Whoop just dropped its biggest discount of the year, cutting subscription prices by $40-60 and slashing accessory prices up to 70% off through December 2nd. The move comes as the fitness tracker company pushes its new tiered subscription model after years of stagnant growth, betting that lower prices will drive adoption of its cardiac monitoring features and justify its unique hardware-as-a-service approach.
Whoop just made its most aggressive pricing move yet, slashing subscription costs across its premium tiers in what appears to be a calculated bet on volume over margin. The fitness tracker company's Black Friday sale cuts its Peak Plan to $199 annually - down from $239 - while the top-tier Life subscription drops to $299 from $359. The timing isn't coincidental. After years of charging a flat $30 monthly fee that many users found steep, Whoop revamped its entire pricing structure earlier this year around three distinct tiers. The company's betting that lower entry points will finally crack the mainstream fitness market that's been dominated by Apple Watch and cheaper alternatives. The discounted Peak Plan includes Whoop's 5.0 device plus new Healthspan and Pace of Aging features - metrics that attempt to quantify biological versus chronological age. But the real draw is the Life tier, which unlocks the new MG model's cardiac monitoring suite including ECGs, blood pressure tracking, and AFib detection. According to WIRED's hands-on review, these features represent the most comprehensive health monitoring available in a consumer wearable, though they come with the caveat of being locked behind the highest subscription tier. Whoop's subscription model has always been polarizing. Instead of selling hardware outright, the company gives away its screenless wristbands for free, then charges monthly fees for data analysis and features. "This model did not work so well for a few years when Whoop released very few updates," notes the original WIRED coverage. The strategy nearly backfired during Whoop's quiet period between 2020-2023 when subscribers paid $30 monthly for minimal feature updates. This year's hardware refresh changed the equation entirely. The MG model's blood pressure monitoring alone represents a first for consumer wearables, potentially justifying the premium pricing for serious athletes and health enthusiasts. The company's Strain score - based on the Borg scale of perceived exertion rather than step counts - has always appealed to gym-focused users who prioritize workout intensity over daily activity volume. Industry watchers see the aggressive discounting as Whoop's attempt to scale before competitors catch up on advanced health metrics. and have been steadily adding cardiac features, while Apple's next-generation health sensors reportedly include non-invasive glucose monitoring. The accessory discounts - up to 70% off new bands - suggest Whoop's also trying to drive hardware adoption alongside subscriptions. The company's always struggled with the chicken-and-egg problem of subscription revenue versus hardware costs, especially when giving devices away for free. What makes this sale particularly interesting is the timing around changing consumer behavior. Post-pandemic fitness tracking has shifted from step counting toward comprehensive health monitoring, creating an opening for specialized devices like Whoop's cardiac-focused MG model. The question is whether discounted pricing can overcome consumer resistance to fitness subscription models that have historically struggled with retention.
