Image via HBO
Remember when watching HBO meant sitting awkwardly next to your parents, waiting out sex scenes that seemed to go on for an eternity? Yeah, me neither, because today the premium cable TV subscription service we know and love offers streaming options so that everyone and their mom can watch their favorite characters get busy from Brooklyn to Westeros on their phones and laptops—far away from each other.
Whether it was some rare corporate self-awareness or an effort to maintain relevance with competition from surging streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, the debut of HBO Go in 2010 took the world of viewers who wanted to watch Girls, but didn’t have cable in their dorm rooms, by storm. If your parents had cable HBO at home and were willing to share a coveted HBO Go password, they became anonymous heroes who couldn’t have known their credentials would be shared by a dozen other content-hungry millennials around the country, binge-watching old episodes of The Sopranos and Sex and the City. But account sharing doesn’t generate revenue for HBO (and, it’s worth noting, can also earn offenders a misdemeanor—so be careful out there).
With more people cutting the cable cord every year in favor of more streamlined and less expensive online content services, HBO released its second streaming option in 2015—HBO Now. HBO Now has all of those same great shows, movies, and solo watching perks of HBO Go, without the prerequisite of a full cable subscription. Two streaming services, both alike in dignity (and content), but which, you may ask, actually reigns supreme? HBO Go and HBO Now are pretty similar, but there are some key differences between them that make each service unique. Here’s what you need to know to decide which is right for you in the battle of HBO Now vs. HBO Go.
HBO Go: Pros
- Access to all of HBO’s movies and TV shows (duh).
- HBO Go is included at no extra cost with your paid HBO subscription through a cable or satellite TV provider.
- HBO Go is compatible with most popular platforms and internet browsers, including the Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV, Amazon Fire devices, Android phones and tablets, Chromecast, TiVo, and more.
- There’s no cap on the number of devices you can link to your account.
- Simultaneous streaming lets up to three users watch on different devices at once (passwords are not intended to be shared outside one household).
- You don’t have to explain Westworld to your mom until after you've watched it alone once already.
HBO Go: Cons
- The biggest drawback to HBO Go is the cost. Access to HBO Go requires a cable and HBO subscription. The average cost of cable TV is estimated at anywhere between $11 to $130 per month depending on your package, and in most cases you’ll need to add HBO on top of that for around an extra $10/month. So if you’re a cord cutter, HBO Go isn’t your best option for binge watching.
- HBO Go can be a little complicated to set up, as it requires authentication through a cable or satellite provider—but if you’re already paying for a cable and HBO subscription, the perks of free watching anywhere may outweigh that in the end.
HBO Now: Pros
- Just like HBO Go, you still get access to all of HBO’s movies and TV shows in real time.
- HBO Now is available as a standalone service for purchase through an online subscription provider—no need for cable.
- HBO Now is sold as a monthly plan with no long term contracts, so you’re not locked into payments if Big Little Lies doesn’t get renewed.
- HBO Now also offers no cap on connected devices, and supports simultaneous streaming on all your favorite Apple, Amazon Fire, Android, Chromecast, and TiVo, devices.
- You’ll always host the Game of Thrones viewing party!
HBO Now: Cons
- At $15/mo, HBO Now is one of the more expensive streaming services (but it still beats the total cost of HBO Go if you don’t already have cable).
- You’ll always host the Game of Thrones viewing party.