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3.0

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: December 27th, 2023

HBO Now is a stand-alone TV streaming service for people who do not currently pay for cable TV. This is different from HBO Go which is included with a cable TV subscription. Subscribers to HBO Now have unlimited access to all of HBO's content at any time from anywhere. It provides higher quality movies and TV without a cable TV contract. 

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The Good

  • High Quality Movies and TV Series
  • Parental Controls
  • Variety of Devices Available
  • HBO Original Series

High Quality Movies and TV Series

HBO has done a great job of making their past and present content available online. HBO Now currently has over 650 high-quality movies and almost 100 TV series. In addition to an on-demand library of content, HBO Now gives you access to stream live episodes and watch big premieres as they air on TV. Some of HBO's most popular content includes: Big Little Lies, Game of Thrones, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Parental Controls

Parents have the ability to filter new releases, but there are some bugs editing out some of the older television shows and movies.

Variety of Devices Available

HBO Now is available on the following devices:

  • iPad
  • iPhone (iOS app)
  • Apple TV
  • Android phones and tablets
  • Android TV
  • Amazon Fire tablets
  • Amazon Fire TV Stick
  • Web Browser (HBONow.com)
  • Google Chromecast
  • Roku
  • Play Station Four
  • Xbox One

HBO Original Series

In addition to licensed content, HBO Now also has several highly ranked original series. HBO Now has over 125 original series for subscribers to enjoy. These series are exclusive to HBO and will not be available through any other streaming tv service. Overall, HBO Now is a great alternative for someone interested in HBO content but doesn't want to subscribe to cable. It can be streamed on a wide variety of devices and is reasonably priced for high-quality content. Subscribers have unlimited access to all of HBO anywhere (not including all live TV) without a TV provider contract.

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The Bad

  • Price
  • Library Selection and Variety
  • Streaming Issues

Price

HBO Now costs $14.99 per month. This is a little more expensive than other streaming services, but HBO Now offers high quality of movies and TV series.

Library Selection and Variety

With HBO Now, subscribers are only going to get access to HBO-driven content. HBO Now doesn't offer the same high volume as other streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. However, they do offer over 650 movies and almost 100 TV series to choose from.

Streaming Issues

HBO Now is known to have streaming issues at peak times. In some cases, users may have to restart the app, their device, or even uninstall and reinstall the app altogether.

Customer Reviews

HBO Now reviews from customers often report that they had a difficult time canceling their service. Some even say that they got charged for their free trial and that HBO's customer service wasn't helpful in resolving the issue. Other reviewers complain that HBO Now often stops to buffer when you are watching a show. 

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The Bottom Line

If you don't have a current HBO subscription, and you want access to a great deal of HBO content, HBO Now is a great option to satisfy that need. HBO Now is a great way to extend your current cable subscription if you want to drop HBO from your current cable provider. Also, HBO Now can be streamed on a large variety of devices, but the services are not the most competitive if you are looking for a large library of movie options. Though HBO does feature some content that it seems like everyone's talking about, the poor customer reviews speak for themselves. For more information, read some HBO Now customer reviews below. We recommend reviewing the top rated companies before making a final decision.

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Star Rating

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2.1

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217 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

16%

4 grade

11%

3 grade

4%

2 grade

4%

1 grade

65%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Michael Lyman Salt Lake City, UT

HBO has several of my top favorite shows of all time. They create great original content. I feel like I can pickup and watch almost anything they produce and I will like it. I would say that HBO Now has become my go-to video streaming service. While the search function really needs some help on the xbox, they have the best movies and tv shows available on any streaming service by far.

7 years ago

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Amanda George IL

Love using HBO for streaming tv shows and movies, however for some reason everytime I close it out I have to resign in and readd my payment information. I am overall please with the service I have received through HBO but wish it would get resolved.

1 year ago

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Susan Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

I love HBO Now, HBO has the greatest movies and excellent original TV shows. I love being able to watch my shows on the go. I also love being able to use it on my Roku. For a long time I had to plug my laptop up to my TV with an HDMI to watch HBO on my TV. A lot easier with the app!

7 years ago

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Matthew Carbaugh Herndon, VA

Family has HBO on cable and this comes with HBOGO which I assume is the the same as HBO Now minus the cable service. I mainly use it to watch series after they air (Silicon valley, insecure) I absolutely love the content HBO produces and the streaming service is alright just find it annoying how you have to login into your cable provider everytime, though I understand why they would do this to limit the amount of account sharing.

6 years ago

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Doyal Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

I really like the HBO shows, and HBO Now has made it so I can watch it on my iPad. I can't get enough of Game of Thrones and True Detective. I just wish I had more time to watch my shows.

7 years ago

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James Larson Pleasant Grove, UT

This is a better service than a subscription to the HBO cable channel. There's a large inventory of movies in addition to all of the HBO in-house series. And if you are a GOT fan, then it is worth it just for this show and everything else is frosting!

6 years ago

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Erika American Fork, UT

We really like HBO now. Our TV had stopped working and we were in the middle of watching the game of thrones series at night once our little kiddos were off to bed. It was great that we could still watch our HBO shows nthat we downloaded not just through our television. Love that they are using other options for watching premuim channel shows.

6 years ago

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Bob Aronsohn Evanston, IL

Deceptive free trial - I signed up by following the advertisement for a free one month trial before billing starts, yet I was charged immediately upon subscribing.

7 years ago

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Tim Berrett American Fork, UT

We had HBO for a brief period of time because of a promotion. The experience and content were as expected and the service was consistent. We didn't watch often enough to keep the service long-term.

6 years ago

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Rischelle Mikkelson American Fork, UT

It is very easy to stream on HBO using our Apple TV, computer, or other device. They have a lot of great movies. I can also control my settings so that it’s easier to monitor content for my family.

6 years ago

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Misty Peoples Independence, MO

I just love all the movies and such a wide selection great for family movie nights. My daughter just can't live without it

1 year ago Edited July 3, 2023

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Darbles32 Managua, MN

HBO has a ton of movies that I love to watch where as some other places have only a few and then some weird foreign films

5 years ago

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Hayley Lambdin Orem, UT

I like that I can get access to shows that are only available on HBO, like Silicon Valley and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Pretty awesome!

7 years ago

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Tyler Jenkins Hattiesburg, MS

HBO now gives me the kind of television that I want every now and then. It’s shows are on the more serious side, and I think because of this, the production value is great.

5 years ago

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Jon Posey Riverton, UT

As long as you are ok with their content, you will like HBO. Its a shame a lot of their stuff is riddled with crap that is not necessary otherwise I would be all in.

5 years ago

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Carlos Agosto

I like for see the new movies the series the fight my kid like soo much because he see the movies 🎥

1 year ago

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Mirna Hanna Tallahassee, FL

They offer the shows that I can’t find anywhere else with great quality. It is great for the kids as well.

5 years ago

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Nishita McLean, VA

I like that I can get access to shows that are only available on HBO, like Game of Thrones. Pretty awesome!

6 years ago

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McKenzie Christiansen Provo, UT

HBO has so many wonderful shows that you can stream with such a variety of genres. The episodes load super fast and are very good quality.

6 years ago

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Kathie Bowman Lakeside, CA

having HBO is nice because I can watch movies that I normally can't. HBO has movies that aren't on anything else

6 years ago

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Nathan hanzel Saratoga Springs, UT

HBO now has always had a very wide range of movies to choose from, but the user interface is still lacking.

6 years ago

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Cheyenne Pleasant Grove, UT

HBO is so simple to use. The website is very user friendly. They always have the most up to date shows to watch.

6 years ago

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Alicia Holman Gilbert, AZ

I like the variety of HBO and that it is on Amazon Video so I'm able to watch it from there. It is a little pricey.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Seth Boudoin ,

Great for binge-watching game of thrones. Excellent quality content and great price.

5 years ago