Media & Entertainment · head to head
ESPN+ vs HBO Max
ESPN+
Media & Entertainment
Stream live sports, original shows, and exclusive content
- From
- $10.99/month
- Rated
- -
HBO Max
Media & Entertainment
Stream iconic series, movies, and Max Originals
- From
- $9.99/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ESPN+ the App Store listing states the ESPN app offers two paid tiers, ESPN Select which includes ESPN+ only, and ESPN Unlimited which includes all ESPN networks and services including ESPN+, without stating the price of either in the visible description.; HBO Max three subscription tiers: Basic With Ads at 10.99 USD/month, Standard at 18.49 USD/month, Premium at 22.99 USD/month
- They diverge on capability: ESPN+ covers Live sports, HBO Max covers Streaming.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ESPN+ and HBO Max actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Media & Entertainment).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ESPN+
- Live sports
- Original shows
- Exclusive content
- Replays
- Analysis
- Streaming devices
- Account security
- Roku support
Only in HBO Max
- Streaming
- Downloads
- Profiles
- HBO content
- Max Originals
- Gaming consoles
- Mobile devices
- Profile locks
Both cover
- Smart TVs
- Parental controls
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
- Smart-tv support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ESPN+
- Sports streamingnot HBO Max
- Live event watchingnot HBO Max
HBO Max
- Premium streamingnot ESPN+
- HBO contentnot ESPN+
- Original seriesnot ESPN+
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ESPN+
- The App Store listing states the ESPN app offers two paid tiers, ESPN Select which includes ESPN+ only, and ESPN Unlimited which includes all ESPN networks and services including ESPN+, without stating the price of either in the visible description.
HBO Max
- Three subscription tiers: Basic With Ads at 10.99 USD/month, Standard at 18.49 USD/month, Premium at 22.99 USD/month
- The cheapest tier is ad supported; ad-free viewing requires the Standard tier or above
Pricing, plan by plan
ESPN+
$10.99/month- ESPN+$10.99/month
- Live sports
- Exclusive content
- Original shows
- Bundle$13.99/month
- ESPN+
- Disney+
- Hulu
HBO Max
$9.99/month- With Ads$9.99/month
- Full HD
- Ad-supported
- 2 devices
- Ad-Free$15.99/month
- Full HD
- Ad-free
- 2 devices
- Ultimate Ad-Free$19.99/month
- 4K UHD
- Dolby Atmos
- 4 devices
Which should you pick?
Choose ESPN+ if
- You need live sports.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv.
- You also want original shows.
Choose HBO Max if
- You need streaming.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles.
- You also want downloads.
Questions people ask
- Is ESPN+ or HBO Max better?
- Neither clearly leads. ESPN+ starts at $10.99/month and HBO Max at $9.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ESPN+ or HBO Max?
- ESPN+ starts at $10.99/month and HBO Max at $9.99/month.
- Does ESPN+ or HBO Max run on more platforms?
- ESPN+ runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv. HBO Max runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles.
- What is ESPN+ best used for?
- ESPN+ is most often used for sports streaming, live event watching. Of those, sports streaming and live event watching are not what HBO Max is typically brought in for.
- What can ESPN+ do that HBO Max cannot?
- ESPN+ covers Live sports, Original shows, Exclusive content, Replays. HBO Max covers Streaming, Downloads, Profiles, HBO content. Both handle Smart TVs, Parental controls, Web support, Ios support.