You don’t need the fastest internet speeds to watch all the premium content on Max (formerly HBO Max). But it sure helps to have fast speeds.

Aim to get an internet plan that gives you 25Mbps per person if you plan to sign up for the streamer’s Ad-Free or Ultimate plans. Max is an expanded version of HBO Max, loaded with content from HBO, Warner Bros., and Discovery. Technically, you can get away with streaming movies and TV with slower speeds than that. But 25Mbps ensures you get an über-smooth connection and avoid buffering issues when you’re binging House of the Dragon or running HGTV’s home makeover shows on a constant loop.

Keep reading for our rundown of how to get the best streaming performance possible on Max.

Max speed basics

You need Wi-Fi speeds fast enough to cover not just your streaming needs, but also those of everyone else in your household. The more people streaming video on their own devices, the faster speeds you need to accommodate all these hungry content viewers. By the way, the same principles apply when you use other streaming services as well, including Netflix, Apple TV+, and many digital live TV options.

If you have an Ultimate account, you also need speeds that can handle the massive bandwidth demands of 4K resolution. That said, you can get away with much slower speeds if you’re signed up for one of Max’s lower-tier plans, such as the Ad-Free plan, which delivers max resolution of 1080p. You can also adjust the video settings in your Max app to stream content at a lower resolution.

Three golden rules for Max/HBO Max streaming:

• The more users and devices you have, the more internet speed you need.
• For 4K streaming, reduce buffering with a fiber-optic or cable internet plan.
• For slow connections and hotspots, save money and reduce buffering with the Ad-Free or With Ads plan.

Here are your minimum speed needs for Max

Max (which still goes by the name HBO Max outside the United States) officially recommends minimum speeds of just 5Mbps for its two basic plans, one with ads and the other ad-free. It recommends minimum speeds of 15Mbps for its Ultimate plan, which gives you the ability to stream video in 4K resolution.

You can probably steam video on your smart TV with those speeds, but those are lowball estimates. If you really had internet that slow, you’d likely experience a lot of buffering and slowdowns in 1080p resolution, and you would have to revert to a much lower video quality for a better viewing experience. Streaming 4K with 15Mbps would also be a struggle, since 4K takes up exponentially more bandwidth and data than 1080p does.

You should aim to get 200Mbps speeds or faster if you want to stream in Ultra HD 4K resolution.

Having a speed of 200Mbps allots 25Mbps per person (or streaming device) for up to eight people in your household. You can accommodate that many users without fear of endless buffering.

Ultra HD 4K resolution gives you stunning detail in every frame, making for awesome viewing as you settle in for a visual extravaganza like Avatar: The Way of Water. But that quality comes at a steep price, as 4K puts a much larger burden on your bandwidth and data usage.

Here’s a breakdown of the facts: 

• 4K needs 15Mbps minimum speeds for a single user to stream Max smoothly—3X faster than what you need to stream video in Full HD 1080p resolution.
• Watching a two-hour film in 4K consumes a whopping 16GB per hour—4X the amount of data you use streaming video in HD.

Lots of people stream movies on Max while playing on their phones or tablets at the same time. There are also plenty of households where multiple people regularly stream content on separate devices in different rooms. You want to make sure you have enough bandwidth to cover all those bases.

Get fiber or cable internet for the best 4K performance

Fiber internet is the fastest and most reliable internet you can get, so it’s also the best for streaming. Outages and slowdowns are much less common on fiber connections, and even baseline fiber plans typically come with excellent minimum speeds of 200Mbps or faster. You don’t ever have to worry about a buffering blowout ruining your Sex and the City marathon when you have enough bandwidth and then some.

Most cable internet plans work excellently for streaming, too. Although cable gets slower upload speeds than fiber, download speeds are often just as fast—ensuring smooth viewing even on less expensive cable internet plans.

Best internet plans for 4K Max streaming

What if you have slow internet? Worry not—you can still enjoy Max

Although we usually recommend fast speeds, you don’t need to be the fastest to enjoy Max. You can have a budget cable or 5G internet plan (or even satellite internet) and still catch up on Succession or Euphoria. But you need to adjust your expectations.

Max’s With Ads and Ad-Free plans both give you video resolution of up to 1080p, but depending on your speed, the platform may adjust to a lower resolution—either HD (720p) or SD (420p). Lower video quality doesn’t look as good, but it comes with some advantages: it saves you a ton of bandwidth and doesn’t put as much of a dent in your data.

Can you manually change your video settings on Max?

Max doesn’t have an option to manually adjust video settings on its app. The platform automatically sets the resolution, giving you the best-quality image available based on your network bandwidth and internet speeds.

Best internet plans for budget Max users

Can you stream Max with satellite internet?

Yes, you can stream Max with satellite internet. However, satellite has much slower speeds and extremely limited data compared to other types of internet, so you may experience buffering issues on Max more often.

Choose the best Max plan

Max offers a few plan options. The basic Ad-Free plan is the best for most people because it lets users stream on two devices at once and offers excellent 1080p video quality without requiring you to break the bank.

The Ultimate Ad Free plan is the better option for big households and streaming buffs. You get access to 4K resolution, and you can stream on up to four devices at once—twice as many as you get with any other plan.

Max plan options

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