Max for Live is sold by Ableton as an add-on product to Live 8.1 (or later) or as part of Live 9 Suite. You can purchase Max for Live exclusively at Ableton's online shop. Cycling '74 sells a Crossgrade to Max, if you own Max for Live or Live 9 Suite and then also want Max.
When you visit your Ableton account on ableton.com, click the "View License Details" link under the list of products you own. The serial numbers will then be displayed.
No. Max is a different product from the Max for Live editor (included in Live 9 Suite or purchased separately as "Max for Live"), but the Max installation is still necessary to run the Max for Live editor.
Ableton Live 8: If you own Max 6.0, you may use it as your Max for Live device editor. If you only own Max for Live, or Max for Live and Max 5, you will use Max 5 as your device editor.
Ableton Live 9: Max 6.1 is required to run and edit Live 9 Max for Live devices.
Live 9: Max 7 is compatible with Live 9 , and you can use Max 7 as the Max for Live editor if you are a Max 7 license holder. (Learn about crossgrading to a Max 7 license.) Full support for Max 7 as the Max for Live editor will be included in a future Live release.
Find current purchasing options and prices on Ableton's website. There are Full Versions and Crossgrades, depending on what you own currently. If you own Max 5 (or later), you are eligible for a reduced price CROSSGRADE of Max for Live from Ableton.
Max for Live requires Live 8.1 (or later) and Max 5.1 (or later).
Max for Live adds the ability for the Max application to be used as an editor for building Live devices. Existing Max users can continue to work with Max as they always have. To work on Live devices, you start by editing an existing device from inside Live.
For users who only own Max for Live, the Max application will have the following limitations:
Ableton is the best source for information about using Max devices in Live. Cycling '74 support can answer questions about the Max authoring environment. There are many resources for learning Max, such as our interactive tutorials, classes and workshops, and our online community.