Is HBO Max or Showtime better?

Neither clearly leads. HBO Max starts at $9.99/month and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, HBO Max or Showtime?

HBO Max starts at $9.99/month and Showtime at $10.99/month.

Does HBO Max or Showtime run on more platforms?

HBO Max runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.

What is HBO Max best used for?

HBO Max is most often used for premium streaming, hbo content, original series. Of those, hbo content and original series are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.

What can HBO Max do that Showtime cannot?

HBO Max covers Downloads, Profiles, HBO content, Max Originals. Showtime covers Original series, Movies, Sports, Live events. Both handle Streaming, Smart TVs, Web support, Ios support.

Media & Entertainment · head to head

HBO Max vs Showtime

HBO Max

Media & Entertainment

Stream iconic series, movies, and Max Originals

From: $9.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Showtime

Media & Entertainment

Signature entertainment and sports

From: $10.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: 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; Showtime showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
They diverge on capability: HBO Max covers Downloads, Showtime covers Original series.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HBO Max and Showtime actually diverge.

Attributes where HBO Max and Showtime differ
Attribute	HBO Max	Showtime
Starting price	$9.99/month	$10.99/month
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv
Founded	2020	1983

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 HBO Max

Downloads
Profiles
HBO content
Max Originals
Gaming consoles
Mobile devices
Profile locks
Parental controls

Only in Showtime

Original series
Movies
Sports
Live events
Streaming devices
Account security
Content filtering

Both cover

Streaming
Smart TVs
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.

HBO Max

Premium streaming
HBO contentnot Showtime
Original seriesnot Showtime

Showtime

Premium streaming
Sports watchingnot HBO Max

Both are used for premium streaming, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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

Showtime

Showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current subscription period rather than immediately, with continued access through the paid period, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Showtime

$10.99/month

Showtime Standalone$10.99/month
- Original content
- Ad-free

Which should you pick?

Choose HBO Max if

You need downloads.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles.
You also want profiles.

HBO Max review

Choose Showtime if

You need original series.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
You also want movies.

Showtime review

Questions people ask

Is HBO Max or Showtime better?: Neither clearly leads. HBO Max starts at $9.99/month and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HBO Max or Showtime?: HBO Max starts at $9.99/month and Showtime at $10.99/month.
Does HBO Max or Showtime run on more platforms?: HBO Max runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
What is HBO Max best used for?: HBO Max is most often used for premium streaming, hbo content, original series. Of those, hbo content and original series are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.
What can HBO Max do that Showtime cannot?: HBO Max covers Downloads, Profiles, HBO content, Max Originals. Showtime covers Original series, Movies, Sports, Live events. Both handle Streaming, Smart TVs, Web support, Ios support.

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HBO Max vs Showtime

HBO Max

Showtime

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in HBO Max

Only in Showtime

Both cover

What people use each for

HBO Max

Showtime

Where each one falls short

HBO Max

Showtime

Pricing, plan by plan

HBO Max

Showtime

Which should you pick?

Choose HBO Max if

Choose Showtime if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on HBO Max

More on Showtime

Keep looking

Other head to heads