Robotic Lifestyle

Black Friday streaming deal: Plex is offering a lifetime pass for 40 percent off
Consumer Tech·3 min read

Black Friday 2025: Where to Spend (and Skip) on Streaming, Smart Lights, and Money Apps

By Riley Hart

If you want the best Black Friday bargains that actually change your year-not just your living room-this is your shopping map. From a discounted Plex lifetime pass to Hue Festavia strings at steep discounts and budgeting apps halved for new users, the smart buys hide in subscriptions and seasonal kit-not just TVs.

Black Friday deals this year lean toward services and connected gear that keep paying you back after the credit-card glow fades. Streaming bundles and subscription promos offer the clearest short-term savings: some ad-tier services are selling annual access for less than a takeaway coffee per month. At the same time, premium smart-home decorations and productivity tools are on sale, giving buyers tangible upgrades rather than impulse clutter.

Streaming deals you should consider-and the catches

That matters because spending decisions now shape 2026 budgets and daily routines. A lifetime or annual subscription can cost you nothing after a year of use, but only if the product fits your habits. The smart move is to separate "nice-to-have" holiday flash from subscriptions and devices you will actually use. Below, I walk through the standout offers, who benefits, and the checks you should make before you click buy.

Lights and decorations: buy once, dazzle many winters

Black Friday bargains favor annual commitments. HBO Max is offering one year of the ad-supported tier for $36 through December 1, 2025-about $3 per month versus the usual $11 ad-supported price. Disney+ and Hulu’s ad-tier bundle is $60 a year for new and eligible returning customers, a roughly 50 percent discount compared with the normal combined monthly rate. Those are good buys if you already watch shows on those services; otherwise you’ll pay for inactivity. Retailers’ Black Friday pages list deals and end dates.

If you use a personal media server, Plex’s lifetime offer is prominent but complicated. Engadget reports a 40 percent-off code ANYPASS40 that drops Plex’s Lifetime Pass to $150 from $250, putting it near the roughly $120 price it held earlier this year before a price increase. A lifetime pass makes sense only if you run a server, have a curated library, and intend to maintain it for years. If you just want to stream a few shows, the short-term annual promos above likely give more value per dollar. Double-check whether the Plex features you rely on-mobile sync, premium metadata, DVR-remain in the lifetime tier you buy.

Apps and tools that actually save money

Lights and decorations: buy once, dazzle many winters

Philips Hue’s Festavia strings are the catch of the season for people who want attention-grabbing displays. The Verge found the 65-foot Festavia strand discounted to about $145.19 and the 130-foot strand to around $237.60, the lowest recorded prices since their launch. Festavia uses individually addressable LEDs and rich color presets, and supports the Hue Bridge or Bridge Pro for automations and music syncing; it’s IP54-rated for porch or tree use. Those technical features matter if you want synchronized effects that work with other Hue gear.

If you care about cost per foot and straightforward setup, Govee’s Lights 2 line undercuts Hue. Govee’s 66-foot set was listed around $63.99, with larger 164-foot strings at roughly $129.99; the LEDs and power adapters differ in weather resistance and appearance. Philips' app and ecosystem remain smoother for automations; Govee trades polish for price. Think about where the lights will live-tree, rooftop, or pathway-because IP ratings and the adapter’s outdoor rating matter for safety and longevity.

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