Best apps for a shared household watchlist in 2026 (we compared 4)
Two people, two watchlists, and a film nobody can remember saving. A genuinely shared library fixes it, but very few apps build one. Most offer a shared list bolted onto a single-user app, which is not the same thing: the list is shared, but your histories stay separate.
This page is honest about that difference, and about how thin the field actually is.
This roundup is published by the makers of I Like Movies, which is one of the apps below. We say that up front, credit every other app for what it does best, place ourselves only where we genuinely fit this job, and take no payment for any placement.
Last reviewed September 2026.
The ranking
1. I Like Movies
Best for a purpose-built shared household library.
I Like Movies is built around the household. Everyone under one roof shares a single watchlist and a single watched history, live: add a film on your phone and it is on theirs before you sit down, and a taste-comparison view helps you find the overlap. It is a shared library, not a shared list bolted onto a single-user app.
The limits are honest: a household is the people you live with, not a public group, and the app is Android only today.
Strengths
- One shared watchlist and one shared watched history, live
- Taste comparison to find common ground
- Free, no ads
Trade-offs
- A household is people you live with, not an open group
- Android only today; an iPhone version is in development
2. Trakt
Best for sharing specific lists if you already use it.
Trakt lets you build lists and share them, and its history is portable across the many apps that read it. If you and your partner already live in the Trakt ecosystem, a shared or collaborative list is a workable approximation.
It is a shared list rather than a shared library: your individual watch histories stay separate.
Strengths
- Shareable and collaborative lists
- Portable history across many clients
Trade-offs
- A shared list, not a merged household library
- Individual histories stay separate
3. Simkl
Best for shareable lists across films, TV and anime.
Simkl lets you make lists and share them, across films, TV and anime, for free. As with Trakt, the sharing is per list rather than a single unified household, but it covers the widest range of content.
Strengths
- Shareable lists across films, TV and anime
- Free
Trade-offs
- Per-list sharing, not a unified household
- No merged watched history
4. Plex
Best for households that already run a Plex server.
If your household already runs Plex, everyone signs in to one server, each person gets a watchlist, and Plex Discover surfaces what is available across services. For a Plex household it is a reasonable shared surface.
It is a media server first, not a tracker, and it does not merge everyone into one shared watchlist and history the way a purpose-built household does.
Strengths
- One shared server for the whole household
- Watchlists tied to each account, plus Plex Discover
Trade-offs
- A media server, not a tracker
- No single merged household watchlist or history
Compared side by side
| Feature | I Like Movies | Trakt | Simkl | Plex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One merged household watchlist | Yes | Shared lists only | Per-list only | Per-user on a shared server |
| Shared watched history | Yes | No | No | Within the server |
| Live sync across members | Yes | Lists sync | Lists sync | Yes, on the server |
| Films and TV tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus anime | Plays your server library |
| Price | Free | Free plus VIP | Free | Free plus Plex Pass |
The honest verdict
A truly merged household watchlist and watched history is rare, and I Like Movies is built around it, so it is the natural fit for couples and families who want one shelf everyone shares. Trakt and Simkl can approximate it with shared lists if you already use them, and Plex works as a shared surface if your household already runs a Plex server. If the goal is genuinely one library for the whole sofa, a purpose-built household beats a shared list.
Questions people ask
Can two people share one watchlist?
Yes. A household in I Like Movies is a shared library for the people you live with: everyone sees the same watchlist and the same watched history, and a film one person adds shows up for everyone without being sent manually. It is built for exactly this case.
Do any apps merge two watch histories, not just a list?
Very few. Most trackers offer a shared or collaborative list on top of separate personal histories. A merged household where the watched history itself is shared is rare; I Like Movies is built around it. Trakt and Simkl share lists but keep individual histories separate.
Can we share a watchlist on Trakt or Simkl?
You can share a list on both, and collaborate on it, which covers a lot of the need. What you do not get is a single merged library where both of your watched histories live together; for that a purpose-built household is the better fit.
Is a shared watchlist app free?
The shared watchlist in I Like Movies is free with no ads, and Trakt and Simkl offer list sharing on their free tiers. Plex is free for the basics, with a Plex Pass for more. None of the core sharing here costs anything.
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