HBO Max review

HBO Max carries HBO, the DC Universe, Warner Bros. and A24 titles and lays out its plans plainly on its US site. Basic with Ads costs $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year and streams on 2 devices at once in Full HD. Standard removes ads and adds 30 downloads for $18.49 a month or $184.99 a year. Premium, at $22.99 a month or $229.99 a year, streams on 4 devices, though only 2 for sports, in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos where available, and allows 100 downloads. Live MLB games on TBS are listed on all three plans, which is a nice extra for baseball fans. Every plan offers yearly billing, which saves between $21 and $45 a year. The catch is the price of quality: the ad plan has no downloads, and 4K sits only on the most expensive tier. Households that also want Disney+ and Hulu can buy all three from $21.99 a month, which HBO Max says saves $13.98 a month.

Who it is for

Viewers who want prestige drama and big films, and are willing to pay more for 4K.

Price

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

Live Sports MLB on TBS $ 10.99 /month
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• Basic with Ads on 2 devices in Full HD for $10.99 a month
• Standard adds 30 downloads for $18.49 a month
• Premium streams on 4 devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos and 100 downloads
• Live MLB on TBS listed on every plan
• Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundles from $21.99 a month

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Yearly billing on every plan saves $21 to $45
• Strength: Live baseball included even on the ad plan
• Strength: 4K and Dolby Atmos available on Premium
• Weakness: No downloads on the ad plan
• Weakness: 4K requires the $22.99 Premium plan
• Weakness: Only 2 sports streams at once even on Premium

Key facts

• Basic with Ads: $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year
• Standard: $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year
• Premium: $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year
• Streams: 2, or 4 on Premium
• Downloads: 30 on Standard, 100 on Premium

Where it ranks

HBO Max is No. 5 in our Best Video Streaming Services verdict.