HBO Max Prices Have Officially Increased.
Watching series like House of the Dragon and Hacks is now more expensive than ever. On Tuesday, October 21, Warner Bros. Discovery announced an immediate increase in the price of all HBO Max subscriptions. Furthermore, for some plans, HBO Max is now more expensive than Netflix.
Here’s the deal: prices are going up across all three HBO Max subscription tiers. This includes:
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HBO Max Basic with ads : $10.99/month (was $9.99/month) or $109.99/year (was $99.99/year)
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HBO Max Standard : $18.49/month (was $16.99/month) or $184.99/year (was $169.99/year)
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HBO Max Premium : $22.99/month (was $20.99/month) or $229.99/year (was $209.99/year)
These prices are now in effect for all new subscribers. Current monthly subscribers will be notified of the price increase and will see the increase in their next billing period, starting November 20, 2025. Similarly, annual subscribers will not see the price increase until they renew their plan. For example, if you signed up for an annual Premium subscription yesterday, the $209.99 price will be locked in until next year. However, if your annual Premium plan renews next month, you will be charged an additional $20.
Of course, this is the highest price HBO Max has ever had, and this will be especially noticeable for subscribers who pay for additional accounts . In fact, HBO Max Basic with Ads and HBO Max Standard are now significantly more expensive than Netflix with Ads and Netflix Standard. Netflix with Ads currently costs just $7.99, while Netflix Standard is $17.99. An HBO Max Standard subscription costs $0.50 more than Netflix Standard and $3 more than an HBO ad-free subscription compared to Netflix. The only advantage HBO Max still has is its Premium tier, as Netflix charges $24.99 for the privilege of 4K content with four simultaneous streams.
If you’re looking at these price points and only plan to watch one streaming service, you might be convinced by Netflix. Thus, Warner Bros. Discovery is likely betting on demand for its content rather than price: among series like The Last of Us , The Gilded Age , Penguin , and White Lotus , as well as shows like Guns and Peacemaker , HBO Max boasts some of the most talked-about shows. This might convince people to stay with the service even with the price increase, especially ahead of the release of the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms .