirelessly charging your iPhone a decent distance from the wall. It’s not going to charge as fast as plugging into the device, but then again, you also don’t have to plug anything into the device. —Julian Chokkattu

I swear there’s some sort of law of the universe that makes it impossible to find a wall adapter when I need one. I have about 38 cables for every wall adapter. This tiny Anker Nano takes up exactly one slot—it’s not oversized and it doesn’t get in the way when using a multi-outlet wall port or power strip. The 30-watt adapter also has a folding plug for even easier storage. And it comes in pretty colors! We also like this 45-watt charger, and it’s just $3 more.

This is our top portable charger recommendation, It has a 10,000-mAh capacity so it can juice up your phone almost twice, it’s compact, and the built-in lanyard is a nice touch. —Julian Chokkattu

If you’re looking for an affordable, good-quality security camera, the Blink Mini 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorites, and it’s half off right now. There are so many good-quality, affordable security cameras on the market, and the Blink Mini 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorites. There’s a $3 per month or $30 per year subscription that gets you a generous 60-day unlimited cloud video history. —Nena Farrell

Accessory Deals

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Did you know you can use your iPhone as a webcam? But you need a handy place to put the iPhone. This is a great little accessory to have around. Attach the mount to your iPhone and you’ll have a kickstand or phone grip, and you can pop out a section that lets you mount the iPhone to your MacBook. Combine the feature with Continuity Camera (instructions for setup can be found here) and you’ll be able to drastically improve the quality of your video compared to your laptop’s built-in webcam.

This is one of our favorite iPad accessories, but it’s also nice for things like the Nintendo Switch or an e-reader as well as your phone. Clamp the gooseneck base onto a nightstand, table, or headboard, and you can mount your tablet or other device any way you please. I used to use a mount like this for filming overhead-style calligraphy videos, but it’d also be nice to have around for long binge-watch sessions of Arcane. Reviewer Brenda Stolyar likes to use hers to follow recipes on her iPad while she’s cooking.

The Loop Experience 2 earplugs are some of our favorite gifts for new parents since they can help cut back on overstimulation. I wish I had had them in class when people wouldn’t stop clicking their pens and the words on my test would blur together. The earplugs slightly reduce noise while letting you hear what’s around you. If you need a bit of a break from your environment but still want to hear what’s going on, these can help smooth the edges and round the corners of reality.

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

These earplugs are one of my festival essentials, and they’re always in my purse just in case my Apple Watch yells at me for being in a loud environment. Unlike typical earplugs, these filter out damaging frequencies without muffling the sound. You’ll still be able to hear the music or the IMAX movie, but it won’t damage your delicate little eardrums. The outer silicone shell is soft and comfortable, with pull tabs for easy removal and adjustment. I also like the metal keychain case, which helps me keep track of these tiny, magical accessories.

The Plum Paper A5 Planner is a gorgeous, customizable planner that lets you add themed pages to complement your life. Whether you want pages for meal planning, fitness tracking, or journaling your baby’s growth, Plum Paper has it all. Those baby-related add-ons are why it’s my paper planner pick for parents. (It will cost around $5 to $10 extra.) Plum Paper also has a ton of gorgeous sticker packs to order, from seasonal to fitness or baby themes. You can get custom stickers, too, which is fun. It’s a great planner if you want something specific to your life—my copy has a section just for my son!—and you can get your own for 30 percent off right now. —Nena Farrell

Dbrand’s Grip case has topped a few of our case guides, and you can customize it further with a skin (there are dozens to choose from). There’s even a sick new glow-in-the-dark skin (the company just sent it to me but I haven’t had a chance to install it). The company’s Black Friday sale encompasses skins for all kinds of products, so check it out. You’ll find lots of things for under $50. —Julian Chokkattu

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

It makes no sense to spend hundreds of dollars on a new iPhone, just to let it out in the world totally exposed. We suggest putting a Smartish screen protector on it. Reviews editor Julian Chokkattu also likes the tidy cable wrangler.—Adrienne So

It’s hard to pick just one thing from Moft’s sitewide sale because we like pretty much all of the company’s origami-inspired accessories. However, reviews editor Julian Chokkattu loves the Notepad Case, and I use the little folding wallet stand every day to read or FaceTime people on my phone while I’m eating breakfast. Use code BF10 to take $10 off $50 purchases.—Adrienne So

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

Sure, you can use Apple Wallet to pay for everything, but it’s a good idea to still have a card on you (not to mention your ID). This is one of our favorite MagSafe wallets, which will magnetically stick to the back of any iPhone 12 and newer (except the iPhone SE). The cards are easy to push out and it can hold around three cards comfortably. —Julian Chokkattu

Home and Outdoor Deals

Photograph: OXO

The Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker is reviewer Matthew Korfhage’s favorite cold brew maker. The mesh filter ensures a grit-free pour every time, and it brews rich coffee. Korfhage says the Oxo is the closest he gets to the best packaged or café cold brew. —Boutayna Chokrane

WIRED staffers love the Secura French Press Coffee Maker for two main reasons. For one, it’s stainless steel and insulated, meaning it’s built to last and will keep drinks at optimal temperatures for hours. And two, no power cords required, so it’s outdoor-friendly. —Boutayna Chokrane

Bestinnkits’ Smart Coffee Warmer keeps your beverage toasty at about 130 degrees without any fancy apps. Simply set a flat-bottomed mug on it, and it’ll warm automatically; lift it off and it shuts down. This is perfect for slow sippers who hate lukewarm coffee, and for $20, it’s a brilliant holiday gift for your caffeinated loved ones. —Boutayna Chokrane

Photograph: Amazon

This egg cooker fluctuates in price, but this is an especially good deal. It was featured in our “Buy It for Life” guide, where WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu says his wife loves this little countertop appliance. Their unit has been going strong for four years. It can make eggs in basically every way except fried. Poaching? Soft-boiling? Hard-boiling? It can handle those and even make omelets. Plus it looks cute on the counter, which helps justify any space it might take up. —Louryn Strampe

We think ThermoWorks’ Thermapen One is the best instant-read thermometer but the ThermoPop is a great budget option. It’s not as fast as the Thermapen One, but it’s still quick and the large, back-lit, auto-rotating screen is easy to read. It’s waterproof, and accurate to plus or minus one degree. —Scott Gilbertson

We like this budget-friendly food dehydrator and think it offers the best bang for your buck out of all the models we tested. The stackable BPA-free plastic rings are a little bulky and awkward to fit in the dishwasher, but everything we dehydrated dried evenly. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a food dehydrator but want one that works efficiently, this is a model worth checking out.

Photograph: Jordan Michelman

This is a solid discount on our favorite wine opener. WIRED contributor Jordan Michelman says the opener feels good in your hand, it has a sharp knife, and it’s easy to pack away and store. The opener is usually pretty affordable, but why not save some money if you can? —Louryn Strampe

Whenever I have unexpected company, I break out the Chom Chom. It’s a necessity in my household due to the sheer fluffiness of my cat. Seriously, I don’t know how one tiny creature can have so much fur, nor how they can so consistently transfer it to all of my upholstered surfaces. But it’s fine because all I have to do is roll this gadget back and forth across my couch a few times to thoroughly de-fluff it. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s easy to clean out once it’s full. —Louryn Strampe

This LifeStraw was a staple in our outdoorsy gift guide for years. While we replaced it this year, the product is still a great way to filter out bacteria, microplastics, and other contaminants. You can even screw it onto a water bottle instead of using it to slurp out of a stream. Any preppers would likely love to get this gift for the holidays, but for $19, it’s a solid addition to your go-bag if you (like me) are scared of the zombie apocalypse but doing nothing to prepare for one. —Louryn Strampe

The Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel Pillow (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is about as good as it gets. The high, firm sides will keep your neck supported, and the flat back helps keep your spine aligned. We also like the soft, machine-washable microfiber cover. —Louryn Strampe

Photograph: Home Depot

This inexpensive kit is full of our favorite drill bits. The black oxide coating both reduces friction and resists rust, and the drill bits can handle wood, metal, plastics, wallboard, and fiberglass. These go on sale frequently, but this is still a good Black Friday get, especially if you’re picking up the discounted DeWalt drill that we also recommend. —Louryn Strampe

Smart plugs are pretty darn cool. Anything becomes a smart device with their help—just plug in and bam—you can remotely control it. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini is one of our favorite smart plugs since it’s nice and small, making it easy to use without blocking a neighboring outlet. Use the app to make routines and scenes like you would smart lights, so that your house comes to life for you, or to act like you’re home when you aren’t. Buy one on sale, or score an entire four-pack on sale and deck out the house. —Nena Farrell

This is a great little lamp that can transform the vibe of a room. All you have to do is plug it in and aim it toward the wall. It produces a halo-like effect with rainbow colors that make the space feel nice and cozy. (For a sunrise, check out our Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks guide.) It comes with a short cord though, so you’ll have to plug it into a power strip if you want it in a specific spot. I’d also make sure not to place it anywhere that someone can accidentally knock it over. —Brenda Stolyar

Photograph: Pete Cottell

Coffee can be hot or cold, but it should never be tepid. Brother, eugh. This little hockey puck will heat up any flat-bottomed mug that’s placed on top of it. Set down your coffee and the gadget will heat up to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. That means you can use it to warm up your beverage or for less caffeinated tasks such as warming candles. It’ll automatically shut off once the object is removed. It makes a great gift for coffee enthusiasts.

Stasher makes fantastic reusable products, and this is a nice way to dip your toes in before buying a full set (though starter kits are on sale as well). The bags are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, and most importantly, they’re not made of single-use plastic. They’re still resealable and convenient, but they don’t create more garbage every time you use them.

The CrunchCup is a tumbler, but not for coffee—instead, it holds both cereal and milk separately so you can enjoy your cereal on the go without worrying about it getting soggy. There’s a bit of a learning curve, and WIRED reviewer Kat Merck recommends small, spherical cereal like Cheerios for the best experience. It comes in a handful of fun colors to shop while it’s on sale. —Nena Farrell

Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

If you’re in the market for a new water bottle, the Owala has been our favorite to shop for a while, and the FreeSip (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is now at the top of our Best Reusable Water Bottles guide. It’ll keep your drink nice and fold, and can drink from either the built-in straw or the chug spout. There are a ton of cute colors, most of which are on sale, and a newer twist-cap version. —Nena Farrell

This chic organizer is our favorite toiletry bag for women for a reason. From the handy compartments to the water-resistant section to pack your liquids, it’s a great bag to keep everything organized and safely travel with it. It’s got a wire top that stays open and retains its shape, and the material quality is great. It’s on the large size compared with other Dopp kits, but that means you can definitely store everything you want to in this kit. If you need even more space, Beis’ Cosmetic Case, another Gear team favorite, is 30 percent off. —Nena Farrell

Health and Beauty Deals

Photograph: Wyze

This is one of the few smart scales we recommend. It supports up to eight individual profiles, and there are modes for babies, luggage, and pets to track weight without messing up your stats. The scale can also track metrics like muscle mass, visceral fat, and basic metabolic rate measurements if you install the companion app on your smartphone. —Louryn Strampe

Note that the $12 price is if you choose “Subscribe & Save,” which you can modify or cancel after the first product ships; otherwise, you’ll pay $1 more. If a washcloth and a makeup remover wipe had a softer, faster-drying baby, that would be the MakeUp Eraser. The microfiber cloth is one of our favorite reusable products. Wet it with water, run it over your face, and be amazed at how your mascara, smoky eyeshadow, and eyebrows disappear in one fell swoop. (Sorry to call you out like that.) Afterward, you’ll want to cleanse again, but the Makeup Eraser is one of the fastest and easiest ways to start your skincare routine. Even on nights that I forget to take care of my skin, at least I’m not sleeping in my makeup anymore. Most of the time. —Louryn Strampe

The Comin’ In Hot dryer is one of our favorite blow dryers, mainly because it doesn’t sacrifice its performance for affordability. It also comes with a concentrator nozzle, and additional attachments are sold separately. —Boutayna Chokrane

I know it’s a dollar over $50, but this deal is worth bending the rules. It’s the most versatile Theragun alternative we’ve tried, and it’s usually really difficult to get a powerful percussive massager for this darn cheap. It comes with a whopping eight attachments to focus on your problem areas, plus a carrying case to keep them all corralled.

Toy Deals

Photograph: Amazon

Magna-Tiles may be expensive (a little less expensive now), but the return on investment is just staggering. We bought our daughter’s first set when she was 2 or 3 and enjoyed making little 2D ice cream cones or hats. Now she’s 9 and can make full villages for stuffed animals in the course of an afternoon. There are also a ton of different themed sets (also on sale) if you need more specialized pieces for race courses or jungles. —Adrienne So

A firm WIRED favorite and one of the best family board games, Ticket to Ride features steam engine styling and rules that are easy to grasp. All you must do is claim railway routes across the US and Canada using your colorful plastic rail cars. Spend cards to claim routes, rack up bonus points for connecting specific destinations, and the person with the highest score at the end wins. All aboard, choo, choo! —Simon Hill

Inspired by the Royal Palace of Evora in Portugal, with its Moorish blue-and-white ceramic tiles, this board game challenges you to make mosaics by matching tiles with different patterns and colors to amass the maximum possible score. One of the best family board games for all tastes, Azul is easy to grasp but supports many tactical approaches and has surprising depth. The beautiful tiles and other components are high quality, and filling your board is deeply satisfying. Play moves quickly, and you can complete a game in less than an hour, but you will probably want to play again immediately. —Simon Hill

Photograph: Amazon

Start with a randomly generated map of hexagonal tiles in this addictive family board game, and gather and trade resources to develop your civilization and win. Amassing enough victory points requires a smart strategy and some dice-rolling luck. Catan is easy to get the hang of and only takes around an hour to finish. Players can trade freely, but the robber mechanic can cause arguments, so set some ground rules. The modular randomization makes for excellent replay value, and there are expansions and spin-offs to further complicate the gameplay. This game is for three or four players aged 10 years and up. —Simon Hill

This cat-themed card game is easy to pick up and perfect for a quick game. The aim is to avoid exploding kitten cards by wielding a comical cast of cats with special powers. Timing and strategy are essential to get the best of your opponents. This fun card game appears in our Best Family Board Games guide. The countless expansion packs are worth trying if it’s a hit with your family. —Simon Hill

This adorable Lego set makes for a great White Elephant gift thanks to its affordable price point and beautiful design that could fit into any home, even if they aren’t a major Lego fan. It’s also well designed to do as a duo, since each half of the centerpiece is built separately and then combined. My husband and I built this together for Valentine’s Day together one year, and it’s one of my favorite date nights we’ve ever had. —Nena Farrell

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