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Applica · Black Friday library

How subscription apps sell Black Friday

79 screens from the 2025 sales of Calm, NordVPN, Adobe, YAZIO, Angel and others: ads, emails, pushes, web pages and paywalls, grouped by app, with every price checked.

EWA

Language learning

Way in: Meta ad to a web quiz at −90%, an Instagram story, pushes on 29 and 30 Nov. In the app, a gift pop-up and five paywalls.
Offer: 12 months $58.99 → $35.49. EWA Max $160 → $79.99. The badge climbed 74% → 90% while the struck price rose $226.88 → $355.

EWA: Ad, Meta, Cyber Monday — Ad Meta, Cyber Monday

ad opens

EWA: Web, Quiz at −90% — Web Quiz at −90%

EWA: Ad, Instagram story — Ad Instagram story

EWA: Push, 29 Nov — Push 29 Nov

EWA: Push, “Max at 50% off” — Push “Max at 50% off”

EWA: Push, 30 Nov — Push 30 Nov

EWA: Paywall, −74% — Paywall −74%

EWA: In app, Gift pop-up — In app Gift pop-up

EWA: Paywall, −87% — Paywall −87%

EWA: Paywall, −90% — Paywall −90%

EWA: Paywall, “1+11 months” — Paywall “1+11 months”

EWA: Paywall, EWA Max, 50% off — Paywall EWA Max, 50% off

Calm

Meditation and sleep

Way in: Meta ads, one opening a coupon page. Four emails and a site banner. In the app, a home banner and a “Black Friday Offer” paywall.
Offer: Web $79.99 → $39.99, 50% off. The app also said “50% off” and charged $69.99 → $49.99, 29% off.

Calm: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

ad opens

Calm: Web, Coupon page — Web Coupon page

Calm: Ad, Meta, founder letter — Ad Meta, founder letter

Calm: Ad, Meta, “Ends 12/1” — Ad Meta, “Ends 12/1”

Calm: Ad, Meta, friend thread — Ad Meta, friend thread

Calm: Email, Early access in a newsletter — Email Early access in a newsletter

Calm: Email, Ends 1 Dec — Email Ends 1 Dec

Calm: Email, “Shop the Black Friday sale early” — Email “Shop the Black Friday sale early”

Calm: Email, “Best deal of the year” — Email “Best deal of the year”

Calm: Web, Site banner — Web Site banner

Calm: Web, Checkout, $39.99 — Web Checkout, $39.99

Calm: In app, Home banner — In app Home banner

Calm: Paywall, $49.99 — Paywall $49.99

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Angel

Streaming

Way in: Meta ad to the web sale page. A push. In the app, a home banner and the plan picker.
Offer: Year $139 on the web, $179.99 in the app. Month $13.99 on the web, $17.99 in the app.

Angel: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

ad opens

Angel: Web, Sale page, $139 — Web Sale page, $139

Angel: Push, “Black Friday Now Live” — Push “Black Friday Now Live”

Angel: In app, Home banner — In app Home banner

Angel: Paywall, Plans — Paywall Plans

Angel: Paywall, Prices — Paywall Prices

Suno

AI music

Way in: Meta ad and the web pricing page. In the app, the home card opens the paywall.
Offer: Pro yearly: $4.80 a month on the web (40% off), $9 a month in the app (20% off).

Suno: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

Suno: Web, Pricing — Web Pricing

Suno: In app, Home card — In app Home card

tap the card

Suno: Paywall — Paywall

Pimsleur

Language learning

Way in: Two Meta ads to Pimsleur’s offer site. In the app, four paywalls across three phases: lifetime to 26 Nov, early access to Friday, Cyber Week to 5 Dec.
Offer: Lifetime $999.99 in the app (40% off), $798 → $299 in the ad. First month $24.99 → $12.49.

Pimsleur: Ad, Meta, Cyber Week — Ad Meta, Cyber Week

Pimsleur: Ad, Meta, first month — Ad Meta, first month

Pimsleur: Paywall, Lifetime, to 26 Nov — Paywall Lifetime, to 26 Nov

Pimsleur: Paywall, Early access, lifetime — Paywall Early access, lifetime

Pimsleur: Paywall, Early access, to Friday — Paywall Early access, to Friday

Pimsleur: Paywall, Cyber Week, to 5 Dec — Paywall Cyber Week, to 5 Dec

Simple

Weight loss

Way in: Three emails, each to its own web checkout. The giveaway email leads to a wheel that lands on 70% and carries the code into checkout.
Offer: Personal plan: 85% off for early birds, 70% after the wheel.

Simple: Email, “Black Friday Started” — Email “Black Friday Started”

same offer

Simple: Web, Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY70 — Web Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY70

Simple: Email, −85%, early birds — Email −85%, early birds

same offer

Simple: Web, Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY85 — Web Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY85

Simple: Email, “Giveaway” — Email “Giveaway”

email button

Simple: Web, Wheel — Web Wheel

apply 70%

Simple: Web, Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY70 — Web Checkout, BLACKFRIDAY70

YAZIO

Nutrition

Way in: A push “80% off Pro”. In the app, three welcome-back screens before any price.
Offer: 12 months $19.99, “75% off forever”: $6.66 → $1.67 a month. The push promised 80%.

YAZIO: Push, “80% off Pro” — Push “80% off Pro”

YAZIO: In app, Welcome back — In app Welcome back

next step

YAZIO: In app — In app

next step

YAZIO: In app — In app

next step

YAZIO: Paywall, Comeback offer — Paywall Comeback offer

Findmykids

Family safety

Way in: A push “Black Friday is almost over”. The paywall on app open, and a home banner with the same 60-hour countdown.
Offer: Care plan year $95.88 → $43.99, 54% off. The badge says 50%.

Findmykids: Push, “Almost over” — Push “Almost over”

Findmykids: Paywall, On app open — Paywall On app open

Findmykids: In app, Home banner — In app Home banner

NordVPN

VPN

Way in: Meta ad “75% off + 4 months extra”. In the app, a 2-year plan paywall with a “Get App Store plan” link to a second one.
Offer: 2-year plan $312.93 → $80.73 for 27 months, 74% off. App Store year $99.99 → $59.99, 40% off.

NordVPN: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

NordVPN: Paywall, 2-year plan — Paywall 2-year plan

NordVPN: Paywall, App Store plan — Paywall App Store plan

Natural Cycles

Women’s health

Way in: Meta ad with code BF20. A “Purple Friday” email. The paywall, headed “Best Deal of the Year”.
Offer: Annual $149.99 → $119.99, 20% off, plus a free thermometer.

Natural Cycles: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

Natural Cycles: Email, “Purple Friday” — Email “Purple Friday”

Natural Cycles: Paywall, “Best Deal of the Year” — Paywall “Best Deal of the Year”

Adobe

Creative software

Way in: Instagram ads, separate for students and for photographers. A Black Friday banner on adobe.com plans and pricing.
Offer: Creative Cloud Pro or Firefly Pro, 50% off to 28 Nov. Students: 60% off plus an extra 20%.

Adobe: Ad, Instagram story, students — Ad Instagram story, students

Adobe: Ad, Instagram feed — Ad Instagram feed

Adobe: Ad, Instagram story — Ad Instagram story

Adobe: Web, Plans and pricing — Web Plans and pricing

CapCut

Video editing

Way in: Meta ad. In the app, the home banner opens a Black Friday sale page with AI tools and templates under the offer.
Offer: Standard $29.99 → $22.90 for the first year, 24% off.

CapCut: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

CapCut: In app, Home banner — In app Home banner

tap the banner

CapCut: Paywall, Sale page — Paywall Sale page

Surfshark

VPN

Way in: Meta ad. In the app, a Black Friday paywall and the plan list, both with a 12-day countdown.
Offer: Starter first year $29.49, then $62.99, 53% off.

Surfshark: Ad, Meta — Ad Meta

Surfshark: Paywall, 12-day timer — Paywall 12-day timer

Surfshark: Paywall, Other plans — Paywall Other plans

Sleep Cycle

Sleep

Way in: A push “Get Premium for Half Price… Black Week”. The purchase runs in Apple’s “Redeem Special Offer” sheet.
Offer: 1 year $14.99, then $29.99, 50% off.

Sleep Cycle: Push, “Black Week” — Push “Black Week”

Sleep Cycle: Paywall, Offer-code sheet — Paywall Offer-code sheet

Evernote

Productivity

Way in: Paywall on app open. A “Black Friday Offer” chip in the header.
Offer: Yearly $249.99 → $149.99, 40% off.

Evernote: Paywall, On app open — Paywall On app open

Evernote: In app, Header chip — In app Header chip

VSCO

Photo

Way in: A code bar across vsco.co. In the app, a paywall with the same code and a “Black Friday” chip in the feed.
Offer: Pro yearly $69.99, 50% off with code BLACKFRIDAY50 to 3 Dec, redeemed in the App Store.

VSCO: Web, Site bar, 27 Nov — Web Site bar, 27 Nov

VSCO: Paywall, Code banner — Paywall Code banner

VSCO: In app, Feed chip — In app Feed chip

Research by Applica, October 2026. Screens captured 14 November to 3 December 2025, from Adapty’s public Black Friday 2025 library (in-app screens, pushes and emails), the Meta Ad Library and the Wayback Machine; hover a screen to see its source. An arrow joins two screens only when a recorded link, a vendor note, a shared code or an on-screen step connects them. Percentages recomputed from the prices on each screen.

Plan your Black Friday flow before the sale goes live

Applica maps your ad, email, push and paywall for Black Friday and checks every price before 10 November.

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