AppSumo Black Friday 2024 Drop 3: Every Deal Reviewed

AppSumo Black Friday 2024 Drop 3 Overview

AppSumo's Black Friday 2024 continues with Drop 3, bringing eight new lifetime deals to the table. This batch covers a wide range of categories — automation, no-code app building, WordPress add-ons, AI research, video personas, graphic design, and email marketing.

As always, not every deal in the store is worth buying. Some of these tools are genuinely impressive and could move your business forward, while others are more novelty than necessity. Prices start as low as $49 and most will increase by about 10% after the first 48 hours, so timing matters if something catches your eye.

Here's the full rundown of every deal in Drop 3, with honest ratings and practical advice on who each tool is actually for.

TaskMagic: Zapier Meets Browser Automation (8.2/10)

TaskMagic is an automation platform that goes beyond the standard Zapier-style workflow builder by adding browser automation — it can literally control your keyboard and mouse. Think of it as a traditional integration tool with superpowers for tasks that don't have native API support.

The platform supports hundreds of native app connections, from major SaaS tools to open-source software and even other AppSumo deals. Setting up a basic automation is straightforward: you define a trigger (like a Google Sheets update), connect an action (like sending an email), load sample data, run a test, and publish. The whole process takes just a few minutes for simple workflows. TaskMagic also supports OpenAI and Anthropic integrations, so your automations can generate content mid-flow — like auto-creating a tweet every time you publish a WordPress post.

The browser automation is where TaskMagic really differentiates itself. It opens a Chrome window and performs actions directly on your screen, handling tasks that would be impossible with API-only tools. There is a learning curve, especially if you've never worked with webhooks, but the platform rewards experimentation.

Pricing starts across three tiers, with Tier 3 offering essentially unlimited features including file downloads and team seats. For most users, Tiers 1-3 will be the sweet spot. TaskMagic earns a strong 8.2 out of 10.

Nowa: Build Real Mobile Apps Without Code (7.7/10)

Nowa is a no-code app builder that lets you design and deploy full mobile applications to the Apple App Store and Google Play. It's a comprehensive platform that blends visual design tools with actual programming logic, all without writing traditional code.

The interface works like a hybrid of Figma and a visual programming environment. You start by creating screens on a canvas, choosing from preset device sizes like iPhone or desktop. From there, you add shapes, text, and widgets — buttons, images, icons — and arrange them using a Photoshop-style layer system. The design tools are solid, letting you control everything from border radius to background colors with a grid overlay for precision.

Where Nowa gets interesting is the programming layer. Every widget has a lightning bolt icon that opens a visual builder (or full code mode, if you prefer). You can wire up navigation between screens, connect external data sources via API — think Ghost, WordPress, or Shopify — and pull data from Supabase or Firestore. When you're done, deploy as an Android APK, iOS app, or plain web app.

Tier 1 ($79) gets you five web deployments per week with 500MB storage, but you can't publish to app stores — that requires Tier 2 ($200) or above. Team collaboration needs Tier 3. Keep in mind prices increase about 10% after 48 hours. Nowa scores a 7.7 out of 10.

Albato: A Power User's Integration Platform (7.9/10)

Albato is a serious Zapier competitor with over 800 supported app integrations and more than 1,300 built-in templates. It shares more DNA with Zapier than TaskMagic does — this is a traditional trigger-and-action automation platform built for power users who want granular control.

The template library is genuinely impressive. You'll find ready-made automations for common workflows like syncing Facebook leads to Google Sheets or updating WordPress posts from Airtable. The app catalog includes everything from major platforms like Canva, ClickUp, and Notion to open-source tools and AppSumo deals. And if your app isn't supported, Albato's app integrator lets you build custom integrations using a no-code builder.

The trade-off is complexity. Many integrations require webhook setup rather than simple API connections, which means more configuration steps. For the Google Sheets integration, for example, you'll need to copy code into Google Apps Script, configure webhook URLs, and manage permissions. It's not terrible, but it's noticeably more involved than the same setup in TaskMagic. The platform also forces you to monitor specific columns rather than just grabbing all changes, which gives you more precision but less convenience.

Tier 1 starts at $69, but Tier 2 is where most users should aim — it unlocks the app integrator and custom webhooks. All tiers include unlimited users, which is a significant advantage for teams. Albato earns a 7.9 out of 10.

ElementsKit: 100+ Widgets for Elementor (7.9/10)

ElementsKit is an add-on pack for Elementor, the most popular WordPress plugin with over 10 million active installations. It adds over 100 widgets — 47 free and 54 pro — giving Elementor users a massive library of design elements without recurring costs.

Some standout widgets include a content ticker (those CNN-style scrolling news bars that are making a comeback across the web), circle menus for more experimental navigation, stylish list elements with frosted glass effects, and a polished audio player that looks like SoundCloud but lives on your own site. That last one is particularly useful for podcasters and musicians who want to embed audio with proper album art.

ElementsKit is developed by WP Met, an established WordPress developer with a track record of maintaining their products. It also includes a header and footer builder, which could potentially save you from needing Elementor Pro if you're on a tight budget.

Pricing starts at $59 for five sites, scaling up to $177 for unlimited sites — ideal for agencies. Pro tip: don't enable all 100+ widgets at once. Use the custom option to turn everything off, then activate individual widgets as you actually need them. This keeps your site lean and fast. ElementsKit scores a 7.9 out of 10.

Afforai: AI-Powered Research Assistant (7.9/10)

Afforai is a full-blown AI research assistant built for anyone who works with large volumes of documents — academics, authors, analysts, or just curious knowledge workers. At $59 for the entry tier, it packs a surprising amount of functionality into a clean interface.

The reference manager is the foundation. Upload PDFs, text files, or other documents, and Afforai will OCR them, let you tag and organize them, take color-coded notes, and chat with AI about specific sections. The document viewer supports area highlighting (draw a box around anything), text highlighting, and sticky notes. You can filter notes by color, which is clever for maintaining a visual system across large research projects. Keyboard shortcuts cover nearly every action, so you can navigate the entire tool without touching your mouse.

The research assistant offers three modes: document retrieval (searches your own uploaded files), Semantic Scholar (200 million peer-reviewed papers), and Google Search (for current information). When the AI cites a paper, you can click through to view it and add it directly to your references — a seamless workflow for building a research library.

Tier 1 ($59) gives you unlimited documents and chat queries with GPT-3.5, GPT-4o Mini, and Claude Haiku — or bring your own API key for premium models. Tier 2 unlocks GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and higher rate limits. Tier 3 ($429) adds team collaboration with two extra seats. There's also a Microsoft Word extension, which is a rarity these days. Afforai earns a 7.9 out of 10.

BHuman Persona: Cool Tech, Not Ready for Business (3.9/10)

BHuman Persona promises to clone your voice and face so a digital version of you can attend meetings, respond to emails, and represent your business. It's a fascinating concept that's unfortunately far from delivering on that promise.

The voice cloning requires recording audio samples, and the results are underwhelming. The generated voice has noticeable artifacting, lacks natural expression and pitch variation, and speaks too fast with no speed controls. Regenerating the same text produces different results each time, but the quality range is consistently mediocre. The video persona fares slightly better — after uploading a short video of yourself talking, the system clones your face — but the output still has visible issues, particularly around the jawline where the overlay doesn't blend naturally.

The platform has some concerning rough edges. Training instructions were missing at the time of review, an example video link led to a broken Vimeo page, and the chat persona failed to respond to messages after 30-40 seconds of waiting. The "meetings" feature only lets personas meet with other personas, and the auto-generated quote attributed to your name may not represent you well.

Pricing starts at $49 for three hours of voice conversation per month and two personas. If you're a technology enthusiast who loves experimenting with cutting-edge AI, this might be a fun purchase. But as a business tool? It's not going to close deals or meaningfully improve productivity. BHuman Persona gets a 3.9 out of 10.

VistaCreate: The Best Deal of Black Friday (8.8/10)

VistaCreate might be the standout deal of AppSumo's entire Black Friday 2024 event. For a flat $79 — no tiers, no upsells — you get a full graphic design platform with 200,000+ templates, 70 million stock photos, background removal, unlimited storage, infinite brand kits, and team accounts.

Think of it as Canva's more affordable cousin, and that's not meant as an insult. The template library is massive, covering everything from social media posts and flyers to t-shirt designs and posters. The editor is snappy and responsive, with a familiar drag-and-drop interface. You can search for niche topics and still find relevant templates, add stock photos with one-click background removal, layer text with dozens of beautiful presets, and work with video clips and stock music for animated social content.

The design tools hit all the essentials: objects and illustrations, background images, a text tool with independent word positioning, styles, and brand kits for managing multiple client identities. Mobile responsive previews let you toggle between desktop and mobile views before sending. You can export as images, GIFs, or short videos for social media.

At $79 for unlimited everything, this is genuinely hard to beat. Even if you only use VistaCreate a handful of times per year, the lifetime value adds up quickly. For solopreneurs, small teams, or agencies that need quick design work without a Canva subscription, this is a no-brainer. VistaCreate earns an 8.8 out of 10 — the highest score of Drop 3.

ZooTools: Beautiful UI, Needs More Polish (Score TBD)

ZooTools is a brand-new email marketing platform making its AppSumo debut during Black Friday. The first thing you'll notice is the gorgeous user interface — clearly, a skilled designer was involved. The layout is clean, with contacts, tags, and properties neatly organized in a slim sidebar. It's one of the most attractive email tools on the market purely from a visual standpoint.

Under the hood, however, the functionality hasn't quite caught up to the aesthetics. A major gap: you can't easily apply tags to existing contacts. The only apparent way to tag contacts is by uploading new ones directly into a tag — there's no option to tag a contact from their profile. For an email marketing tool, list segmentation is fundamental, and this friction is a significant oversight.

The email editor uses Unlayer, a proven third-party builder with drag-and-drop widgets for buttons, images, and text blocks. Campaigns (newsletters) support click and open tracking, mobile-responsive previews, and scheduled sending. There's also a transactional email section for password resets and receipts, though that requires API setup and developer involvement. ZooTools includes a nice multi-project structure for agencies, and they take deliverability seriously with manual account verification and automatic IP warmup.

Pricing starts at $59, with the account verification process taking 24-72 hours. The tool shows real promise — the design is excellent and the deliverability-first approach is smart — but it needs more feature development before it can compete with established email platforms. Keep an eye on this one as it matures.

Drop 3 Final Verdict: What to Buy

Here's the quick-reference scorecard for AppSumo Black Friday 2024 Drop 3:

- **VistaCreate** — 8.8/10 — Best deal of Black Friday so far. $79 for unlimited design tools, no tiers. - **TaskMagic** — 8.2/10 — Excellent automation with unique browser control capabilities. - **Albato** — 7.9/10 — Powerful Zapier alternative for power users. Unlimited team seats. - **ElementsKit** — 7.9/10 — Solid Elementor add-on with 100+ widgets. Great for agencies. - **Afforai** — 7.9/10 — Capable AI research assistant with multi-source search. - **Nowa** — 7.7/10 — Impressive no-code app builder, but Tier 2+ needed for app store deployment. - **BHuman Persona** — 3.9/10 — Interesting concept, but not ready for real business use.

If you're only picking one deal from this drop, VistaCreate is the obvious choice for pure value. For automation needs, TaskMagic edges out Albato for most users thanks to its simpler setup and browser automation, though Albato wins on raw integration count and team features. Drop 4 arrives in 48 hours with another fresh batch of lifetime deals.

Watch the Full Video

Prefer watching to reading? Check out the full video on YouTube for a complete walkthrough with live demos and commentary.