Max Joins Other Streamers In Hiking Prices, And This Time Ad-Free Plans Are Going Up

The price of Max is going up again, so if you were holding off on resubscribing while waiting for "House of the Dragon" Season 2, it's going to cost you. Beginning immediately, the top ad-free tier, the most expensive option available, is rising from $19.99 to $20.99 per month. The year-long subscription will hike in price as well, from $199.99 to $209.99. 

The mid-tier ad-free option is also being hit with a price increase going from $15.99 to $16.99 a month. While the most expensive ad-free yearly subscription only rose by $10, the mid-tier ad-free plan goes up by $20 from $149.99 to $169.99. If you're willing to put up with ads, you're in luck: The Max tier with ads will stay the same price at $9.99 a month or $99.99 for the year.

If you're a current Max subscriber, the new pricing takes effect on or after July 4, and yearly subscribers won't see the increased pricing until their next renewal date. If you're impacted by this new pricing, you'll also receive an email informing you of the increase. Max is just the latest streaming service to increase its subscription costs, and it's unlikely to be the last. 

Both the "Ultimate Ad-Free" and "Ad-Free" subscriptions remove ads from shows and movies you watch on Max, but the former ultimate version has some additional perks. In December 2023, Max separated 4K HDR resolution and Dolby Atmos audio from the base ad-free tier and moved it to the more expensive "ultimate" tier. This means viewers who want to have the best audio option and stream in 4K on Max need the top-tier subscription. Notably, Amazon went down a similar path when it introduced ads to Prime video and had users pay another $2.99 per month to access both Dolby Vision and Atmos.

When choosing which subscription is right for you considering the new prices, remember that the regular ad-free Max subscription only supports streams up to 1080p, and you can only watch on two devices simultaneously. Ultimate, however, allows for streaming on four devices at once. On top of that, the top-tier version allows up to 100 downloads, whereas you're restricted to 30 for the regular ad-free tier. This isn't a massive deal for small households, but it can quickly become limiting if you have a lot of people fighting for streaming time.