HBO Max review

HBO Max takes second place on catalog strength and plan flexibility. Its US page lists three tiers: Basic with Ads at $10.99 a month, Standard at $18.49 and Premium at $22.99, and each one can be paid yearly ($109.99, $184.99 and $229.99), which Netflix does not offer. Basic with Ads streams in Full HD on 2 devices and, like the other tiers, includes live sports such as MLB on TBS. Standard drops the ads and adds 30 downloads; Premium moves to 4K, Dolby Atmos, 4 streams (only 2 for sports) and 100 downloads. The catalog covers HBO, the DC Universe, Warner Bros. and A24, per both the Disney+ bundle page and HBO Max's App Store listing. For households that already pay for Disney+ and Hulu, the three-way bundle with ads is $21.99 a month. The US App Store rating is 4.9 from 5.9 million ratings, the highest in this list.

Who it is for

Viewers who want prestige series and films

Price

Basic with Ads $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year; Standard $18.49; Premium $22.99.

HBO Max plans start at $10.99/month
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Basic with Ads streams in Full HD on 2 devices at once
• Standard removes ads and allows 30 downloads
• Premium adds 4K, Dolby Atmos, 4 streams and 100 downloads
• Live sports including MLB on TBS on every plan
• Annual billing on every plan, from $109.99 a year for Basic with Ads

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Annual Basic with Ads plan saves $21 versus monthly billing
• Strength: Rated 4.9 from 5.9M ratings on the US App Store
• Strength: Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max bundle with ads costs $21.99 a month
• Weakness: Cheapest plan is $2 a month more than Netflix's ad tier
• Weakness: Basic with Ads has no downloads listed
• Weakness: Premium sports streams are limited to 2 devices

Key facts

• Plans: Basic with Ads, Standard, Premium
• Ad-free from: $18.49 per month
• Annual option: Yes, from $109.99 per year
• Screens at once: 2 on Basic and Standard, 4 on Premium
• App Store rating: 4.9 from 5.9M ratings

Where it ranks

HBO Max is No. 2 in our Best Video Streaming Services verdict.