Netflix reportedly wants Letterboxd, which is a good moment to think about where your watchlist actually lives. If your list of “films to watch in a quiet week” is a set of screenshots, a Notes app document, and a memory of a friend’s recommendation from six months ago, one of these seven movie tracking apps on desktop is a better place for it. Some run in a browser tab. Some sync across Kodi and Plex. All of them survive whichever streaming service loses the rights next quarter.
We looked at what actually matters on desktop: a fast log-what-I-just-watched flow, a watchlist that pulls in availability, a way to see what a friend rated, and a data export in case the app you love gets acquired next.
What to look for in a movie tracking app
- Fast logging. The whole point is that after the credits roll, one click updates the diary.
- Watchlist with availability. Knowing what to watch next only helps if the app tells you where it streams.
- Social layer. Ratings alone rarely change decisions; friends’ reviews do.
- Export. Whichever app you pick will eventually change, be acquired, or shut down. Your data should walk with you.
- Cross-platform sync. The desktop app matters, but the phone will do most of the logging.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letterboxd | Social film diary and reviews | Web, Windows browsers, macOS, Linux | Free tier | The community, four-star reviews with jokes |
| Trakt | Cross-platform scrobbling | Web, Kodi, Plex, Emby | Free tier | Automatic tracking from media servers |
| TMDb | Reference database, public API | Web | Free | Feeds most other apps’ metadata |
| Icheckmovies | List-based film challenges | Web | Free | Community-built lists to work through |
| Serializd | TV-first tracker | Web, iOS, Android | Free | Better TV data structure than Letterboxd |
| Mubi Notebook | Editorial context for the film | Web | Free | Long-form film writing paired with tracking |
| Filmboxd | Open-source Letterboxd alternative | Web | Free | Self-hostable, community-first |
The apps
1. Letterboxd — Best social film diary
Letterboxd is the obvious first pick, even if the reported Netflix interest gives you pause. The web app is fast, the mobile companion syncs instantly, the four-star reviews with a one-liner joke format has produced better film writing than most magazines, and the friends layer changes how people pick a Sunday night film.
Where it falls short: TV support is minimal. Deep statistics (Pro tier) sit behind a subscription. A hypothetical Netflix acquisition would raise questions about the future of the community layer.
Pricing:
- Free: Full logging, lists, and reviews
- Paid: Pro and Patron tiers add statistics, higher-res backdrops, and remove ads
- vs the rest: The biggest active community by an order of magnitude
Platforms: Web, all desktop browsers, iOS, Android
Download: letterboxd.com
Bottom line: The pick unless you specifically want to leave Letterboxd, in which case the exports below are what matters.
2. Trakt — Best for automatic tracking
Trakt connects to Kodi, Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin and logs what you watch on those platforms without you doing anything. The web dashboard consolidates the history, the recommendations are surprisingly good, and the export is a first-class feature.
Where it falls short: The website design has aged. The mobile app is fine but not the pitch.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracking, watchlists
- Paid: Trakt VIP unlocks advanced stats, faster sync, and dark mode
Platforms: Web, plus tight integration with Plex, Kodi, Emby, Jellyfin
Download: trakt.tv
Bottom line: The pick if you already run Plex or Jellyfin and want the tracking to happen without you noticing.
3. TMDb — Best reference database
TMDb, The Movie Database, is the community-maintained reference that most other apps on this list pull metadata from. You can also use it directly: watchlists, lists, and a solid rating flow are all there.
Where it falls short: No real social layer. The interface is a reference book, not a review magazine.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything
- Paid: None
Platforms: Web
Download: themoviedb.org
Bottom line: The pick when you want the reference data to live in the same tool as your own list.
4. Icheckmovies — Best for list challenges
Icheckmovies frames film tracking as a series of challenges. Every canonical list (Sight and Sound, IMDb Top 250, Cahiers du Cinéma) is a checklist, and community lists cover almost every director, decade, and country of origin.
Where it falls short: Interface hasn’t changed in a decade. Social layer is minimal.
Pricing:
- Free: Full functionality
- Paid: Optional donation tier
Platforms: Web
Download: icheckmovies.com
Bottom line: The pick for anyone who thinks “I want to see every Kurosawa” and needs the checklist to prove it.
5. Serializd — Best TV-first tracker
Serializd is what Letterboxd would be if it started with TV instead of film. The show-first data structure means episode-level tracking, per-season ratings, and a review layer built for arc television rather than a single feature.
Where it falls short: Film support is present but the film community lives elsewhere.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracking
- Paid: Pro tier for statistics
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Download: serializd.com
Bottom line: The pick when TV is more than a third of what you actually watch.
6. Mubi Notebook — Best editorial context
Mubi Notebook is Mubi’s editorial arm, and while it is not strictly a tracker, its watchlist tools plus long-form film writing form a package that turns tracking into a research project.
Where it falls short: Not a general-purpose tracker. You will still want Letterboxd or Trakt for the daily diary.
Pricing:
- Free: Notebook reading and lists
- Paid: Mubi streaming subscription is separate
Platforms: Web
Download: mubi.com
Bottom line: The pick for cinephile browsing paired with whatever main tracker you already use.
7. Filmboxd — Best open-source alternative
Filmboxd is the community-first, open-source movie tracker that has grown around the “what if Letterboxd got bought” conversation. It is self-hostable, the interface is deliberately close to Letterboxd’s, and the export/import flow is designed to accept a Letterboxd data dump.
Where it falls short: Younger, smaller community. Self-hosting adds infrastructure.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, open-source
- Paid: None
Platforms: Web (self-hosted or public instance)
Download: filmboxd.com
Bottom line: The pick when the philosophical objection to a Netflix acquisition matters more than the size of the existing community.
How to pick the right one
If the goal is a social diary with the biggest active community: Letterboxd. Nothing else is close on numbers.
If tracking should happen automatically as you watch: Trakt, especially with Plex or Jellyfin.
If you want the reference data and your list in one place: TMDb.
If canonical film lists are the motivation: Icheckmovies.
If TV is at least as important as film: Serializd.
If cinephile context matters as much as tracking: Mubi Notebook alongside your main tracker.
If independence from any single company is the point: Filmboxd, self-hosted.
FAQ
What is the best Letterboxd alternative? Trakt for automatic tracking, Serializd if TV matters, and Filmboxd for a fully open-source community.
Can I export my Letterboxd diary? Yes. Letterboxd offers a full CSV export of your diary, ratings, lists, and reviews.
Which movie tracker works with Plex? Trakt has the deepest Plex integration. Kodi and Jellyfin also work with Trakt out of the box.
Do I need a paid tier? No. Every app on this list is fully usable for free. Paid tiers unlock statistics, higher-resolution artwork, and, in Letterboxd’s case, ad removal.
Which app has the best film discovery? Mubi Notebook for editorial recommendations. Letterboxd for what your friends are actually watching. TMDb for a purely data-driven feed.
What happens if Letterboxd gets acquired? Every entry on this list supports Letterboxd export data, so the diary you built moves with you. Filmboxd’s import flow is designed specifically for that case.
