HBO Max offers several subscription plans for users interested in trying out the movie and TV streaming service. Whether it's for the slate of acclaimed original TV shows, the reality series, or the large library of new and classic movies, HBO Max has always been one of the major streaming services available. From its humble beginnings in the 1990s, Home Box Office has been a pay television network, so in a way, it was primed for the streaming age, with customers always associating an additional cost with the network.
Among the other popular streamers, like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Hulu, and Peacock, the term "prestige" has most liberally been applied to HBO and Max. Previously, HBO Go and HBO Now handled HBO's online streaming, but in 2020, HBO Max debuted, adding more originals, called Max Originals, and content from WarnerMedia's archive. In 2024, HBO Max was rebranded as simply "Max" and inherited Discovery Inc. programming after the Warner Bros./Discovery Inc. merger. Max is where everything is at now, and there are some pros and cons to the service.
There Are Three Max Plan Options
Max Can Also Be Bundled With Other Streaming Platforms
There are three different HBO subscription options available to purchase: Basic With Ads, Standard, and Premium. Basic With Ads is $9.99/month or $99.99/year and includes the full HBO library and allows users to stream on two devices at once. Standard is $16.99/month and is ad-free, allows users to stream on two devices at once, and allows for 30 downloads to watch on the go. Premium is $20.99/month and allows users to stream on four devices simultaneously, includes 4K video, and allows for 100 downloads for on-the-go viewing.
| HBO Max Plans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Month | Year |
| Basic With Ads | $9.99 | $99.99 |
| Standard | $16.99 | $169.99 |
| Premium | $20.99 | $209.99 |
Max can also easily be bundled with Hulu and Disney+. For $16.99/month, users get Max Basic With Ads, Disney+ Basic, and Hulu (With Ads). For $29.99/month, users get Max Standard, Disney+ Premium, and Hulu (No Ads). Each Max subscription also includes a subscription to their B/R Sports Add-on, which is a limited-time promotion that includes live-televised NBA, NHL, March Madness, MLB, and USA Soccer games. Unfortunately, Max does not have a free trial option.
Pros Of Subscribing To HBO Max
Max Has Exclusive And Popular TV Shows
The number one benefit of subscribing to HBO Max is the vast library of prestige television shows it has in its library. Max carries many of the best TV shows of all time because they are behind most of these shows. The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, and True Blood are all massively popular shows that came out well before streaming gained steam and are available, sometimes exclusively, on Max. Max has continued to produce incredible television for streaming, with The White Lotus, Perry Mason, and House of the Dragon being notable examples.
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HBO Max's original movie programming is also impressive, with a list of popular and acclaimed movies including Paterno, Reality, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Max's library also includes titles from Warner classic movies, Adult Swim, Discovery, Cartoon Network, DC Entertainment, The CW, Food Network, and much more. Max has something for everyone in terms of television and movies. There are cartoons for kids, goofy comedies, intense dramas, and the best prestige television of the 21st century.
Cons Of Subscribing To HBO Max
HBO Max Is Expensive And Has An Unusual Selection
HBO Max is on the higher end of streaming platform costs, though most users should be fine just purchasing the Standard package, rather than the Premium unless they have a lot of TVs in their household. The live sports offerings are also somewhat wanting, compared to other live sports packages available through Peacock, or YouTube TV at higher price points. The live sports options are random and not always what fans may be looking for. As for the TV and movie libraries, while there are some fantastic titles in each, there are also some unusual ones.
The Max movie library includes many older films from the early 20th century that some users will have no interest in.
The Max movie library includes many older films from the early 20th century that some users will have no interest in. There is also a high percentage of foreign and independent movies, which, while often excellent, may not be for everyone. This adds up to the fact that the actual movie library for Max will offer much fewer interesting titles for the casual subscriber than they may immediately assume.
In the same way, the large library of television shows is also populated by a lot of reality television. If someone is not interested in reality television, they may be disappointed to find that they won't want to utilize a library that initially looked quite large.
How Hbo Max Compares To Other Streaming Subscriptions
HBO Max Premium Is In The Higher Tier Of Streaming Plans
Compared to other streaming platforms, HBO Max is one of the most costly when comparing similar plans. Its Basic With Ads plan is tied with Hulu for the most expensive plan, while its Premium plan is the second highest of all the major streaming apps, with only Netflix being higher. That doesn't tell the whole story, however, because the Standard Max plan still provides a lot of what the Premium does and so, for $16.99, it's actually cheaper than Hulu and only a little more expensive than Amazon Prime Video and Peacock.
| HBO Max Plans Compared To Similar Plans (Monthly) | ||
|---|---|---|
| HBO Max | $9.99 | $20.99 |
| Streaming Platform | Basic With Ads Comp. | Premium Comp. |
| Netflix | $7.99 | $24.99 |
| Hulu | $9.99 | $18.99 |
| Apple TV+ | - | $9.99 |
| Amazon Prime Video | - | $14.99 |
| Peacock | $7.99 | $13.99 |
In terms of prestige television, no other streaming platform has a more impressive library and only a few even come close. While other platforms may have more notable original movies, the third-party movies that are available are roughly the same as those available on other streaming platforms. One quibble that some may notice about Max is that there is no real "veg-out" viewing on Max.
On other streaming platforms, there are sitcoms, reality shows, and other comfort shows that don't require a lot of attention. Max does not seem to have those. They have children's shows and comedies, but even the comedies are usually more dramatic than what's found on Netflix, and they're not made to be turned on in the background as someone attends to other things. Even the Discovery reality shows like Deadliest Catch are a bit too intense to ignore entirely.
HBO Max Is Worth The Subscription Price
No Other Streaming Service Rivals Max's Library Of Prestige Television
It can't be overstated just how many incredible TV shows there are on Max. In fact, it's more unlikely to stumble upon something with a negative Rotten Tomatoes score than it is to find one with a positive one. One of the issues about starting a new show is that no one wants to devote hours to something only to realize too late that the project isn't working. That's never a problem on HBO Max and almost any title someone chooses can be guaranteed to be worth the ride. That alone makes HBO Max worth subscribing to.
The long list of movies available on the platform and the third-party TV shows for people of all ages is just the cherry on top. While the live sports offerings aren't the greatest, every once in a while there's something that fans will want to catch. Standard HBO Max would be the best buy for most users, but families or homes with multiple TVs will want to go with Premium. There's no shortage of new shows coming to HBO Max, so it's never a bad time to subscribe.
