Black Friday vs Cyber Monday: Which Is Better for Tech?
Learn which day discounts TVs, laptops and electronics more so you can time your tech purchase.
For tech, Cyber Monday is better for electronics and computers bought online, while Black Friday is better for TVs and consoles you want to pick up in store. Choose by category and how you want to shop, not by one day winning everything. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, sold both in stores and online.
Cyber Monday is the next Monday, focused on online sales. Adobe reported Cyber Monday 2024 reached $13.3 billion online in its Monday recap, still the largest online day on record.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 02, 2026.
What did each day sell online?
Adobe reported Black Friday 2024 reached $10.8 billion online, Thanksgiving reached $6.1 billion, and full Cyber Week reached $41.1 billion in its holiday recap. Cyber Monday held the lead for single-day online spending at $13.3 billion, up 7.3% from the prior year. For tech buyers, the split means two strong online days in a row.
A TV, laptop, or console that sells out Friday may return Monday. A price that looks flat Friday may move Monday night, when spending peaked at $15.8 million per minute from 8-10pm.
Which discounts matter for tech?
On Cyber Monday 2024, Adobe measured electronics at 30.1% off list price, televisions at 21.8% off, and computers at 21.5% off in its discount breakdown. Toys reached 26.1% off and apparel reached 23.2% off the same day. The gap matters because electronics discounts ran deeper than computers and TVs that day.
Shoppers hunting earbuds, headphones, smart-home gear, and accessories saw larger cuts. Shoppers hunting laptops and TVs saw solid but smaller cuts.
Where do tech buyers actually shop?
A record 202.9 million people shopped over Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2025, up from 197 million in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation in its weekend survey release. Black Friday was the most popular day both in-store and online. The channel mix still favored online for tech.
Mastercard SpendingPulse found Black Friday online sales rose 14.6% while in-store sales rose 0.7% in its retail readout. Mobile phones drove 57% of Cyber Monday online sales, or $7.6 billion, so many tech orders started and finished on a phone.
How can you plan a tech purchase?
Start with the item type and pickup need. In-store stock matters for doorbuster TVs and consoles. Online timing matters for electronics and computers, where Monday discounts were strongest in 2024.
Use this short check before you buy: Save the model number and track the price on your phone through Monday evening.
- Write down the exact model number, storage size, and screen size.
- Track that exact model on your phone, since most Cyber Monday sales happened on mobile.
- Compare store pickup and shipping fees before Monday night.
- Remember Adobe tracks online prices and NRF surveys shoppers, so one store price or clearance tag can differ.