Last Update: May 3, 2022
HBO Max is among the globe’s most well-known and widely-used online streaming services. It’s host to lots of shows and movies that can’t be found elsewhere. Sadly though, the majority of the platform’s content is geo-restricted, meaning that it can’t be accessed just anywhere.
To openly access all the shows and movies on HBO Max, you must use a VPN. However, not all VPN services are capable of meeting your streaming needs. As a matter of fact, only a select handful can circumvent geoblocks and facilitate completely seamless streaming sessions.
So what’s the VPN for HBO Max? You’ve actually got several options. In this article, we’re going to discuss every one of them. Moreover, I’ll also talk about everything else related to the subject that you need to know about. That way, you won’t be left with any sort of unanswered questions.
Credit: nordvpn.com
Streaming Capabilities: NordVPN is an excellent VPN for streaming HBO Max and just about any other similar platform. It boasts a massive network made up of capable servers that have zero problems with consistently getting around the geo-restrictions that they are faced with.
The servers of NordVPN are even able to bypass the Great Firewall of China. Our testers in the country have reported success with the provider countless times. As such, it’s guaranteed that it’ll be possible for you to stream HBO Max in countries that are heavy on internet censorship.
Speed is something that NordVPN is synonymous with. It’s so fast that it never caused my base connection to drop to a noticeable degree. Consequently, I could browse the web, play games, and stream content on HBO Max without issues such as buffering and lengthy loading times.
It would be wrong not to also mention that NordVPN can occasionally improve your HBO Max streaming experience. The provider manages to do this by eliminating bandwidth throttling. Needless to say, it doesn’t always make your internet faster so it’s best not to expect.
Privacy & Security: NordVPN provides excellent online privacy and security. Its 5600+ servers are all RAM-based, meaning they can’t store logging information. Moreover, they cannot be hacked by cybercriminals to obtain data that can be used to compromise your safety.
As you probably might’ve guessed, NordVPN adheres to robust standards of VPN encryption. It utilizes AES-256 technology, which is military-grade, to encrypt your data. Also, the provider allows you to toggle all mainstream VPN protocols, including WireGuard as NordLynx.
The applications and extensions of NordVPN are incredibly user-friendly. Each one of them has interfaces that are a joy to navigate. Furthermore, all of them are incredibly easy to configure to your exact liking. Due to that, it is not difficult to have a tailored VPN experience with NordVPN.
I’d also like to mention that every browser extension and application that NordVPN has is built with an extensive set of useful features. For example, they’ve all got a kill switch along with an ad & malware blocker.
One last thing to know about NordVPN’s security is that the provider operates a very successful global bug bounty program. This program was established a few years ago as a direct response to a hacking incident that involved a lone attacker who tried to establish a fake NordVPN server.
Pricing: NordVPN is a VPN that nearly anyone can afford. At present, you may buy a 1-month subscription plan for a mere $11.95. That price gets even lower if you take advantage of the many coupon codes and discount promotions that NordVPN regularly comes up with.
Credit: expressvpn.com
Streaming Capabilities: Any conversation about VPNs for HBO Max would not be complete without mentioning ExpressVPN. After all, most of the provider’s more than 3000 servers are fully able to consistently get past the geoblocks of almost all well-known streaming platforms.
ExpressVPN can even be used to bypass government-established internet censorship systems like the Great Firewall of China. Because of that, it can serve as a handy tool for HBO Max subscribers that are also frequent travelers to countries big on online censorship.
Now when it comes to speed, ExpressVPN definitely won’t fail to impress. Over the few months that I’ve been using the provider, never did it slow my internet speeds in any significant manner.
I should also state that ExpressVPN has frequently been able to get me off bandwidth throttling caused by my ISP. However, it doesn’t manage to do this with absolute certainty. Due to that, you shouldn’t get the provider with the goal of making your internet connection faster.
Privacy & Security: You won’t find yourself in danger with ExpressVPN. The provider is certain to protect you every time you go on the internet. This is evident in the fact that it was the first major player in the VPN industry to have itself subject to independent third-party audits.
In regards to specs, ExpressVPN maintains a logs-free RAM-based network. It makes use of AES military-grade technology to encrypt your data. Along with that, the provider supports a wide spectrum of protocols. Among them is Lightway, which is proprietary and very secure.
ExpressVPN has incredibly user-friendly apps that anyone can appreciate. Sadly though, these applications don’t have much in the way of features. Aside from your usual kill switch, there’s nothing else being offered. If anything, this has gotta be ExpressVPN’s biggest weakness.
Pricing: A lot of people believe that ExpressVPN is an expensive provider. In truth, it’s actually one of the best-priced VPNs out there. For a basic monthly subscription, you’ll only need to spend $12.95, which is a great price considering that ExpressVPN has much to offer.
Credit: privateinternetaccess.com
Streaming Capabilities: Private Internet Access (PIA), is one of the most well-known VPNs for streaming. It can grant you open access to HBO Max in most countries in the world. With that being said, the provider is most reliable when used to unblock HBO Max’s library in the US.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to overcome the Great Firewall with PIA. All of our testers in China haven’t managed to find luck with any of the provider’s servers. For that reason, it isn’t the best VPN to have if you’re always on the road.
I’d have to say that Private Internet Access’ speed capabilities are just okay. While testing the provider, my internet speeds dipped a handful of times. Fortunately, all these dips didn’t introduce too many instances of buffering and quality drops while I was streaming.
You should also know that PIA can also sometimes eliminate bandwidth throttling. However, the chances of it making your internet noticeably faster are very slim. As a result, you should not expect the provider to make any serious positive changes to your current base connection.
Privacy & Security: Private Internet Access is generally regarded to be a safe VPN. Unlike the other providers that we discussed, it doesn’t have a RAM-based network. That said, it does maintain a zero-logs policy that has never been knowingly breached by any third party.
The 3300+ servers of PIA secure your private data using AES-256 encryption.
Meanwhile, each one of the provider’s apps allows you to choose from a broad range of protocols. And yes, among these protocols is WireGuard, which is arguably the best VPN protocol to utilize for HBO Max.
Private Internet Access has superb applications. They’re all highly configurable and incredibly user-friendly. More importantly, every single one of them comes pre-loaded with an automatic kill switch and a very capable ad & malware blocker called PIA MACE.
Another thing to know about PIA is that it supports a maximum of 10 simultaneous connections per user account. That means with one subscription, you may likely be able to safeguard every electronic device in your house.
Pricing: Private Internet Access is a VPN that’s well-known for being affordable. As of writing, you may purchase a monthly subscription plan for $9.95. I would have to say that this is an extremely reasonable price given that PIA is a great VPN provider with a lot to offer.
HBO Max is an American online video streaming service owned and operated by WarnerMedia, which is a subsidiary of AT&T. Launched in the United States in May, 2020, the platform has since been released in Latin America, the Caribbean, and several European countries.
As of late-2021, HBO Max has 73.8 million paying subscribers across the globe, making it one of the world’s leading online streaming platforms. If anything, I would have to say that this is incredibly impressive considering the fact that HBO Max is less than three years old.
Like many of its competitors, HBO Max plays host to lots of content that is not shown anywhere else. Furthermore, it is also the place where lots of movies first premier. For these reasons, it has managed to attract lots of people into purchasing its affordable subscription plans.
HBO Max is still unreleased in many countries. Luckily though, you may still tap into the platform with the help of either a VPN or proxy. Proxies aren’t recommendable though. That’s because they fail at providing comprehensive digital security and consistently bypassing geoblocks.
On the other hand, capable VPNs nearly always overcome the restrictions preventing you from accessing HBO Max. Moreover, they also provide security across your entire device. In fact, most VPN providers can keep you safeguarded across multiple devices simultaneously.
As mentioned, VPNs provide you with edge-to-edge security. They do this by encrypting your private data and masking your IP address. Furthermore, many providers make use of unique tools to further increase your levels of digital privacy and security.
With a capable provider, you can rest assured that you shall be safe while streaming content on HBO Max. Hackers, government monitors, and ISPs won’t be able to spy on your or get into your system, which is great news if you’re the type who takes online security seriously.
Some VPN services can improve your HBO Max streaming experience. How so? By eliminating the bandwidth throttling established by your ISP.
You see, unbeknownst to many, it’s common practice for internet service providers to slow the internet connection speeds of their subscribers. They do this in order to prevent their own networks from becoming overloaded due to having too many simultaneous users.
Want to use a VPN provider for HBO Max but don’t know how? Follow these steps:
Kick things off by getting a VPN provider for HBO Max. Choose one that has decent unblocking and speed capabilities to make sure that you have a decent viewing experience. Stay away from suspiciously cheap or free services. That is because they are unlikely to meet your streaming needs on HBO Max as well as any other similar online streaming platform.
For guaranteed satisfaction, we advise you to stick to any of the VPNs that we talked about earlier. Any one of them is certain not to disappoint. They’ll unblock HBO Max, facilitate a seamless online streaming session, and of course, fully maintain your digital security.
Install the VPN you just got. Doing this on devices that run any modern operating system is very easy. The only thing you’ll need to do is download your VPN’s app from its website or your device’s app store. After that, installation should commence and finish automatically.
Please do note that installing a VPN on a router is often still very tricky because of the technical know-how required to do it. Due to that, it’s not for everyone. Luckily though, our recommended providers for HBO Max all sell pre-configured routers that allow for a plug-and-play experience.
Your next course of action should be to pair with a server. Select one that’s located in a country that plays host to the HBO Max library that you wish to unblock. Also, it would be a good idea for you to stick to nearby servers as they’re less likely to slow your web connection speeds.
You must activate your VPN’s kill switch before you start using HBO Max. That way, you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim of accidental online exposure.
You see, a kill switch is a security feature that almost all VPNs have. To put it simply, it functions by cutting your device’s internet connection if ever its link to your provider’s server gets cut.
Open HBO Max and start streaming all the content that you want to watch. Remember to stay connected to your VPN at all times while on the platform. That way, you can avoid getting geo-blocked or having your privacy and security invaded by malicious third parties.
It wasn’t easy to come up with the rankings that we currently have.
For starters, we had to do a ton of research to narrow down our choices. Following that, several members of our team subjected our picks to a wide array of tests to know first-hand how well they performed and worked with HBO Max. Last but not least, we compared their rates to determine which of them provided the greatest value to their potential subscribers.
