Best iPhone and iPad Apps on Sale Through the Holidays

Today marks the first day of Apple's annual iTunes Connect holiday shutdown, meaning the App Store will be void of any new or updated apps between now and Tuesday, December 27. In the meantime, iPhone and iPad users have plenty of time to capitalize on holiday sales for a number of popular apps.

altoAlto's Adventure
$3.99 → 99 cents
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A beautiful endless runner with procedurally generated terrain based on real-world snowboarding.



day-oneDay One
$4.99 → $2.99
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A popular journaling app for capturing everything from once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments.



tweetbotTweetbot
$9.99 → $4.99
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A popular Twitter app with granular mute filters, support for multiple accounts, timeline syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and more.



djay-prodjay Pro for iPad
$19.99 → $9.99
iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A popular app for DJs that integrates with your media library and Spotify. 2016 Apple Design Award Winner.



bywordByword
$5.99 → $2.99
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A popular app for writing with text-to-HTML tool Markdown.



duet-displayDuet Display
$19.99 → $9.99
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: Turn a plugged-in iPad or iPhone into an extra display for your Mac or PC. Praised for lag-free experience in reviews.



dontstarveDon't Starve: Pocket Edition
$4.99 → 99 cents
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: MacRumors sister website TouchArcade called this game a masterpiece of horror, humor, and hunger.



broken-ageBroken Age
$4.99 → 99 cents
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: A popular animated puzzle-filled adventure game. Apple Editors' Choice Winner.



pandemicPandemic: The Board Game
$6.99 → $1.99
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: An award-wining board game in which players are put in an apocalyptic situation where they must work as a team to save the world.



i3Out There: Ω Edition
$4.99 → 99 cents
iPhone and iPad
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: MacRumors sister website TouchArcade gave this galactic adventure game 5 out of 5 stars.



nba2k17NBA 2K17
$7.99 → $2.99
iPhone
AppShopper | App Store

Editor's Note: The latest iPhone version of the popular NBA 2K franchise.

More deals can be found on AppShopper and through the ongoing App Santa promotion, which in addition to some of the apps above, includes discounts on Vee, Screens, Soulver, Pennies, Launch Center Pro, Drafts 4, Interact, Deliveries, Castro, Group Text+, Star Walk, Rando Emoji, and PCalc.

The annual App Store holiday shutdown has also provided TouchArcade with an opportunity to finalize its list of the 100 best games available this year. Nintendo franchises ruled with Pokémon GO and Super Mario Run this year, alongside popular titles like Clash Royale, Lumines, and Deus Ex GO.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
top stories 2025 12 04a

Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

Saturday December 6, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public. There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....

Top Rated Comments

Joe Rossignol Avatar
117 months ago
Clearly "Best Apps" is subjective.
Of course it is. If you have any personal suggestions, feel free to share!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordQ Avatar
117 months ago
Clearly "Best Apps" is subjective.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ziggie216 Avatar
117 months ago
Anyone ever try the Duet Display app? Can't believe I've never seen it before.
yup. use it all the time when I travel and I need a second monitor. Just for kicks once awhile, I use my iPhone Plus as a display too.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citi Avatar
117 months ago
Anyone ever try the Duet Display app? Can't believe I've never seen it before.
Don't think about it. Buy it immediately.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
117 months ago
Of course it is. If you have any personal suggestions, feel free to share!
Thanks for sharing some discount apps! Bring in some more like this due to negative articles as of late.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jeff321 Avatar
117 months ago
Broken Age got 4.5 stars and it's a universal app with Apple TV support, is it that good?
I think the game is amazing for $1. Instant buy. Well, unless you hate adventure games for some reason, I guess? Haven't played on TV though so can't comment on that aspect.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)