If you want to choose a streaming service,HBO MaxAndDisney+are two of your top choices. No matter what you choose, you're sure to get plenty of entertainment, but the services vary greatly. We'll help you decide which service is right for you.
overall value
HBO Max is rebooting today$9.99/monthif you don't mind getting ads. You can get the service without advertising$15.99/month.
HBO Max is a very comprehensive service with many gritty adult movies and TV shows, DC Superhero adventures, and children's content like Sesame Street.
Disney+ has no ads, although an ad-supported version is coming soon. The service costs$7.99/month.
Disney+ is younger than HBO Max. You won't find any nudity, and the profanity is tame - usually reserved for PG-13 superhero adventures. Almost everything on Disney+ aims to be family-friendly, although the lines are being stretched a bit.
Since Disney+ does not specifically target adults, users have the option to upgrade to the Disney Bundle: Disney+ andHalloAndESPN+— all three services for$12.99/month.
The addition of Hulu offers dramas, documentaries, and feature films that will appeal to adults. ESPN+ offers live sports and great sports-related programming.
Another option for people interested in Disney+ is to switch your live TV providerHulu Live-TV. This service offers 33 of the top 35 cable channels. Every Hulu Live TV also gets Disney+ and ESPN+ for free. If you are interested in this option, it costs$69.99 / month.
film lineups
Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Both services have some real epics in the sci-fi and fantasy realm.
Disney+ features classics like the Star Wars series Avatar, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and cult favorites like Tron, Flight of the Navigator, The Rocketeer, and "John Carter".
HBO Max offers iconic films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, Blade Runner and the Mad Max series. You will also see the Lord of the Rings movies and a number of King Gong and Godzilla movies.
superheroes
Do you choose Marvel or DC?
Disney+ offers (almost) the entire MCU, so you get all the movies about Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers. Unfortunately, you don't get standalone Spider-Man movies (yet). Disney+ also offers 20th Century Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four films.
HBO Max is home to the DC lineup, including all the major films about Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
action
HBO Max is The Streamable's choiceBest Action Movie Streaming Service.Along with the sci-fi and superhero action, you'll also see movies like Kill Bill and The Bourne Identity.
Disney+ doesn't offer much more than the comic violence of the superhero and sci-fi genres. If you want something more massive, adding the bundle with Hulu will help.
comedy
HBO Max's comedy library is extensive, stretching back to the Charlie Chaplin films. Newer classics like Wedding Crashers, The Hangover, When Harry Met Sally, Dumb and Dumber, and Moonstruck are available. You'll also find great standup performances from Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, George Carlin, Lewis Black, Tig Notaro and more.
For Disney+, the comedies are far more tame. There are many animated gags in movies like Toy Story and Inside Out, but true comedy is few. "The Princess Bride" is a rare exception.
Documentary film
Almost every Disney+ documentary tells the story behind other Disney products like Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, The Pixar Story, and Frank and Ollie. You also get a handful of ESPN "30 for 30" documentaries. The National Geographic section offers excellent nature documentaries and the dizzying gem of Free Solo.
HBO Max's documentary library includes some of the most important films in the genre. You'll get titles like We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company, Hoop Dreams, Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. The themes are often challenging, heartbreaking and impressive.
Theater
HBO Max brings you top-notch dramas like The Shawshank Redemption, GoodFellas, City of God, The Departed, Unforgiven, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Casablanca. There are incomparable, original masterpieces. HBO Max is a movie lover's dream, and the drama lineup can't be beat.
Disney+ offers inspirational and uplifting dramas like The Straight Story, Hidden Figures, Remember the Titans and Miracle. If you want a movie where the good guys win, you'll find plenty of happy endings on Disney+.
horror
You won't find much horror on Disney+ unless you count the wacky parts of Marvel movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There's virtually no blood or gore outside of Marvel's cartoonish action.
HBO Max brings spooky movies like The Shining, 28 Days Later, Funny Games, Poltergeist, It, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. HBO Max won't shy away from gore and guts, making it an easy choice if this genre is important to you.
Romantic
HBO Max will get your heart pumping with "In the Mood for Love", "The Time Traveller's Wife", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "High Fidelity", "Say Anything", "Return to Me" and classics " A Streetcar Named Desire, Gone With the Wind, and Singin' in the Rain.
Disney+ has some surprisingly cute movies like Never Been Kissed, While You Were Sleeping, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Parent Trap, and The Fault in Our Stars. If chaste romance is your thing, Disney+ is for you.
Outstanding TV series
For Disney+, Star Wars and Marvel are driving their most important TV endeavors. You will see Obi-Wan Kenobi, Moon Knight, The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and Loki. This effort doesn't feel like television — it has the budgets and effects to take on almost any blockbuster.
With Disney+ you also get shows that have aired elsewhere like Glee, The Simpsons, Once Upon a Time, Dinosaurs, America's Funniest Home Videos, Black-ish, and Boy Meets . World."
HBO Max is a true game changer with titles like Game of Thrones, Euphoria, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Succession, The Wire, Deadwood, Sex and the City, and "Cover Your Enthusiasm." From groundbreaking comedy to tear-jerking drama, HBO continues to raise the bar. You also get many standout miniseries like Mare of Easttown, Chernobyl, Watchmen, and Station Eleven. Their current event shows like “Real Sports” are also outstanding.
HBO Max also has some popular network series like Friends, South Park, ER, The West Wing, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
content for children
This is where Disney+ really shines. They get animated Disney classics, Pixar and Muppets content, while older kids can take part in the adventures of Star Wars and Marvel. Disney+ users will meet the imagination with the reassuring notion that good always triumphs over evil. There are also great kids shows like Doc McStuffins and some Marvel animated adventures. If you have a child, Disney+ is a breeze.
HBO Max has plenty of great Sesame Street episodes along with Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and the brilliant Batman: The Animated Series for older kids.
4K-HDR
Disney+ regularly incorporates Ultra High Definition into most of its films. Of course you need a compatible device to see the difference. Many new releases also let you select the IMAX Enhanced aspect ratio.
HBO Max has approximately 304,000 titles available.
More information
Disney+ has some great programming you won't find anywhere else, like the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary Get Back and the Broadway recording of Hamilton.
Also remember that the Disney Bundle deal with Hulu and ESPN+ makes it a lot more versatile for general entertainment fans.
HBO Max is a great choice if you like international classics like Seven Samurai, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke.HBO Max also has an outstanding selection of LGBTQ+ shows and films.
Verdict
Both services are among the most popular streaming options today. If you just need one service for the whole family, HBO Max has plenty of content for every age group. If your kids are a priority, however, Disney+ makes more sense.The Streamable voted HBO Max the best streaming service of 2022.
While the comparison is a bit one-sided, subscribers who top up Disney+ with the bundle of Hulu and ESPN+ have a much tougher choice. We still think HBO Max offers the best adult television experience - Hulu still has work to do to improve - but if you love sports, ESPN+ is hard to beat.
As a standalone service, Disney+ doesn't generate enough content to compete on its own. It's really geared towards kids or teens who want to watch their favorite movies over and over again.