HBO Max Vs Crave: Which Service is Better in Canada?

If you enjoy your favorite shows either with commercials or without them; it’s important to have a reliable streaming service. The rules are made by streamers either to binge-watch a whole series in one go or wait for the weekend.

Therefore, choosing a subscription gets trickier when you have to opt several options based on content selection, regional availability and price.

On that account; here we have done a detailed comparison between HBO Max and Crave to make your life easier for picking the best streaming service.

HBO Max Vs Crave at a glance

HBO Max

HBO Max offers content from Adult Swim, Warner Media, DC Comics, Studio Ghibli, HBO originals like Game of Thrones, West World, The Sopranos, House of the Dragon, Euphoria and much more.

In May 2020, it was founded and from then until now the content library gets extended every single month.

The following are pros and cons of HBO Max that help you decide if it is worth it for you or not.

PROs

Content Library: Packed with Hit Shows and Movies

A variety of content is present in HBO Max as mentioned earlier. Compared to other streaming services, it releases movies faster than even some of them are released at the same time as their theatrical releases.

On the other hand; licensing has to be issued by other streaming services which makes HBO Max even faster as it does not really have to tackle such procedures.

Plus besides offering content from different production houses, HBO originals has its own huge fan base that makes this streaming service more compelling for Canadians.

So if you love to watch HBO originals like Succession, The Sopranos, Barry, Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, Veep, West World, Chernobyl, Raised by Wolves, The Wire, Watchmen, Euphoria, and Sex in the City, then HBO Max is easily the best option for you.

Ad- free options

The latest update in HBO Max is that viewers can opt between an ad-free option and an ad option. HBO Max has sorted out the issue of the interruption between movies which gets annoying occasionally.

The subscription cost of the ad-free option is $15.99 per month which is obviously more than an ad-inclusive option (minimal ads an hour) $9.99 per month. 

Multiple devices

With the help of this option, HBO Max is accessible on multiple devices at once. Three separate devices can use the streaming at various locations, that too without buffering, hence ecstatic for everyone. Plus HBO Max also supports multiple devices including Roku, Apple TV, iPhone/iPad, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Vizio Smart TV, and Chromecast.

Smooth and Very Appealing Interface

Using HBO Max gives you the same vibe and smooth experience like Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock TV. And the dark purple and black theme makes it more appealing to eyes compared to many other streaming services, including Crave.

You can easily see what’s coming and leave the streaming service to watch accordingly. You can also use abbreviations to search for your favorite TV shows and movies, like GOT for Game of Thrones or HP for Harry Potter etc.

Also in summer 2022, HBO Max adds more features for its iPhone and iPad users to watch content together with their family members on FaceTime through SharePlay. Additionally, you’re able to toggle a split-screen feature on supported devices, and tablet users can flip between portrait and landscape modes more easily.

CONs

Available in Limited Regions 

HBO Max is accessible in Europe, the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean up till now. Therefore, it’s a drawback when you are travelling to a different country where it’s inaccessible.

This means Canadians need to get a VPN to access HBO Max in Canada.

No free trial

For a while being; HBO Max used to have a free trial option. The users used to access it for seven days for free before agreeing for a monthly subscription. Sadly; the free-trial option ended in December 2020, hence; the viewers have to now make the full monthly payment to scrutinize this streaming service.

Crave

Crave accumulates the content from several outlets like Showtime, HBO, original movies and Crave original films and shows. It’s a Canadian streaming service, launched back in December 2014

PROs

Plenty of Shows and Movies Available to Watch

Compared to HBO Max, Crave has a great library from different streaming platforms including HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime etc. And its library expands every month just like HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu and other popular streaming services.

Currently, Crave is the best streaming service available in Canada after Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Streaming options

Two streaming options are offered by Crave, users can opt for a single-user program if they stick to viewing on their phones. For mobiles, crave costs $9.99 monthly and in S.D. quality it is streamed. Per subscription, one user is allowed.

For total services, Crave total costs $19.99 monthly and in H.D. quality it is streamed. It can be streamed in more than 1 device, good to go for families’ usage.

Seven-day free trial

The most favorable thing about this service is that before the user agrees to monthly payment, Crave offers free trials for seven days. In this way, the users can fully assess what they want from the streaming service they are looking for.

CONs

Only Available in Canada

The main drawback is that it’s only available in Canada. Therefore; a subscriber who is constantly leaving Canada, they won’t be able to access until VPN is applied.

Lacking in foreign languages

It is not available in various languages, just a few which are common in Canada, English and French. However,; subtitles are available, but some viewers claim they aren’t as reliable.

The Heavy Price Tag

The subscription cost is higher than any other streaming service as it costs for total $19.99 and for mobile option $9.99 monthly, which makes it expensive as it’s only for Canada.

Although; the content selection exceeds other services; hence the price covers it, plus it allows users to download media which can be accessible without the internet.

Registration for up to ten can happen a month and subscribers can stream four devices at once.

Appalling Interface 

Crave has a poor interface and not user-friendly at all compared to top streaming services like HBO Max, Netflix and Hulu. We experienced so much difficulty in finding titles to watch on Crave. 

Unlike HBO Max, we have to navigate towards the “Just Added TV” or “Just Added Movies” sections on the app to find the new titles.

Also, there are very fewer categories available on the home page that makes it difficult for streamers to choose. 

Even there is a lot to watch but due to poor interface and searching features, there is a possibility that you miss new TV shows and movies on Crave. 

HBO Max vs. Crave – What’s the Difference between Them?

Shall We Contrast the Two?

Content 

Both Crave and HBO Max offer a variety of content including originals as well as content from different popular production houses.

But which streaming service has a better content? Well, if we compare the originals of these two streaming services, HBO Max offers the most in-demand TV shows and movies.

Crave, on the other hand, also offers some of the best HBO TV series and movies but does not have the license to provide the whole HBO Max library to its subscribers. 

Winner: Both HBO Max and Crave since it totally depends on subscribers choice!

Pricing

Now the question arises, which of these subscriptions provides better content for a better deal? A variety of brand-new movies, high-quality documentaries, original shows and even viewers’ old favorites are showcased in HBO Max.

On the other hand, Crave also showcases a range of reality TV, original content, award shows, old music programs as well as kid’s shows. Hence, both of the streaming services are accessible in HD quality and on multiple devices.

Winner: A variety of quality content is offered by both streaming services, but in terms of money, HBO Max gives you more.

Free-Trials

The seven-day free trial was declined by HBO Max in 2020, which made the subscribers not so happy. Therefore, full monthly payment has to be done to check the platform.

On the contrary; a seven-day free trial is offered by Crave which enlightens the user to explore the platform fully.

Winner: As Crave offers free-trials; hence it is the winner.

User Experience

As we mentioned earlier, Crave is way behind HBO Max when it comes to user experience. According to sitejabber, Crave has 1.12/5 user ratings which shows they are not happy with the streaming service. HBO Max, on the other hand, gives the same user experience like Netflix and Hulu. 

Winner: HBO Max 

Reach

The reach of both services is limited; HBO Max is not available in Canada but can be accessible in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Whereas; Crave is available for users in Canada and the language options are more in HBO Max rather than in Crave.

Reliable subtitles with 150 various languages are offered in HBO Max. In contrast, Crave serves for English and French audiences with not very reliable subtitles.

Winner: Inevitably; HBO Max takes the game here.

Takeaways

In this world currently; people are switching towards streaming services rather than investing in cable and cords, hence; selection of such service needs to be dealt with full accentuation.

After discussing all the pros and cons between two popular streaming services, we have the clear winner here that is HBO Max. However, there is a bummer! HBO Max is not available in Canada due to content licensing and can only be accessible with the help of a VPN. But apart from Crave interface issues and hefty price tag it is still a close alternative to HBO Max for Canadians. 

Therefore, start streaming today, don’t wait any longer.