I never got into Core Max that much, so I can't really compare, but I enjoy Mindy's workouts on "All About Abs." There is probably about 1 minute of any traditional-looking type ab work on the whole DVD. The rest is very functional and effective. Lots of core (ironic, since it's called "All About Abs," and it has much more core work than "Core Max"!).
There are lots of planks and variations, some core-focused push-ups, lots of variety.
Some moves are less difficult, some more difficult.