How to get a free trial of HBO Max in Australia

HBO Max officially launched in Australia earlier this year, effectively replacing Binge and Foxtel as the home for premium HBO drama. It’s had quite the year too, with huge releases like Alien: Earth and Weapons. One downside to HBO Max is its premium pricing (starting at $15.99 per month for ad-free streaming) and the fact that it doesn’t offer a free trial to new customers. Unless you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, that is.

As we were researching Amazon Prime Video Channels this week, we came across an interesting detail on the HBO Max channel: a free 7-day trial is offered to Prime subscribers. That makes Amazon Prime customers the only people eligible for a free trial of HBO Max.

How much does HBO Max cost in Australia?

The one caveat of this free trial is that Prime Video only offers HBO Max Basic with Ads and HBO Max Standard subscription options as an add-on channel. So if 4K streaming is important to you, you will need to sign up for HBO Max separately. 

Whether you sign through Amazon Prime Channels or not, HBO Max Basic will cost $11.99 per month (or $119.99 per year) and offers ad-supported HD streaming on two devices. HBO Max Standard costs $15.99 per month (or $159.99 per year) and offers ad free HD streaming on two devices. If you do sign up via Amazon Prime, you also have to consider the cost of Prime, which $9.99 per month. But Amazon Prime itself comes with a 30-day free trial. 

Here's an overview of Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max plans:

	Plan	Inclusions	Price	Details
Prime Video	Prime Video Monthly Plan	Prime Video Monthly Plan Features exclusive Amazon Originals as well as popular movies and TV shows Watch on 3 devices at once Watch on 3 devices Deal: 1-month free trial Min. cost $9.99 per month	$9.99/mth Min. cost $9.99 per month	View Plan
Prime Video	Prime Video Annual Plan	Prime Video Annual Plan Features exclusive Amazon Originals as well as popular movies and TV shows Watch on 3 devices at once Watch on 3 devices Deal: 1-month free trial Min. cost $79 per year	$79/year Min. cost $79 per year	View Plan

If you're wondering how that compares against the best streaming services in Australia, take a look at the table below for a comprehensive round-up of the major players. 

	Plan	Price	Details
AMC+ Bundle	AMC+ Bundle TV 7-day free trial TV 7-day free trial HD 1080p · 5 devices at once AMC+, Shudder & Acorn TV Annual: $83.88/yr (save $24) From $8.99/mth or $83.88/yr View Plan	From $8.99/mth or $83.88/yr	View Plan
Disney+	Disney+ TV + movies + sport TV + movies + sport 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $179.99/y (save up to $49.89) From $9.99/mth or $179.99/yr View Plan	From $9.99/mth or $179.99/yr	View Plan
Amazon Prime Video	Amazon Prime Video TV + movies + more 30-day free trial TV + movies + more 30-day free trial 4K UHD · 3 devices at once Remove ads for $2.99/mth Annual: $79/yr (save $40) From $9.99/mth or $79/yr View Plan	From $9.99/mth or $79/yr	View Plan
Netflix	Netflix TV + movies TV + movies 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Deal: Get free Netflix Standard with Optus From $9.99/mth View Plan	From $9.99/mth	View Plan
Binge	Binge TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $79/yr (save up to $85) From $10.00/mth or $79/yr View Plan	From $10.00/mth or $79/yr	View Plan
Crunchyroll	Crunchyroll TV + movies 7-day free trial TV + movies 7-day free trial HD 1080p · 4 devices at once Annual: From $119.99/yr (save up to 16%) From $11.99/mth or $119.99/yr View Plan	From $11.99/mth or $119.99/yr	View Plan
Apple TV	Apple TV TV + movies 7-day free trial TV + movies 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 6 (with Family Sharing) Annual: $129/yr (save $62.88) From $15.99/mth or $129/yr View Plan	From $15.99/mth or $129/yr	View Plan
Kayo Sports	Kayo Sports Sport 7-day free trial Sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Deal: 1 month for $1 From $29.99/mth View Plan	From $29.99/mth	View Plan
DAZN	DAZN Sport Sport HD 1080p · 2 devices at once Annual: From $149.99/yr (save $223.89) From $31.99/mth or $149.99/yr View Plan	From $31.99/mth or $149.99/yr	View Plan
Foxtel Now	Foxtel Now TV + movies + sport 10-day free trial TV + movies + sport 10-day free trial HD 1080p · 2 devices at once Annual: Save 30% on Sports + Movies package when you sign up for 12mths From $35/mth View Plan	From $35/mth	View Plan
Paramount+	Paramount+ TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial TV + movies + sport 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $70.99/yr (save up to $55.89) From $7.99/mth or $70.99/yr Link not supplied	From $7.99/mth or $70.99/yr	Link not supplied
Stan.	Stan. TV + movies + sport TV + movies + sport 4K UHD · 4 devices at once From $9.99/mth Link not supplied	From $9.99/mth	Link not supplied
HBO Max	HBO Max TV + movies TV + movies 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: From $119.99yr (save up to $43.89) From $11.99/mth or $119.99yr Link not supplied	From $11.99/mth or $119.99yr	Link not supplied
BritBox	BritBox TV 7-day free trial TV 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 4 devices at once Annual: $139.99/yr (save $27.89) From $13.99/mth or $139.99/yr Link not supplied	From $13.99/mth or $139.99/yr	Link not supplied
MUBI	MUBI Movies 7-day free trial Movies 7-day free trial 4K UHD · 2 devices at once Annual: $119.88/yr (save $60) From $14.99/mth or $119.88/yr Link not supplied	From $14.99/mth or $119.88/yr	Link not supplied

Brodie Fogg

Managing Editor - Streaming

Brodie Fogg is WhistleOut Australia's Managing Editor for Streaming. He's been writing about tech, streaming, games and telco since 2015. He previously managed a team of entertainment editors at Finder, and has also appeared on 7NEWS.

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