HBO Max Cost Per Month (2026)

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Basic · Standard · Premium · Bundles · Student · Free Access · Cancel

It went back to HBO Max in 2025, raised prices again in late 2025, and now carries live sports on top of its prestige drama library. Whether you are signing up for the first time or wondering if you are overpaying, this covers everything.

$10.99 Basic with Ads — the cheapest plan, per month

$19.99 Disney+, Hulu & HBO Max bundle with ads — best overall value

50% Student discount — $5.49/month verified through UNiDAYS

📋 Quick Answers — The Questions People Search First

HBO Max (officially rebranded back from just “Max” in 2025) raised its prices in late 2025 and added live sports to the Standard and Premium tiers. Between the plan rename confusion, the Paramount+ merger rumors, and the shifting bundle options, there is a lot to sort through. These answers get to the point.

1 How much does HBO Max cost per month right now? Three plans: Basic with Ads at $10.99/month, Standard at $18.49/month, and Premium at $22.99/month. Annual plans save about 16% across all tiers. ▼

HBO Max currently has three standalone pricing tiers. Basic with Ads runs $10.99/month or $109.99/year — the entry point with limited commercials and access to most of the library in 1080p HD. Standard costs $18.49/month or $184.99/year — ad-free on demand, 30 offline downloads, and live sports coverage including NBA, NHL, MLB, March Madness, and U.S. Soccer. Premium sits at $22.99/month or $229.99/year — the only tier with 4K UHD streaming, Dolby Atmos audio, four simultaneous streams (versus two on Basic and Standard), and 100 offline downloads. Annual plans save approximately $22 on Basic, $37 on Standard, and $46 on Premium over 12 months of monthly billing. A limited-time promotional annual offer was running from June through mid-July 2026 that cut annual prices more steeply — check the HBO Max website for any active promotions before subscribing.

2 Is the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle actually worth it? For most households — yes. The “Trio” bundle with ads runs $19.99/month, giving you three major streaming libraries for less than the cost of HBO Max Standard alone. The no-ads version costs $32.99/month. ▼

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle — sometimes called the “Trio Bundle” — is one of the most compelling deals in streaming right now. The ad-supported version at $19.99/month gets you Disney’s family library, Hulu’s next-day network TV and original series, and HBO Max’s full prestige drama catalog in one bill. Paying each service separately would cost $7.99 (Disney+ with ads) + $7.99 (Hulu with ads) + $10.99 (HBO Max Basic with ads) = $26.97/month — the bundle saves you roughly $7/month. The no-ads version at $32.99/month covers ad-free access across all three platforms and saves approximately $23.48/month compared to subscribing to each ad-free service separately. For households that already watch Disney+ and Hulu, adding HBO Max through this bundle rather than subscribing to it directly is the financially sound move every time.

See also Netflix Deals for Seniors

3 Does HBO Max still have a free trial? Not directly from their website. The last general free trial ended in June 2024. However, free access exists through AT&T unlimited plans, Cricket Wireless, and occasional Amazon or Hulu add-on promotions. ▼

HBO Max stopped offering a standard homepage free trial in mid-2024. The brief exception was a promotional 7-day trial offered in June 2024 tied to the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere — that ended June 23, 2024 and has not returned as a permanent offer. What does exist: certain AT&T unlimited wireless plans include HBO Max Basic with Ads as a free add-on — check your AT&T account under “Manage Add-Ons” to see if yours qualifies. Cricket Wireless’s $60/month unlimited plan includes Max with Ads at no extra cost. Some Verizon Fios home internet plans bundle Max as a free perk. And Total by Verizon has periodically offered 6 months free on select prepaid plans. If none of those apply to you, the student discount at $5.49/month (50% off) is the next best thing for eligible college students.

4 What is the difference between “HBO Max” and just “Max” — are they the same thing? Yes, same service. The platform launched as HBO Max in 2020, rebranded to just “Max” in May 2023, then reverted to HBO Max in 2025. The content, pricing, and app are the same — only the name changed. ▼

The rename history is genuinely confusing and Warner Bros. Discovery has not helped by changing it twice. The service launched as HBO Max in 2020 to combine HBO’s prestige content with additional Warner Bros. and Discovery programming. In May 2023 it was rebranded to simply “Max” as part of a repositioning to emphasize the broader content library rather than the HBO brand. Then in 2025, following ongoing branding discussions and subscriber feedback, it reverted to HBO Max. The subscription, the app on your devices, the pricing, and the content library are all the same service throughout these name changes. If you search for either “HBO Max” or “Max” on your Roku, Apple TV, or other streaming device, you will find the same app. Any active subscription you have has continued uninterrupted through each rebrand.

5 Is there a student discount on HBO Max? Yes — 50% off Basic with Ads, bringing it to $5.49/month, verified through UNiDAYS. Available to enrolled college and university students. Renewable annually while enrolled. No military discount exists. ▼

HBO Max offers a 50% student discount on the Basic with Ads plan, dropping the monthly cost to $5.49 — verified through UNiDAYS, a student discount platform that requires an active .edu email or enrollment documentation. The offer runs through December 31 and is renewable each year you remain enrolled. Note two important clarifications: the student discount only applies to Basic with Ads, not to Standard or Premium tiers. And despite what some websites claim, HBO Max does not offer a military or veteran discount — there is no ID.me verification, no GovX program, no SheerID partnership for service members. This was confirmed by HBO Max’s official pricing pages as of June 2026. A veteran who is also a currently enrolled student can use the student discount, but there is no military-specific rate.

6 Does HBO Max include live sports — and which plan do you need for it? Yes, live sports was added. Standard and Premium tiers include 300+ live games covering NBA, NHL, MLB, March Madness, and U.S. Soccer. Basic with Ads does not include live sports. ▼

HBO Max significantly expanded its sports offering, adding live game coverage across NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA March Madness, and U.S. Soccer — over 300 live events per year. This coverage is only available on Standard ($18.49/month) and Premium ($22.99/month). The Basic with Ads plan does not include any live sports. For sports fans who were already considering Standard for the ad-free experience, the live sports addition makes the $7.50/month step up from Basic considerably more justifiable. For households that already pay for a sports streaming service separately, the math is worth reviewing — HBO Max’s sports library may reduce or eliminate that separate cost.

7 How many people can watch at the same time on one HBO Max account? Basic and Standard: 2 simultaneous streams. Premium: 4 simultaneous streams. All plans support up to 5 user profiles per account, regardless of tier. ▼

The simultaneous stream limit is one of the practical differences between tiers that matters most for households. Basic with Ads and Standard both allow 2 streams at the same time — two people in different rooms watching different shows on the same account. Premium allows 4 simultaneous streams, which is meaningful for larger households. All three tiers support up to 5 user profiles per account — each with its own watch history, recommendations, and content preferences. The stream limit applies to the account as a whole, not per profile. If a third person tries to start a stream on a Basic or Standard account while two streams are already running, they will be prompted to stop one of the active streams. For households of 3–4 regular viewers, Premium’s 4-stream allowance may justify the upgrade over Standard.

8 Will HBO Max merge with Paramount+ — and should I wait to subscribe? Merger talks were reported but nothing has been announced. Content and pricing remain unchanged as of mid-2026. Waiting indefinitely would mean missing current shows for a deal that may or may not happen this year. ▼

Reports of potential merger discussions between Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max) and Paramount Global have circulated throughout 2025 and into 2026. As of mid-2026, no merger has been announced, no combined platform has been described, and all HBO Max pricing, plans, and content remain exactly as they are. Streaming mergers at this scale take years to negotiate, receive regulatory approval, and implement technically. Holding off subscribing to HBO Max on the chance of a combined service arriving soon is not a practical strategy — current subscribers would almost certainly be grandfathered into any merged offering at their existing rate. If the content on HBO Max is something you want to watch right now, subscribe now. A merger, if it happens, would more likely be an addition to your library than a reason to wait.

💳 All Three HBO Max Plans — What You Actually Get

The price gap between tiers is real but so are the differences. Most households land on Basic or Standard — Premium earns its place for 4K households or families with 3+ regular viewers.

Entry Tier · With Ads Basic with Ads $10.99/mo $109.99/yr · saves ~$22

✅ Full HBO Max on-demand library
✅ 1080p Full HD streaming
✅ 2 simultaneous streams
✅ 5 user profiles
⚠️ Ads on most content
❌ No offline downloads
❌ No live sports
❌ No 4K or Dolby Atmos

Most Popular · Ad-Free · Sports Standard $18.49/mo $184.99/yr · saves ~$37

✅ Full library — no ads on demand
✅ 1080p Full HD streaming
✅ 2 simultaneous streams
✅ 5 user profiles
✅ 30 offline downloads
🏀 Live sports (NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA)
❌ No 4K or Dolby Atmos
❌ Only 2 streams (same as Basic)

4K · 4 Streams · Premium Premium $22.99/mo $229.99/yr · saves ~$46

✅ Full library — no ads on demand
🎬 4K UHD + Dolby Atmos
✅ 4 simultaneous streams
✅ 5 user profiles
✅ 100 offline downloads
🏀 Live sports (all Standard sports)
💡 Only 4K-capable tier on any plan

💡 Annual Plans — The 16% Savings Breakdown

Every tier offers the same annual discount — roughly 16% off, equivalent to getting about two months free per year. Basic with Ads drops from $131.88/year (monthly) to $109.99/year, saving $21.89. Standard drops from $221.88 to $184.99, saving $36.89. Premium drops from $275.88 to $229.99, saving $45.89. These are meaningful savings for anyone who keeps the service for more than a few months at a time. The one risk: HBO Max does not offer refunds on annual plans if you cancel before the year ends. If you are not certain you will stay, start with monthly and switch to annual after 2–3 months when you are sure you are using it.

📦 The Bundles — Where the Real Value Lives

Subscribing to HBO Max by itself is often the wrong move for households that also watch Disney or Hulu content. The bundle math is hard to argue with.

💡 The Disney+, Hulu & HBO Max Trio Bundle

📦 Bundle With Ads — $19.99/month

Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (with ads), and HBO Max (Basic with Ads) in one subscription. Paying each service individually at their current prices totals $26.97/month — the bundle saves $7/month or $84/year. One password, one billing date, all three libraries. The With Ads version still carries limited commercials on each platform, but most content is accessible. This is the strongest overall streaming value in the market right now for households watching across more than one service.

💰 $19.99/mo all three services ✅ Saves $7/mo vs. subscribing separately ⚠️ Ads on all three platforms

📦 Bundle No Ads — $32.99/month

The ad-free version covers Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max without commercials across all three. Separately, Disney+ No Ads runs $13.99, Hulu No Ads $17.99, and HBO Max Standard $18.49 — a combined total of $50.47/month. The bundle at $32.99 saves $17.48/month or $209.76/year. If you want ad-free across all three, this is not a close decision — the bundle is the only sensible path.

💰 $32.99/mo all three ad-free ✅ Saves $17.48/mo — $209/yr 🎬 HBO Max Standard quality (not Premium/4K)

📡 Carrier & Provider Bundles

📱 AT&T Unlimited Plans — Free Max with Ads

Certain AT&T unlimited wireless plans — particularly legacy plans and some current unlimited tiers — include HBO Max Basic with Ads at no additional charge. This is not available on every AT&T plan. To check: log into your AT&T account, go to Account Overview, look for “Manage Add-Ons” or “Subscriptions,” and see if Max appears as an available or active benefit. If it is listed, activate it. This is genuinely free — a $10.99/month value at no extra cost — and many AT&T customers have it available without knowing it.

📱 Select AT&T unlimited plans only ✅ Basic with Ads included free ⚠️ Check your specific plan — not all qualify

📡 Cricket Wireless — Free Max with Ads on $60 Plan

Cricket Wireless’s $60/month unlimited plan includes HBO Max Basic with Ads as a standing benefit — unlimited calls and data plus 15GB of mobile hotspot, with Max included. Cricket is owned by AT&T and operates on AT&T’s network. For anyone whose phone plan is up for renewal and who already wants HBO Max, switching to Cricket’s unlimited plan may effectively eliminate the separate streaming cost. Activate through your Cricket account settings after signing up.

📡 Cricket $60/mo unlimited plan ✅ Max with Ads included free

📺 DirecTV — Max Included with Select Cable Packages

DirecTV’s higher-tier cable packages include HBO Max as part of the base package — not an add-on. If you are already a DirecTV Premier subscriber, HBO Max is included at no extra cost. Check your DirecTV package details through your DirecTV account or call DirecTV to confirm whether your specific tier includes it before paying for a separate HBO Max subscription. DirecTV Stream also offers promotional packages that sometimes include 3 free months of HBO Max for new subscribers on qualifying tiers.

📺 DirecTV Premier and higher tiers ✅ Max included in base package 💡 New DirecTV Stream users: 3 months free promo

📊 All Plans Compared — Full Side-by-Side

← Scroll right to see full table →

Feature	Basic w/ Ads	Standard	Premium	Trio Bundle w/ Ads
Monthly price	$10.99	$18.49	$22.99	$19.99 (all 3 services)
Annual price	$109.99/yr	$184.99/yr	$229.99/yr	No annual option on bundle
Ads on content	Yes — limited	No ads on demand	No ads on demand	Ads on all 3 services
Video quality	1080p Full HD	1080p Full HD	4K UHD + Dolby Atmos	1080p Full HD
Simultaneous streams	2 screens	2 screens	4 screens	2 screens (HBO Max portion)
User profiles	5 profiles	5 profiles	5 profiles	5 profiles (HBO Max)
Offline downloads	❌ None	✅ 30 downloads	✅ 100 downloads	Varies by service
Live sports	❌ Not included	✅ NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA	✅ All Standard sports	❌ Not included
Disney+ included	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes (with ads)
Hulu included	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes (with ads)
Student discount	✅ $5.49/mo via UNiDAYS	❌ No discount	❌ No discount	❌ No discount

🆓 Free & Discounted Access — Every Legitimate Path

No homepage free trial anymore — but five real ways to access HBO Max for free or at steep discount still exist. Most people eligible for these never take advantage of them.

🎓 Student Discount — $5.49/month (50% Off)

Enrolled college and university students can cut the Basic with Ads plan to $5.49/month — half price — through UNiDAYS verification. The process: visit hbomax.com, look for the student offer, click “Verify with UNiDAYS,” and submit your .edu email or enrollment documentation. Approval is usually same-day. The discount is renewable each academic year while you remain enrolled and the offer runs through December 31. At $5.49/month, HBO Max becomes one of the most affordable premium streaming options available, particularly for students in dormitories or shared housing.

🎓 Enrolled college students only 💰 $5.49/mo Basic with Ads ✅ Renewable annually while enrolled ⚠️ Basic with Ads tier only — not Standard or Premium

📱 AT&T Unlimited — Free Max with Ads

Select AT&T unlimited wireless plans include HBO Max Basic with Ads at no extra charge. This is not universal — it depends on which specific AT&T plan you have. Log into att.com, go to your account’s plan details or add-on section, and look for HBO Max or Max as a benefit. If it appears, activate it immediately — you have been leaving a $10.99/month value on the table. Legacy AT&T unlimited plans from before 2023 are more likely to include it; newer base plans may not.

📱 Legacy AT&T unlimited plan holders ✅ Free Basic with Ads — no extra charge ⚠️ Check att.com to confirm your plan qualifies

🦗 Cricket Wireless — Free Max on $60/mo Plan

Cricket Wireless’s $60/month unlimited plan — which includes unlimited calls, data, and 15GB of hotspot — also includes HBO Max with Ads as a standing benefit. If you are currently paying separately for a wireless plan plus HBO Max, switching to Cricket may eliminate the streaming cost entirely while keeping comparable wireless coverage (Cricket runs on AT&T’s network). Activate through your Cricket account settings under “Perks” after signing up for the eligible plan.

🦗 Cricket $60/mo unlimited plan ✅ Max with Ads included free

🌐 Verizon & Other ISP Bundles

Some Verizon Fios home internet plans include HBO Max as a free bundle benefit. Total by Verizon (Verizon’s prepaid brand) has offered 6 months free HBO Max on select prepaid plans. Other internet service providers have periodically included Max in promotional bundles. The availability changes frequently — check your current ISP’s account benefits page or call customer service to ask whether HBO Max is included with your current internet or wireless plan before paying separately.

🌐 Verizon Fios home internet — select plans 📅 Total by Verizon: 6 months free on prepaid ⚠️ Check your specific plan — varies widely

📺 Watching Free Episodes Without Subscribing

HBO Max releases select free episodes of original series on its website and YouTube channel — no account or subscription required. During major premieres, first episodes of new series are sometimes made available temporarily at no cost. This is not a reliable ongoing source of content but it is a legitimate way to sample a specific new show before deciding whether to subscribe for it. The selection is limited and rotates, but for viewers who want to preview the product before committing, checking hbomax.com/free and the official HBO YouTube channel is worth a quick look.

🙋 Your Situation — Which Plan Actually Makes Sense

The right HBO Max plan depends less on marketing tier names and more on how you watch, how many people share the account, and what else you already subscribe to.

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I want HBO Max at the lowest possible cost without compromising on actual content

Basic with Ads at $10.99/month gives you the full HBO Max library — every HBO original, every Warner Bros. film, every Discovery documentary, all of it — with limited commercials. The ads are shorter than traditional cable. If you already have Disney+ and Hulu separately, cancel them and subscribe to the Trio Bundle With Ads at $19.99/month instead — you get all three services for less than you are paying for two. And if you qualify for the student discount, $5.49/month is the number to know.

✅ Basic with Ads $10.99 — or Trio Bundle $19.99 if you use Disney/Hulu

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I have a 4K TV and I want the best picture quality available

Premium is the only tier that streams in 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos — there is no way to get 4K on Basic or Standard regardless of your TV’s capabilities. At $22.99/month, Premium is $4.50 more than Standard and $12 more than Basic. If picture quality matters to you and your television can display 4K, the Premium plan is the correct one. The annual plan at $229.99/year ($19.16/month effective) softens the cost. Premium also includes 4 simultaneous streams, which is the other meaningful reason to consider it even if 4K were not a factor.

✅ Premium — only 4K tier, worth it for capable TVs

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There are 3 or 4 people in my household all trying to watch at the same time

Basic and Standard both cap at 2 simultaneous streams. If three or more people regularly watch at the same time, you will hit that limit and someone will get bumped. Premium at $22.99/month allows 4 simultaneous streams — the only fix that works within HBO Max’s own plans. For a household of four, $22.99 split four ways is about $5.75 per person per month, which is well below any individual streaming service cost. If 4K is not a priority but stream count is, Premium is still your answer — the extra stream allowance is as much of a reason to upgrade as the picture quality.

✅ Premium — 4 streams is the key feature for larger households

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I want to watch live sports through HBO Max — NBA, NHL, or MLB games

Live sports require Standard or Premium — Basic with Ads does not include them. Standard at $18.49/month is the minimum tier for live sports access, and at $7.50 more than Basic, it adds ad-free on-demand viewing plus over 300 live games in NBA, NHL, MLB, March Madness, and U.S. Soccer. If you are currently paying for a separate sports streaming service and HBO Max Standard’s coverage overlaps with what you watch, the math may favor consolidating. Check the specific leagues and teams available in your market before assuming Standard covers everything you follow — regional sports blackouts and exclusivity rules still apply to some matchups.

✅ Standard — minimum tier for live sports access

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I already have Disney+ and Hulu — should I add HBO Max separately or through the bundle?

Through the bundle, always. If you are already paying for Disney+ and Hulu separately and want to add HBO Max, cancel both and subscribe to the Trio Bundle instead. The With Ads version at $19.99/month gives you all three services for less than you are currently paying for just two (Disney+ No Ads is $13.99, Hulu No Ads is $17.99 — together that is $31.98 before adding HBO Max). The No Ads bundle at $32.99/month covers all three ad-free and saves dramatically versus individual subscriptions. The only reason to subscribe to HBO Max separately is if you want Premium (4K) or if you have a promotional rate on one of the other services that you do not want to lose.

⚠️ Cancel Disney+ and Hulu separately — subscribe to the Trio Bundle instead

✈️

I travel frequently and want to watch offline on a plane or without Wi-Fi

Basic with Ads does not support offline downloads — you need Standard or Premium. Standard gives you 30 downloads at a time, Premium gives you 100. For most travelers, 30 downloads is more than enough — that is 10–15 full episodes of a drama series stored on your phone or tablet before a long trip. Downloads expire when your subscription expires and are device-tied (you cannot download to five devices simultaneously). Standard at $18.49/month is the most practical choice for travelers who want offline access without paying Premium pricing.

✅ Standard — 30 downloads is sufficient for most trips

❌ How to Cancel HBO Max — Every Platform Covered

HBO Max does not offer refunds for unused time on either monthly or annual plans. Cancel before your billing date to avoid the next charge — access continues until the period you paid for ends.

🌐 Subscribed Through HBO Max Website (Most Common)

Go to hbomax.com and log in
Click your profile icon in the top right
Select Subscription from the menu
Click Cancel Subscription at the bottom of the page
Follow the confirmation prompts — note the date your access ends

📱 Subscribed Through Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV)

Open Settings on your Apple device
Tap your name at the top → Subscriptions
Find HBO Max in the list and tap it
Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm
Apple controls this billing — HBO Max cannot cancel or refund Apple-billed subscriptions

📺 Other Platforms — Roku, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube TV

Amazon: amazon.com → Account → Memberships & Subscriptions → HBO Max → Cancel
Roku: my.roku.com → My Account → Subscriptions → HBO Max → Cancel
Google Play: Play Store → Profile → Payments & Subscriptions → HBO Max → Cancel
YouTube TV: youtube.com/paid_memberships → HBO Max → Deactivate

⚠️ Refund Policy — Know This Before Canceling

HBO Max does not issue refunds for unused time on its directly billed subscriptions — monthly or annual. If you cancel mid-month, you keep access through the end of the billing cycle and are not charged again. If you cancel an annual plan halfway through, the remaining months are forfeited. Exception: if you subscribed through a third party like Apple or Amazon, that platform’s own refund policies may apply — contact Apple Support or Amazon directly if you believe you are owed a refund. For billing errors or accidental double charges, contact HBO Max support directly — those are typically resolved in the customer’s favor.

📞 Contact & Support

For billing questions, account issues, and cancellations not covered by the self-service options above.

🌐 hbomax.com — Account & subscription management 📞 1-855-442-6629 — Phone & text support 💬 help.hbomax.com — Help center & chat 📧 Contact form at help.hbomax.com/contact

💡 Get Help Faster — What to Have Ready

The email address associated with your HBO Max account
The last four digits of the card that was billed
The date of the charge you are questioning and the amount
Which platform you subscribed through (HBO Max direct, Apple, Amazon, Roku, etc.) — support for third-party billing must go through those platforms, not HBO Max

HBO Max pricing, plan names, and features change periodically. All prices and details in this article reflect publicly available information and may have been updated since publication. Verify current pricing at hbomax.com before subscribing. The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is managed through Disney’s subscription system — check disneyplus.com/bundle for current bundle pricing and availability. Student discount terms are subject to change; confirm current eligibility requirements at hbomax.com. Carrier bundle benefits (AT&T, Cricket, Verizon) depend on your specific plan and may change; confirm with your carrier. HBO Max does not offer a military discount as of mid-2026. This article is not a paid advertisement for HBO Max or any associated service.

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