Streaming > Streaming TV, Movies, & More HBO Now vs. HBO Max: What's The Difference? Making sense of the different HBOs By Sam Costello Sam Costello Facebook Twitter Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 27, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Overall Findings Content Cost & Availability Compatibility For the Future Final Verdict HBO Max may be the latest arrival in the streaming TV world from HBO, but it's not the only option the company offers. There's also HBO Now. Confused about the difference between HBO Now and HBO Max? Here's what you need to know about each streaming service. Curious about how HBO Max differs from HBO Go rather than Now? We've got you covered in HBO Max vs. HBO Go: What's The Difference? Lifewire Overall Findings: HBO Max vs. HBO Now HBO Max Huge library of content from HBO, DC Comics, TCM, Sesame Workshop, and more. HBO's streaming service of the future. Included free for HBO cable subscribers. HBO Now Offers the classic, core HBO series like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wire, and more. No longer taking new subscribers. May eventually go away. HBO Max and HBO Now are available for cord-cutters and those who only want to stream their TV and movies. If you're a current HBO Now subscriber, you can keep using that service—for now (more on that later in the article). If you're a new subscriber, HBO Max is the only thing you can sign up for. And that's not a bad thing! HBO Max has a huge library of content, including everything offered by HBO Now. The only drawback is that HBO Max doesn't yet work on some of the streaming devices support by HBO Now (more on that in the compatibility section). Content: HBO Max Maxes out HBO Now HBO Max Biggest content library. Includes HBO Max original shows and movies. Great kids programming from Sesame Workshop, Studio Ghibli, and Looney Tunes. Huge movie selection. HBO Now Offers core, classic HBO series. Includes children's programming from Sesame Workshop. Only offers movies available through HBO. There's no question that HBO Max has the largest selection of movies and TV. HBO Max delivers all of the movies, and TV shows that HBO Now has, but it also adds a huge selection of content from other sources. In addition to the core HBO offerings, Max brings DC Universe movies and TV shows, programming from Sesame Workshop and Studio Ghibli, movies from Turner Classic Movies (TCM), a growing suite of HBO Max original movies and TV, and much more. Cost & Availability: Same Price HBO Max US$14.99/month. Available on a large number of platforms. HBO Max is the future of HBO streaming. HBO Now $14.99/month. Available on a large number of platforms. No longer accepting new subscribers. Believe it or not, but HBO Max and HBO Now are the same price: US$14.99/month. That's because Max is replacing Now, and HBO wants to transition customers from one service to the other smoothly. It's easy to do that when the price is the same. HBO Now is no longer accepting new subscribers. Current users can maintain their accounts—for now—but if you're not an HBO subscriber yet, Max is your only option. Compatibility: HBO Now Can Be Used on More Platforms HBO Max Works on iOS, iPad, Apple TV, and Android. Works on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.Works on computers and Chromebooks. HBO Now Works on iOS, iPad, Apple TV, and Android. Works on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Works on computers and Chromebooks. HBO Max and HBO Now work on the same devices, including Roku and Amazon Fire TV, which combine to make up a huge percentage of the streaming device market. Here are the platforms that HBO Max and HBO Now work on: HBO Max HBO Now iPhone iOS 12.2 and up discontinued iPad iPadOS 13 and up discontinued Android Android OS 5 and up discontinued Windows Windows 7 and up Windows 7 and up macOS macOS 10.10 Yosemite and up macOS 10.10 Yosemite and up Chromebook yes yes Apple TV 4th gen. and newer 4th gen. and newer Roku Roku OS 9.3 and later 3rd gen. and newer Amazon Fire TV Fire OS 5.3.6 or later yes Playstation 4 & 5 yes yes Xbox One & Series X\S yes yes Samsung Smart TVs yes (list of compatible TVs) no For the Future: HBO Max Is the Future HBO Max HBO Max is the future of HBO's streaming services. HBO Now is likely to be retired at some point. HBO Now HBO Now still exists, for now—but for how long? As shown in the compatibility chart in the last section, HBO Now is discontinued on some of the world's most widely used platforms (iOS and Android). That's because HBO has converted the HBO Now app to HBO Max on those platforms. HBO's long-term future is HBO Max. Final Verdict: HBO Max Should Be Your Choice Compared to HBO Now, HBO Max is the same price, has much more content, and is available on the same platforms, so it's the way to go. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies