A Step-by-Step Guide to Max: What to Watch & How to Join for Free

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Curious about Max? From hit shows and movies to documentaries, comedy specials and more, the streaming giant has enough content to keep everyone in the household entertained. Keep reading to learn more about Max, including membership plans, pricing and how to get a free trial.

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What Is Max?

Max is a relatively new streaming platform that combines HBO and Discovery channels including, Max Originals, B/R Sports, DC, ID Network, TCM, TLC, Discovery, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, OWN, Food Network, HGTV, and Trvl Channel.

HBO Max launched by Warner Bros in 2020, replacing HBO Go. The streamer gained a massive following during the beginning of the pandemic, namely because every 2021 Warner Bros. movie arrived on HBO Max the same day as its theater release. Last year, HBO Max and its sister streamer, Discovery+, ballooned to a combined 96.1 million subscribers (and counting).

Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming platform and instead launched Max, a mega-streamer combining programming from HBO and Discovery.

Discovery+ is still available as a standalone platform.

What to Watch on Max

Whether you love television, movies or a blend of both, Max has the kind of streaming library tailormade for binge watchers. Some of the new, upcoming and previous seasons to hit Max include new episodes of House of the Dragon and Euphoria premiering this year.

TV lovers can also binge episodes of fan favorites such as Succession, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, …And Just Like That, Barry, Doom Patrol, Rap Sh!t, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Selena + Chef, Hacks, Big Little Lies, and Euphoria are streaming on Max along with must-watch movies and documentaries such as Blue Beetle, Barbie, The Gilded Age, Bookie, Oprah & The Color Purple: Journey, The Diana Investigations, Devil in the Ozarks, Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?, The Murder Gabby Petito: What Really Happened, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, Love to Love You, Donna Summer, The Weeknd: Live at Sofi Stadium, Love, Lizzo, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, Shaq, All That Breathes, and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.

Also streaming on Max: Abbott Elementary, Gold Rush, Rick and Morty, The Haunted Museum, Yellowstone Wardens, Fixer Upper: The Hotel, Property Brothers: Forever Home, Gossip Girl, South Side, Station Eleven, The Staircase, Peacemaker, Tokyo Vice, The Boondocks, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

90 Day Fiance, Sister Wives, Welcome to Pathville, 1000-lb Sisters, Big Fat Fabulous, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, My Strange Addiction, Evil Lives Here, Very Scary People, Undercover Underage, People Investigates, Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Brothers: Lights Out.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Real Time With Bill Maher are on Max, as well as numerous movies, classic episodes of beloved sitcoms such as The Nanny, Martin, The Fresh-Prince of Bel-Air and Friends, along with kid-approved and family-friendly shows including Sesame Street, Ben 10, Looney Tunes Cartoons and the Harry Potter film franchise.

How Much Does Max Cost?

Max has expanded to two subscription tiers: ad-supported, commercial free and ultimate ad-free. The platform also allows you to watch certain episodes for free. Max’s paid subscriptions start at $9.99 ($99.99 a year) for ad-supported streaming, or $15.99 ($149.99 a year) to watch ad free.

The Ultimate ad-free includes 4K Ultra HD quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and you can stream on up to four devices at once.

Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’

Liane Hentscher/HBO

The ad-supported and ad-free streaming plans let you enjoy over 13,000 hours of entertainment, exclusive access to must-watch movies, all your HBO favorites — and you can stream from up to five different profiles, which is great if there are multiple people in your household.

What’s only available on the ad-free plan? With Max’s commercial-free plan, users can stream certain movies in 4K, download content to watch offline and stream from other countries. Streaming from outside the U.S.? Access Max through ExpressVPN.

Does Max Offer a Free Trial?

Unfortunately, Max does not offer free trials, but the streaming giant has free episodes and previously announced promotions such last year’s $1.99/monthly deal for Black Friday and a discount promo in 2022. You never know when the platform will launch another streaming deal, but there are ways to go about getting Max for free right now.

Already subscribed to HBO? You may already have free Max through Samsung TV, Roku, Verizon Fios, DirecTV and other cable or live TV streaming platforms. Not sure? Click here to find out if you already have access to Max. Otherwise, you can score a free trail to Max through platforms such as Prime Video and DirectTV Stream. AT&T quietly removed the HBO Max bundle deal from its wireless plans last year, but customers can still access free Max with select plans and Cricket Wireless currently offers free Max with a $60 unlimited plan.

Can you get a free trial to Max through Hulu? New subscribers can enjoy a free trial to Hulu and add Max as an additional channel for an extra $15.99 a month.

Currently, Direct TV Stream’s offers monthly plans for less than $80/month to stream 75+ channels. Upgrade to the Entertainment Choice plan for $83.99/month and save $25/month for two months.

The Choice plan is $83.99/month (reg. $108.99) for 105+ live channels and local TV stations, DVR, sports channels (ACC Network, Big Ten Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, SEC Network, etc.) and more. DirecTV customers can also add Max, Showtime, Starz and other channels for an additional fee.

DirecTV’s Premiere Plan is on sale for $94.99/month (reg. $108.99) and includes free Max, Showtime, Starz and Cinemax as well as everything in the cheaper tiers, plus over 140+ live and local channels, 65,000+ on-demand titles, unlimited DVR recording, regional sports networks and tons of other benefits.

How to Get a Free Trial to Max Through Prime Video

Prime Video recently added Max to its lineup which includes Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, BET+, AMC+, Discovery+ and other streamers that you can add to your subscription. Max is available ad-free for $15.99/month after a free trial for a week.

Prime Video is one of the many perks that’s included with Amazon Prime memberships. If you’re not a Prime member, click here to launch your 30-day free trial ($14.99/month after the free trial ends).

Besides Prime Video, the subscription includes free shipping on millions of items, a subscription to Amazon Prime Music, free GrubHub+ for a year and tons of other member benefits.

In 2022, Prime Video beat out Netflix to become the No.1 subscription streaming platform in the U.S. The platform features Amazon Originals like Role Play, Saltburn, Reacher, Sound of Freedom, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Daisy Jones & The Six, Swarm, The Power, Harlem, Riches, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Boyz, movies like Role Play, Saltburn, Somebody I Used to Know, The People We Hate at the Wedding, My Policeman with music, fashion and sports programs such as Kendrick Lamar’s The Big Steppers Tour in Paris, Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Vol. 4 and Thursday Night Football. You’ll also find paid episodes of hits shows Yellowstone, RuPaul’s Drag Race; and blockbuster films like Barbie, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse on Prime Video.