Everyone knows that Apple products tend to cost a pretty penny, and MacBooks and iMacs are no exception. Thanks to the global memory crisis, they got even more expensive in 2026, making deal-shopping essential.
If you'd rather avoid spending over $1,000 on entry-level specs, we have great news: You can save hundreds on an Apple laptop or computer multiple times a year. While Black Friday is right around the corner and tends to offer some of the best discounts of the year, it's not the only time you can upgrade without hurting your bank account.
We track Apple deals year-round, so we know what tends to go on sale and when. Plus, we know what MacBook deals are actually worth jumping on, and which "markdowns" are basically the regular price. Read on for our guide to the top three times of year to find the best prices on a MacBook or iMac, based on our historical deals knowledge. (Shopping for a new Windows laptop? We can tell you when to buy those, too.)
Best time to buy a Mac: Black Friday and Prime Day seasons
Months: Early to mid-June or July, October through November
We know, shopping holidays are a great time to save money, groundbreaking. However, we're not talking about Apple's annual Black Friday deal, which is the same every year: Buy a laptop or iMac, get a free gift card to use on a future purchase. It's a little lackluster and not all that great for saving money upfront.
If you want real savings during shopping holidays, you'll want to look to retailers like Amazon and Best Buy during Black Friday and Prime Day seasons. At first glance, that may seem like you have to keep your eye on the calendar for a few select days throughout the year, but these retailers have decided that time is meaningless when it comes to sales. That means you'll start to see Black Friday savings as early as October, and Prime Day savings for a week or so in June or July. (Amazon shifted the official Prime Day dates in 2026 to June for the first time, but the shopping event typically falls in early to mid-July).
Amazon upped Prime Day from two to four full days in 2025. But even if you don't want to shop on those four specific dates, Amazon and its competitors usually feature deals in the weeks leading up to it. During both sales, it's not uncommon to see MacBooks from the cheapest Airs to the most souped-up Pros on sale for $150 off or more.
They're worthwhile deals, but they can also be harder to score because the general public knows these are the times to shop for a Mac. If you see a good deal, don't hesitate too much. Our advice? Know what models you're interested in before these sale events kick off, and keep your eye on them.
As a final note, Black Friday season is a reliable time to catch the initial sales on any fall Mac releases. Last fall, Apple dropped the M5 MacBook Pro in October, and by Black Friday in November, it was already on sale for $200 off. While these may not be the steepest discounts you'll ever see in the year or so lifespan before a newer chipset and Mac come out, they're pretty dang impressive considering how recent the releases are.
Second-best time to buy a Mac: Back-to-school season
Months: June through early October
Apple offers education pricing year-round for current or newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels. This knocks $100 off the price of its laptops and computers. It's not a massive markdown, but it beats full price.
However, Apple upgrades this offer with an extra freebie during the back-to-school season from summer to early fall. In years past, it's given away free gift cards with every Mac purchase and in 2025, students, parents, and educators got their pick of a free Apple accessory worth up to $199 (including AirPods with ANC, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, or a Magic keyboard). Unfortunately, the 2026 offerings left much to be desired — just up to $150 in gift cards on select MacBooks and iPads. Here's hoping Apple brings back better back-to-school savings in 2027.
This could be a deal worth checking out if you have other Apple products on your shopping list, as you can put your gift card to good use. Otherwise, we recommend looking around for competing back-to-school laptop deals elsewhere. Retailers like Amazon and Best Buy usually offer higher straight-up discounts than Apple to draw in the back-to-school crowd.
Third-best time to buy a Mac: After new releases are announced
Months: Can vary
This tip isn't unique to Apple products, but it doesn't make it any less useful for grabbing a Mac for a little less cash. Typically, after Apple announces the latest models, it drops the prices on older generations.
Technically, this isn't a deal in the strictest sense of the word, but it'll still save you money. Take, for instance, the 2024 announcement of the 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air. On March 4, Apple put it up for preorder on its online store, and right alongside the new laptop was a $100 permanent price drop on the 13-inch M2 Air.
The price only fell from $1,099 to $999, so it's not a drastic difference, but if you were already planning on grabbing the M2 Air, waiting for this newer version saved you at least $100. Plus, a new list price means future sales will net you even more bang for your buck.
You don't necessarily need to wait for the exact same model to get a newer counterpart to see a price drop. Allow us to explain, again with the M2 MacBook Air: In June 2023, Apple announced the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air at a starting price of $1,299. At the time, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air had been out for just under a year, and cost $1,199. The larger model brought a price cut to the smaller and slightly older model.
Price cuts aren't always determined by Apple itself. A new Mac usually means the discontinuation of an older one. In the case of the M3 Air release, Apple discontinued the 15-inch M2 Air and M1 Air from 2020. Though you could no longer buy either at the Apple Store, they were available at steep discounts at Amazon and Best Buy.
And if you're sensing a theme here, yes, it's better, more often than not, to skip the Apple Store in favor of other retailers if you're looking to save some serious dough.
Final tips for saving money on a Mac
1. Keep an eye out for random sales
While the whole point of this guide is that there are ideal times to grab a Mac on sale, we're going to be honest: Sometimes, there are very random, very good sales on Macs for seemingly no reason.
Obviously, this is a bit trickier to plan for, but rest assured, if there is a Mac sale worth knowing about, we're writing about it, so we recommend following along with our deals coverage.
2. Some Macs go on sale more frequently than others
This tip likely goes without saying, but some models rarely go on sale. General trends we've seen are that iMacs tend not to go on sale as frequently as MacBooks, and anything above the starting specs on a MacBook, especially if you're looking for upgraded memory, is much trickier to find on sale regularly.
We say this just to encourage a little healthy expectation setting as you embark on your search for a discounted Mac.