HBO Max offers significantly more content (10,000+ titles vs 1,000+) and lower entry pricing ($7/month with ads), while Apple TV+ excels in original programming quality with a 62% higher Emmy win rate and seamless Apple ecosystem integration.
Apple TV+ vs HBO Max — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Apple TV+ if you own Apple devices, prioritize premium original content quality, want offline downloads, and appreciate a curated, ad-free experience. Choose HBO Max if you want maximum content variety (10x larger library), live sports/news, lower entry pricing with ads, and don't require Apple ecosystem benefits.
Premium streaming service with focus on high-quality originals and 4K HDR content.
Premium streaming service featuring HBO originals, Warner Bros films, and DC content.
Structured comparison data for Apple TV+ vs HBO Max with 180 attributes.
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Average Rotten Tomatoes Score (Originals Only)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
Original Series Critical Quality (Avg Rotten Tomatoes)
Apple TV+ vs HBO Max — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Apple TV+ vs HBO Max.
Which streaming service has better original content quality?
Apple TV+ has superior original content quality by Emmy metrics, winning 76 Emmys in 5 years vs HBO Max's 47. However, HBO Max releases 2.5x more original series annually (60-80 vs 25-30), offering more variety at potentially lower quality variance. For prestige content, Apple TV+ edges ahead; for breadth, HBO Max wins.
HBO Max's ad-supported tier at $7.99/month is cheapest entry point (26% cheaper than Apple TV+). However, Apple TV+ at $9.99/month ad-free is $10/month cheaper than HBO Max's ad-free tier ($19.99/month). For budget viewers tolerating ads, HBO Max wins; for ad-free preference, Apple TV+ is more affordable.
Apple TV+ offers full offline download capability across all devices—every title can be downloaded. HBO Max restricts offline downloads to select titles only (approximately 30-40% of library), making Apple TV+ significantly better for offline viewing flexibility and travel use.
HBO Max includes live sports (NBA, NFL, golf tournaments) and news channels (CNN, HBO Sports, Turner Sports), making it the clear choice for sports enthusiasts. Apple TV+ has limited sports content with MLS matches only, positioning it as an entertainment-first service without sports/news focus.
HBO Max is significantly better if you use non-Apple devices. It supports 150+ devices including Fire TV, Roku, Android phones, gaming consoles, and Windows/Android devices. Apple TV+ has limited non-Apple availability, requiring web browser access on Android/Windows (no native apps), making HBO Max the practical choice for Android/non-Apple users.