Max (Standard) review 2027

What problem does Max solve, and what are its benefits?

Max is the film buff's service and the home of the best-written television. That is the core of the verdict, and it is what the tagline promises: HBO's prestige series plus the Warner film library, Studio Ghibli, TCM classics and Discovery reality — the best catalogue for films and grown-up television.

The benefit is depth. In our test, Max carried 17 of 40 checklist titles, the deepest film library in the test. HBO originals remain the best-reviewed on television, and the TCM and Ghibli catalogues are ones nobody else has. For anyone who watches films and HBO, that combination is the reason to subscribe.

Price is part of the case. The trade-off is stated plainly in the verdict: the app is the weakest of the big three.

How did we score Max?

Max finished on 7.9 out of 10, first in a category of eight services tested. The score is built from five weighted criteria.

• Catalogue — 26 of 30. This measures depth of originals, licensed film and TV, kids and sport, and how many of our 40-title checklist were available. Max returned 17 of 40.
• Video & audio quality — 18 of 20. This covers 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos availability, measured bitrate on the same connection, and app stability. Max measured 15 Mbps on 4K.
• Apps & experience — 12 of 15. Profiles, downloads, recommendations, ad load on ad tiers and device support all count here.
• Flexibility — 8 of 10. Monthly cancel, simultaneous streams, household rules and bundles.
• Value — 15 of 25. The price of the cheapest ad-free tier and the ad tier, against the catalogue.

The pattern is clear: Max scores highest where the library lives and loses most ground on value and the app.

What are Max's standout strengths?

The checklist result is the headline. 17 of 40 titles available, with the deepest film library in the test.

Picture quality backs it up. Max measured a 4K bitrate of 15 Mbps on the same connection, and the video and audio criterion returned 18 of 20. HBO originals remain the best-reviewed on television, and the TCM and Ghibli catalogues nobody else has give the service a shelf of films you cannot stream elsewhere.

What do you get, and how is it built?

The plan structure is straightforward. The ad tier is $9.99 per month. Ad-free is $16.99 per month. 4K and HDR sit on Ultimate only, at $20.99.

• Simultaneous streams: 2 on Standard, 4 on Ultimate.
• Downloads: Standard and up.
• Live TV: CNN Max; B/R Sports add-on.
• Strongest for: HBO, Warner films, classics, DC.
• Free trial: No.

So the components are tiers rather than hardware: an ad-supported entry point, an ad-free Standard tier with two streams and downloads, and an Ultimate tier that adds 4K, HDR and four streams.

How does Max compare with the competition?

Against Disney+ (7.9, $15.99), Max is level on score and a dollar more on the ad-free plan, but Disney+ puts 4K and HDR on its standard ad-free tier while Max reserves them for Ultimate at $20.99. Disney+ also allows 4 simultaneous streams on that plan and lists ESPN via bundle for live TV.

Netflix offers 2 streams on Standard and 4 on Premium, downloads across plans, and some live events.

Against Prime Video (7.6, $8.99), Max costs more ad-free at $16.99 versus $11.98, but Prime Video's ad tier is the default and 4K and HDR are included. Prime Video carries 3 simultaneous streams and NFL Thursday Night Football plus NBA from 2025.

Where does Max fall short?

Where it lost: app experience. That is the single line in the verdict, and the test notes explain it. App search and profiles are clumsy, and playback stalled twice during testing. The apps and experience criterion returned 12 of 15 — the weakest of the five scores relative to its maximum.

Two further cons matter depending on how you watch. Ads on Basic include the pre-roll on HBO shows, so the cheapest tier interrupts the prestige programming. And live sports need the B/R add-on, which is not part of the standard subscription.

Is Max good value?

The price summary is $16.99. Measured against rivals, that ad-free figure is a dollar below Netflix at $17.99 and above Disney+ at $15.99, Prime Video at $11.98 and Apple TV+ at $9.99. The ad tier is $9.99, against $7.99 on Netflix, $9.99 on Disney+ and Hulu, and $8.99 on Prime Video.

The value criterion scored 15 of 25, the lowest of Max's five marks. The catalogue is the counterweight: 17 of 40 checklist titles and the deepest film library in the test. If you watch a lot of films and HBO, the maths works; if you want 4K without paying for Ultimate, it does not.

Who should buy Max?

Still right for: anyone who watches films and HBO. The TCM and Ghibli catalogues nobody else has, the deepest film library in the test and the best-reviewed television originals make it the film buff's service.

If app polish matters more than the library, the verdict is honest about the trade: the app is the weakest of the big three.