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TechRadar

Tom Power

Max free trial: is there one, when did the HBO Max 7-day free trial end, and more

HBO HBO Max Max (Organization) Hulu United States

New Max logo on wall mounted TV with bowl of popcorn on table in front.

Have you ever thought about trying out Max before you actually sign up for an account? If you have, you've probably been wondering if there's a free trial you can take advantage of.

Unfortunately, one isn't available on the world's best streaming services and hasn't been for a long time. But, with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) making the recent – not to mention eyebrow-raising – announcement that its super streamer will be called HBO Max once more from this summer onwards, maybe a free trial will be brought back to coax newcomers to subscribe.

But I digress. If you're looking for even more information on why a Max free trial is no longer available, when it was possible to make use of it, and much more, you'll want to read this guide from start to finish. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in!

Max free trial: is one available?

Sorry, you can't watch The Last of Us season 2 with a Max free trial (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

As I mentioned above, a Max free trial doesn't exist. WBD briefly revived it in mid-2024 but, other than that, it's not been seen since HBO Max officially launched in the US way back in May 2020.

At the time, the HBO Max free trial was available for seven days. Unsurprisingly, numerous potential subscribers took advantage of this offer to see if it was worth signing up for a monthly or annual subscription.

However, despite Max's launch in other territories in the years since its initial arrival, there's no word of when or if Max's free trial will return. As I also said earlier, that could change in mid-2025 when WBD rechristens it HBO Max again. Right now, though, we're none the wiser about another potential free trial roll out.

Are there other ways to get a Max free trial?

The Pitt, a new medical drama that began airing in January, has been a huge hit for Max (Image credit: Max)

US readers, rejoice! If you sign up to one of Cricket Wireless' $60 a month unlimited plans, you actually get a 'free' subscription to Max thrown in for good measure. Admittedly, it's the ad-supported plan, so you'll need to sit through the occasional ad break. Still, the fact that you can watch some of the best Max shows and best Max movies around at no extra cost isn't such a bad deal.

There was a time when you could get a Max free trial via your Hulu plan, too. One of the best streaming deals is no more, however, so the aforementioned Cricket Wireless deal is the only way to make use of this particular freebie.

What's the cheapest way to get Max without a free trial?

Multi-award-winning period film The Brutalist made its Max debut on May 16 (Image credit: A24)

Right now, you can save up to 20% by committing to an annual plan across Max's various options. Starting at $99.99 a year for its ad-supported plan, you can go ad-free and pay $149.99 annually, or check out Max's Ultimate Ad-Free plan – i.e. the only way to watch content in 4K – for $199.99 a year.

Alternatively, with Max's password crackdown plan starting to roll out worldwide, people who don't live in the same household as you but still want access to your account can pay extra to do so. It'll cost $7.99 a month to add an extra member to your subscription, but that's a far cheaper option for them than signing up for their own account.

While the HBO Max free trial has gone for customers in the US, customers can still check out some of their biggest shows for nothing. Indeed, by visiting the Free Episodes section of the Max website, you can watch the premiere episodes of hit shows including The Last of Us, Euphoria, House of the Dragon, and True Detective: Night Country to sample what's on offer before you decide whether to purchase a plan.

What can I watch on Max?

Ryan Coogler's supernatural horror flick Sinners will come to Max in the not-too-distant future (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Some of the finest films and TV series ever created, that's what.

Max is home to everything that acclaimed cable network HBO has ever produced, a seemingly infinite number of classic movies and more recent big-screen offerings, and a plethora of Max Movie and TV Originals.

Here's just a snippet of what you can stream if you sign up today: