How much does HBO Max cost, and what plans are available in 2022?
Home to award-winning, critically acclaimed entertainment, bag an HBO Max subscription and watch golden oldies such as The Wire and The Sopranos, also newer TV shows like Euphoria and House of the Dragon. You will have access to over 13,000 hours of premium content regardless of your choice. Offering two HBO Max pricing tiers, a cheaper plan with advertisements is available. In addition, there is currently an excellent discount on annual subscriptions.
In addition to Max Originals such as DC’s Peacemaker and The Flight Attendant, there are also popular HBO shows (Chernobyl, Mare of Easttown), a curated library of bona fide film classics from TCM, and fine selections from the Warner Brothers film and television archive. You will also find hobbits, superheroes, Friends, and many more.
HBO Max provides some of the best deals at an unbelievable price. How does it compare to the best streaming services, such as Disney Plus, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video?Find out below as we explain it all.
Price and plans of HBO Max: quick guide
HBO Max has two different subscription tiers, you can have monthly or yearly subscription which will cost 20% less.
Plan’ With Ads’ – $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year
The “Ad-Free” plan costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year
Both offer unfettered access to all ten of its entertainment hubs, including HBO, DC, Classics Curated by TCM, Studio Ghibli, Cartoon Network, Sesame Workshop, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Cartoonito, and Looney Tunes, in addition to Max Original programming. You’ll also get to stream across three devices simultaneously.
No commercials are included in the $14.99 “Ad Free” plan. A select number of titles are available in glorious 4K HDR, and 30 labels can be downloaded for offline viewing.
Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, HBO Max on Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, iPad, Android, and iPhones are all compatible with HBO Max.
Are there any current HBO Max offerings?
If you are a new or existing customer of Cricket Wireless, its Unlimited package includes a free “With Announcements” subscription to HBO Max.
As for the 7-day free trial? It was discontinued in December 2020 for U.S. customers. However, to learn more about the free trial of HBO Max and possible eligibility in new countries where the service is launching, you can consult our guide or if you plan to subscribe to Hulu.
In the meantime, anyone with a current HBO or HBO Now subscription is eligible for a FREE HBO Max account as long as they are registered with an eligible provider.
How does the price of HBO Max compare to Netflix?
HBO Max’s With-Ads plan offers both affordability and high-quality content. Now that Netflix has increased the price of its subscription plans — the Basic option now costs $9.99 — the two streaming services are priced similarly.
Netflix continues to dominate online streaming. It has nearly three times as much content as HBO Max, 36,000 hours compared to 13,000, and is regularly flooded with original content, such as the highly anticipated fourth season of Stranger Things. It offers three pricing tiers: $9.99 for the Basic plan, $15.49 for the Standard plan, and $19.99 for the Premium plan.
HBO Max offers three streams for the same price as Netflix’s single stream, HD content. In contrast, Netflix only offers SD and, most importantly, unforgettable TV shows such as Euphoria, Succession, and The Wire. However, now that subscribers can obtain HBO-quality content at an affordable price, Netflix’s Basic plan appears…basic.
Only Netflix’s Premium plan allows you to stream to more devices (a total of four). It has a more incredible selection of Ultra HD titles than HBO Max (over 500, whereas HBO Max has somewhere around 40 in 4K). Admittedly Netflix delivers an abundance of content with no adverts in sight. However, HBO Max may offer superior value to the more discerning film and television viewers.
How does the price of HBO Max compare to that of Amazon Prime Video?
Amazon Prime Video kind of blows HBO Max out of the water. As part of a $12.99 Amazon Prime membership, it is less expensive than an ‘Ad-Free’ option. The HBO Max account includes perks such as free delivery and free music streaming and has a staggering total of over 20,000 movies and television series. Hundreds of select titles are available to stream in 4K Ultra HD with a $119 annual subscription, which is discounted by approximately 25%.
However, HBO Max has a significant advantage due to its exclusive content. It is the only streaming service that offers every excellent HBO series, as well as more recent hits such as Station Eleven, Euphoria, and The Time Traveler’s Wife. South Park, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and The Big Bang Theory are just a few of the insanely popular shows here, along with the acclaimed animations of Studio Ghibli. They are readily available for consumption.
How does the price of HBO Max compare to that of Disney Plus?
Disney Plus continues to be one of the most popular VOD streaming services with a collection of well-known, profitable brands. And at $7.99 per month, it’s an incredible value. But, with HBO Max’s cheaper ‘With Ads’ plan, the reduced price difference means that HBO Max should begin taking a larger share of the VOD profits – especially from adults who desire more adult content.
In terms of functionality, Disney Plus account sharing allows four people to stream simultaneously from a single account, whereas HBO Max limits simultaneous streaming to three users. But in terms of content, the Mouse of House has a relatively meager selection, with only 500 films compared to 1300 on HBO Max, all of which are available for only a few dollars more. If you want an ad-free experience, however, you must pay $14.99 per month – nearly double the price of Disney Plus.
Content is of utmost importance in both cases, and each service is the exclusive home of some well-known brands and film franchises. Disney Plus will enchant fans of Team Marvel, Pixar, The Simpsons, and The Muppets, as well as Star Wars spin-offs like Obi-Wan Kenobi, while fans of DC Comics, Studio Ghibli, nail-biting TV dramas, and blockbuster films will jump at the chance to pay the slightly higher HBO Max price.
How does the cost of HBO Max compare to that of Apple TV Plus?
Apple TV Plus has been a slow-burn VOD service, quietly accumulating subscribers with its high-quality exclusive TV series and films, such as the award-winning Ted Lasso and Jennifer Anniston’s The Morning Show.
At $4.99 per month, it costs half as much as an HBO Max subscription, and a single account can be shared with up to five additional users – more than any other streaming service listed here. However, given that the majority of its content consists of Apple TV originals, its selection of titles is extremely limited. It has approximately 90 feature films and television series, while HBO Max has hundreds.
Apple TV Plus frequently produces content of comparable quality to that of HBO, including recent hits such as Severance and Shining Girls. Everything on this website is flawlessly made and viewable in 4K. The Wire, Euphoria, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos have engendered a great deal of adoration. However, very little has elicited the same enthusiasm.
Still, Apple TV Plus is significantly less expensive than HBO Max, and there is much to look forward to. Killers of the Flower Moon, a Western-themed crime drama by Martin Scorsese, will be released in the future.
How does the price of HBO Max compare to Hulu?
On the surface, Hulu is a surefire winner. Its on-demand-only plans remain highly competitive at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, and its library of over 4,000 titles to stream is impressive.
To achieve the same functionality as a full-featured HBO Max subscription, however, you must purchase several expensive add-ons. Want to avoid annoying advertisements? Then it would be best if you chose the $12.99 Hulu (No Ads) plan. Do you wish to share your account with more than two individuals? Unlimited Screens cost an additional $9.99 per month, for a total of $23 per month. Suddenly, HBO Max’s ‘Ad Free’ plan’s $14.99 price tag doesn’t seem so excessive.
There is no doubt that Hulu provides excellent value and adaptability. Its Basic plan is available to students for only $1.99 per month, while cable TV subscribers can upgrade to Hulu with Live TV for $69.99 per month, including Disney Plus and ESPN Plus in addition to over 75 live channels and a vast VOD library. Therefore, it trumps HBO Max in the price wars. However, few would dispute that HBO reigns supreme when it comes to content quality, and those who do can take their complaints to Tony