👋 This post may contain affiliate links. It costs you nothing, but we might get a small bonus to help in our fight against robots. See our Disclosure page for more info.
Since the quote-unquote Streamflation Crisis of 2023, the streaming industry has seen a lot of changes in plans and pricing. Streaming services that launched with a single plan now have 2 or even 3 to choose from.
HBO Max launched in 2020 with one plan for $15/month. Since that time it has changed its name to just Max and introduced 2 additional price plans.
Were these moves good for customers? Read on for a detailed look at the Max price plans that HBO is offering in 2024.
👀 CHECK IT OUT
Our in-depth Max Review offers a more comprehensive look at the streaming service.
Just tell me the price! How much does Max cost?
$10 to $20 a month.
To be specific, the 3 Max pricing plans are $9.99, $15.99, and $19.99 per month. They’re a bit less if you sign up for a full year in advance.
When did HBO increase the price of Max?
HBO raised the price of Max for the first (and so far only) time in January 2023 when it introduced 2 new tiers.
The ad-free plan went up a buck from $14.99 to $15.99/month. While that isn’t so bad, HBO did something far worse than hiking its monthly price a dollar.
It took 4K streaming out of the Ad-Free plan and locked it away behind the most expensive top-tier Ultimate Ad-Free plan.
However, HBO was [insert sarcasm] gracious enough to let existing Ad-Free customers keep streaming 4K content for 6 months. And when those 6 months were up, Max was quick to yank that 4K quality away from its long-term loyal customers. 👎
Max price plans
Max has 3 prices to choose from.
And while it personally feels wrong to watch HBO with ads, that’s clearly an option a lot of people want (if it means saving a few bucks).
With Ads: $9.99/month
- Full access to HBO’s on-demand library
- Some content from Discovery+
- Ads: Yes
- User profiles: 5
- Downloads: No
- Simultaneous screens: 2
- Quality: Full HD (1080p)
- Annual Plan: $99.99/year
Ad-Free: $15.99/month
- Full access to HBO’s on-demand library
- Some content from Discovery+
- Ads: No
- User profiles: 5
- Downloads: 30 (on mobile devices)
- Simultaneous screens: 2
- Quality: Full HD 1080p
- Annual Plan: $159.99/year
Ultimate Ad-Free: $19.99/month
- Full access to HBO’s on-demand library
- Some content from Discovery+
- Ads: No
- User profiles: 5
- Downloads: 100 (on mobile devices)
- Simultaneous screens: 4
- Quality: 4K and Dolby Atmos on select titles
- Annual Plan: $199.99/year
Does Max have an annual plan?
Yes.
While many streaming services confusingly (and annoyingly) offer annual billing for only some plans, all 3 Max plans have an annual subscription option. Like most annual plans in the industry, they get you around 2 months free over the course of a year.
Is there a Max free trial?
Nope.
Not directly through Max.
Since the Netflix free trial was nixed in 2020, plenty of streaming services ended their free trials as well. And Max is one of them.
However, there are still ways to try HBO Max for free, including through Prime Video, Hulu, and DirecTV Stream. Read more about getting a Max free trial in 2024.
But better than a free trial (if you actually want to subscribe), all 3 annual plans for Max are 42% off for a limited time. The official countdown on Max’s website claims the offer ends at 1AM PT on April 10.
How do Max prices compare to other streaming services?
With the Ultimate Ad-Free plan, Max has the second-most expensive on-demand streaming plan on the market after Netflix. The 2 streamers are actually the only on-demand streaming services with a third “ultra premium” plan to paywall features like 4K streaming.
Max also has the second-most expensive Ad-Free plan after Hulu.
And to top it off, Max’s With Ads plan is the most expensive ad-supported plan on the market.
Check out the table below to see how Max stacks up against other popular on-demand steaming services in regards to pricing and other key features.
| Streamer | With Ads | Ad-free | Premium | Annual Plan | Simultaneous Screens | 4K | Downloads | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMC+ | $4.99 | $8.99 | - | $83.88* | 5 | No | Yes | 7 Days |
| Apple TV+ | - | $9.99 | - | $99.99 | 6 | Yes | Yes | 7 Days |
| Disney+ | $7.99 | $13.99 | - | $139.99* | 4 | Yes | Yes | None |
| Hulu | $7.99 | $17.99 | - | $79.99** | 2 | Yes | Ad-free Only | 30 Days |
| Max | $9.99 | $15.99 | $19.99 | $99.99 / $159.99 / $199.99 | 2–4 | Premium Only | Ad-Free+ Only | None |
| MGM+ | - | $6.99 | - | $58.99 | 4 | No | Yes | 7 Days |
| Netflix | $6.99 | $15.49 | $22.99 | No | 2–4 | Premium Only | Yes | None |
| Paramount+ | $5.99 | $11.99 | - | $59.99 / $119.99 | 3 | Ad-free Only | Ad-free Only | 7 Days |
| Peacock | $5.99 | $11.99 | - | $59.99 / $119.99 | 3 | Yes | Ad-free Only | None |
| Prime Video | $8.99 | $11.98 | - | $139*** | 3 | Yes | Yes | 30 Days |
| Starz | - | $9.99 | - | $69.99 | 4 | No | Yes | None |
| * Annual plan is only for the Ad-free plan ** Annual plan is only for the With Ads plan *** Annual plan is only for the full Prime membership | ||||||||
How to pay for Max
If you subscribe directly through Max.com, Max accepts credit cards, PayPal, and iDEAL (in the Netherlands only).
The only credit cards Max accepts are:
- MasterCard
- Visa
You can also sign up for Max through third parties, which gives you more payment options.
Another benefit of signing up for Max through a third-party is that you might be able to get a free trial. Read more about Max free trials to see what’s out there.
However, there’s a chance you may not be able to use the official Max app if using third-party billing. So be sure to double-check if that’s important to you. Also, the Max Ultimate Ad Free tier is not available through all third-parties (such as Xfinity and Prime Video).
Other ways to sign up and pay for Max include:
- TV and mobile providers
- Apple App Store
- DirecTV Stream
- Google Play
- Samsung
- Roku Pay
- YouTube TV
👀 CHECK IT OUT
Is Max worth it?
It’s not as though there’s a shortage of streaming services. So is one of the most expensive on-demand streaming services worth it in 2024?
If you’re a fan of HBO original series—and haven’t watched them yet—then it’s worth it for the plain fact you can’t stream them anywhere else.
When it comes to movies, Max also has an impressive back catalog of classics, it gets pay-one windows for major theatrical releases like Barbie and Wonka.
But Max is still expensive and will eat into streaming budgets more than competitors. If you can grab an annual plan at 40% off, Max is definitely worth it. But if not, you may want to wait until the next deal on annual plans rolls around.
Learn more about Max before signing up by checking out our in-depth Max Review.
0 Comments