We all need a source of entertainment to relax our minds after a hectic day at work or school. Streaming services provide endless entertainment and a great source of relief these days. Two major sources of entertainment are HBO Max vs Disney Plus.

HBO Max and Disney Plus are the newest subscription streaming services to have hit the market, but they are both doing well for upstarts. HBO Max is now head-to-head with Disney Plus services; however, they differ in several aspects.

HBO Max and Disney Plus both have their strengths and weaknesses. But they have certain features that make each of them stand out from its counterpart. This blog provides you with a detailed comparison to help you choose a streaming service that fulfills your needs and budget.

Anyway, without saying too much, let’s dive in right away and find out how HBO Max and Disney Plus compare.

HBO Max Overview

HBO Max is among the latest streaming services to have joined the market. The service launched in late May 2020, and many potential subscribers are eager to try out this newcomer. This streaming service from WarnerMedia basically aggregates content from the company’s brands like HBO, Warner Bros, and DC.   

The biggest rival to HBO Max is Netflix, but Disney Plus comes in second. HBO Max and Disney Plus are close competitors because they both have pretty popular TV shows and movies in their content libraries, and many are aimed at kids.

HBO Max is a streaming service you should consider as a subscriber because it includes everything you will find on HBO. It also includes a vast back catalog of your favorite shows such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and hundreds of Warner movies like The Hobbit.

There is really plenty of content in their library to keep you entertained day and night. That being said, HBO Max is a great option for people who are already subscribed to HBO Now. Since the cost is the same, you might as well get HBO Max and enjoy much more content.

Disney Plus Overview

Well, who isn’t aware of the iconic company Disney! 

Everything they do seems to flourish and become big even without trying. The same goes for their upstart streaming service Disney Plus.

After the launch of Disney Plus in November 2019, it has been giving titans such as Netflix and Amazon Prime sleepless nights. As we speak, Disney Plus already has over 100 million subscribers in the two years it has been in the market.

These are numbers that HBO Max is still struggling to achieve. It’s actually fair to say that Disney Plus has been a success for an upstart streaming service.  

So what are the selling points of this service?

For one thing, Disney Plus is well priced. This makes it affordable for the majority. Moreover, you will certainly like the features you get for the price. Let’s not forget that this service is family-oriented, meaning the adults will enjoy it as much as the kids.

However, if we compare HBO max vs. Disney plus subscribers, Disney plus takes the lead with more than 100 million subscribers, while Disney Plus has around 78 million subscribers!

HBO Max vs. Disney Plus: Quick Comparison of Features

Here is a quick comparison of the two services, and it also gives you an idea of the features they both have to offer to their potential viewers.

	Disney Plus	HBO Max
Monthly Price	$8	$15
Availability	Now	Now
Mobile Downloads	Yes	Yes
Ads	No	No
Top Titles	The Simpsons, Toy Story, The Mandalorian	Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, Friends, Rick and Morty
4K HDR Available	Yes	No
Number of Streams	4	3

HBO Max and Disney Plus Bundle

Many people want the bundle option of HBO Max and Disney Plus. HBO Max does not offer any bundle with Disney plus, but you can check with your internet provider if it can provide you with a bundle for both services. 

Is there an HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney Plus Bundle? 

You can choose a Hulu base plan starting at $6.99/month, then add HBO Max ($14.99/month) to your Hulu account to watch addictive series, hit movies, comedy specials, documentaries, and more.

HBO Max vs. Disney Plus: Price and Availability

Price is always a significant factor in determining a suitable streaming service. You can only go for what you can afford. Besides, the subscribers want to ensure they are actually getting the most value out of their hard-earned money.

The most significant difference between HBO Max and Disney Plus is the price. Disney Plus costs $7.99 a month, while HBO Max is $14.99 monthly. You can already see that the monthly subscription cost of HBO Max is twice that of Disney Plus.

The relatively low price tag is one of the reasons many people are attracted to Disney Plus. Viewers aren’t looking to spend lots of money on streamers, and anything that can help them save money would be a good choice.

Meanwhile, HBO Max carries quite a hefty price tag. The standard plan has one of the most expensive monthly subscriptions. Those who opt to sign up for a preorder deal that pays for a full year in advance can get a discount. The price is dropped to $12 a month. Other discounts are also offered, and you can find them if you look hard enough.

Disney Plus is obviously cheaper than HBO Max. The best part is the features that come with its standard plan. You can stream the content in HD and 4K HDR when available. It also offers up to four simultaneous streams, which is commendable for the price.

Furthermore, Disney provides a bundle including Disney Plus, ESPN+, and Hulu for only $12.99 per month. You can watch more sports and your favorite shows from Hulu.

If you want to stick around for longer, Disney has a yearly plan for you at $79.99. It will save you a reasonable sum of money, and during these challenging times of a pandemic, we will take all the savings we can get.

HBO doesn’t provide any options for a yearly plan or other tired plans. The service also doesn’t currently support 4K HDR streaming. If you are into 4K streaming, then you are better off with Disney plus.

HBO Max vs. Disney: Original Content

The truth is both HBO Max and Disney Plus are a bit underwhelming in terms of original content. Disney Plus launched earlier; it does have a slight advantage. But even so, the service hasn’t been able to do much in terms of releasing original content to keep the viewers happy.

Aside from a few like The Mandalorian from the Star Wars universe, High School Musical, and Diary of a Future President, there isn’t much original content from Disney. However, we can’t wholly dismiss Disney Plus because it has managed to release a decent slate of popular films and TV shows.

It might not possess an endless library like that of Netflix’s, but many of its films have been big hits. We are still looking forward to more original movies from Disney Plus, and hopefully, they will come soon.

HBO Max is the newest streaming service in town, which means it’s in the same boat as Disney Plus regarding original programming. At its launch, there was only one scripted series from HBO Max, and it was named Love Life alongside an animated series, the Looney Tunes Cartoons.

Soon after, the service decided to boost its original lineup by releasing more originals, including Search Party season 3, Doom Patrol season 2, and a Seth Rogen film named An American Pickle.

Disney Plus definitely has struggled to have as many breakouts as it comes to the original content. Except for The Mandalorian, which was an incredible massive hit, fewer other original films are to discuss.

On the other hand, HBO Max is better suited to the original content. This is thanks to the six Max Originals that are already streaming and the popular Love Life series. The pandemic might have impacted the service; as a result, some of the content was delayed, but many originals were being released.

While Disney had promised its subscribers many forthcoming releases, living up to them has proven difficult. The viewers are surely disappointed with the delays and cancelations of titles.

So what kind of movies and TV shows are likely to be found on the HBO Max and Disney Plus catalogs? Both streaming services have huge content libraries because they don’t just get their content from a single brand.

Disney Plus amasses its huge library from a total of five brands, including Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, and of course, Disney. HBO Max also houses content from the Warner Bros. movie and television series, DC, and HBO. 

HBO Max vs. Disney Plus: Interface and User Experience

Disney Plus has a user-friendly interface with rows of tiles sorted in categories like Recommended for you, Continue watching, and so on.

However, HBO Max follows a similar approach but with a much more appealing design. The fewer tiles on the screen create breaks for the eyes to rest. On Disney Plus, the top of the home page has hubs for each brand, including Marvel, Pixar, Nation Geographic, Star Wars, and Disney.

HBO Max has quite a similar hub when you scroll down the profile page. The truth is that both streaming platforms offer the same usability and user experience.

Compatible Devices

Disney Plus is compatible with almost every device you can find. The good thing is that most of these devices are the best for streaming, so you have nothing to worry about. Some of the devices you can use to stream include

• Android phones
• iPhones
• Apple TV
• Amazon Fire TV  and a wide range of smart televisions.

In the meantime, HBO Max is accessible on

• Google Chromecast
• Apple devices
• Android devices
•  Xbox
• PlayStation 4, and the newer models of Samsung smart TVs.

Unfortunately, it’s not yet on Roku or Amazon Fire TVs. It’s a big drawback considering these are among the most popular streaming devices. It’s disappointing, but we hope the service will be available on these two devices sooner than later.

Are Both Services Ideal for the Children?

Growing up, we have always watched shows and cartoons from Disney. And then you hear the iconic company has launched a streamer that consists of family-friendly content. With that, it’s easy to think Disney Plus has the edge over HBO Max regarding kid-friendly content! 

However, let us look at the facts! 

Realistically, HBO Max is getting more subscribers from families with young kids thanks to its programming that’s aimed at the kids. This new service is the home to kid-focused originals like the Sesame Street series and Looney Tunes cartoons as well as the entire cartoon network catalog. Alongside all the films from Studio Ghibli, HBO Max also includes the Leo movies and Doctor Who.

As you might already know, Disney Plus provides mostly shows and movies that are meant for kids. There is nothing R-rated or M-rated on this streaming platform. Though, there are a few intense PG and PG-13 content that’s not really appropriate for the younger audience.

Fortunately, if you don’t want the younger viewers in your home accessing inappropriate content, Disney Plus has parental control features. In this case, parents create profiles for their children and then toggle the profile set to On. This automatically prevents any PG and PG-13 content from showing up on the kids’ profiles.

On the downside, this feature is not helpful for all age groups. You can’t possibly enable PG content and then disable PG-13 content all at the same time. But some people argue since there is technically no R-rated or M-rated content on the platform, the parental control features don’t have to be that intense. That being said, Disney Plus needs to upgrade its parental control and quit on the excuses.

Meanwhile, HBO Max makes things easy by ensuring the kid’s profiles are customizable. The parents are the ones to choose the rating levels for the kids ranging from PG, PG-13, G, R, and NC-17 for the movies. The rating levels for the television shows are TV-G, TV-14, TV-PG, TV-MA, TV-Y7, and TV-Y. Also, you can create and enable a passcode that prevents the kids from signing out of their profile and getting into yours.

Disney Plus might have earned a reputation for having the best programming for kids, but HBO Max has a lot going for parental controls.

On the platform, you can connect two profiles on the platform to create a distinct watching space for the shows you watch with the kids. This is smart because it prevents messing up your own recommendation engine.

Conclusion: Which is the Best Service?

Disney Plus and HBO Max provide equally amazing content to their subscribers. However, as we mentioned earlier, both services differ majorly in prices and type of content.  You can never go wrong with Disney Plus if you’re looking for pure content for your children. It has everything from the classics to originals, and Max offers a catalog of movies and shows exclusive to the platform and we love the parental controls. Besides, it makes more sense to choose HBO Max if you are already an HBO Now subscriber.