How to get a Max free trial

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery/Shutterstock)

If you're looking to get an Max free trial, join the club. Max, formerly known as HBO Max, is our No. 1 pick among the best streaming services based on the strength of its library, stocked with licensed films and shows and excellent HBO originals.

When HBO Max first launched in May 2020, it offered a seven-day free trial. And while there are free trials offered through other services (more on that below), HBO's own trial soon disappeared. It seemed like the service realized it no longer needed it around the time of the debut of Wonder Woman 1984 and WarnerMedia's decision to stream all of Warner Bros. 2021 movies on HBO Max on the same day as their theatrical debuts.

You can sign up for Max right now

However, as the service continues to expand, you may be able to find a Max free trial soon, so you can watch the best shows on HBO Max. Also, if you were curious about the ad-supported experience, know that Max with ads is better than we thought it would be.

Can I get a Max free trial right now?

Right now, Max is not offering a free trial of any length — but it does offer something similar (more on that below).

The initial HBO Max 7-day free trial disappeared in December 2020 right before Wonder Woman 1984's premiere and the company's subsequent decision to have day-and-date theatrical and streaming premieres for all of Warner Bros.' movies in 2021.

Likely, HBO Max executives realized that fans would sign up to see a movie on the service, then cancel when the free trial ran out so they could avoid paying the $14.99 monthly subscription fee.

HBO Max did eventually add a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier at $9.99, but that doesn't include access to the new theatrical releases.

When HBO Max launched in Latin America in May 2021, they did offer a free trial to new subscribers in those territories. However, when the platform launched in parts of Europe in October 2021, it did not have a free trial; instead, they offered new subscribers a lifetime subscription at half price.

(L to R), Brian Cox as Logan Roy, Chip & Joana Gaines, Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Big Bird in a Max graphic, above the Max logo and the tag line "the one to watch"

(Image credit: Max)

Still, it is possible that a Max free trial returns sometime down the road in the U.S. or other parts of the world. For instance, if the service wants to get publicity for a high-profile premiere or addition to their library, they might offer a free trial to entice new users.

And there are still a couple ways to get a Max free trial right now. Some AT&T customers still get Max for free with certain mobile plans.

You can also get a seven-day free trial through Amazon Prime Video Channels or Hulu, or a 30-day free trial if you buy a Roku product.

How to get Max free trial via Amazon Prime Video Channels

Amazon Prime customers can sign up for a seven-day Max free trial through Prime Video Channels.

1. Go to the Amazon's offer page and click "Start your 7-day free trial."

2. On the next page, confirm your details, including billing info. Click "Start your free trial — Pay later."

in the Max free trial page, the button that reads "start your free trial now - pay later" is highlighted by a green box — (Image credit: Amazon)

How to get Max free trial via Hulu

If you are a Hulu subscriber, you can add on Max and receive a seven-day free trial.

1. Go to Hulu.com and click on your profile icon in the top right corner.

Hulu home screen — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

2. Select Account.

Hulu home screen with account settings — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

3. Scroll down to Your Subscription. Select Manage Add-ons.

Manage add-ons in Hulu account settings — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

4. Click on HBO Max, then select Review Changes.

A green box surrounds the add/check button for Max in Hulu, and an arrow points to review changes, this is one way to get a free Max trial — (Image credit: Hulu)

5. In the next screen, review the changes and select Confirm.

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.