PRODUCT RESEARCH
StoryMax
This research note is kept separate from the app profile so the main page stays focused on ranking data.
One-line positioning
Story Max is a free short-drama platform under India's Greenhorn Wellness Private Limited, sharing the same operator as the leading short-drama app Story TV. It offers 1-2 minute vertical dramas in Hindi and regional languages, with new titles every midnight, local originals as the core supplemented by Hindi-dubbed Western dramas. Launched in January 2026, it surpassed 2 million downloads within two months and ranks high on India's Google Play free entertainment charts. Store records list the developer as Story TV with small in-app purchases and no ads.
Product & company
Both the privacy policy and the terms and conditions state that Story Max is operated by India's Greenhorn Wellness Private Limited (support at support@storymax.app, site storymax.app); the terms also confirm content is shared between the Story TV and Story Max apps. A Delhi High Court ruling in May 2026 (publicly reported) confirmed Greenhorn Wellness Private Limited owns and operates StoryTV. The company website lists Story TV, Master, Connecto, Eloelo and Voxy, serving over 150 million users. The Google Play developer name appears as Story TV, and the shared-operator relationship is closed by first-hand documents.
Business model & format
Free model: free download and free viewing, with small in-app purchases on the store (about $4.49-$9.99 / INR 10-INR 999 per item) and 'no ads' labeling; the official site promotes ad-free watching. The terms include subscription and payment clauses, a 'free plus IAP (VIP/coins)' model with light advertising, fitting India's low-price high-volume market.
Growth & market
Launched in January 2026, Story Max surpassed 2 million downloads in February per Insightrackr, ranking No. 18 in the short-drama category. AppDashboard shows about 9.7 million total installs with roughly 1.7 million added in the last 30 days, around #15 on India's Google Play free entertainment chart and #123 on the overall free chart. Acquisition is led by Meta Ads (daily active creatives peaked above 1,400 in February, following a test-optimize-scale rhythm) with AdMob as a supplement; distribution is almost entirely concentrated in India, and creatives rely heavily on original Indian drama clips.
Risks & watchpoints
Distribution is almost entirely concentrated in India, making growth dependent on local paid acquisition and content supply; aggressive Meta-led spending exposes the business to user-acquisition cost pressure. Story Max shares the same operator, content library and market with Story TV, raising internal cannibalization and attribution concerns. Competition in Indian short dramas is intense - in May 2026 the Delhi High Court handled a case of StoryTV content being misused to promote a rival app - so copyright and competitive risks are real. No standalone iOS store listing for Story Max has been found in public records yet.