Best TV show tracker apps in 2026: TV Time alternatives compared
TV Time closed on 15 July 2026 and deleted its users' data, leaving millions of people who logged every episode with nowhere to log the next one. A TV show tracker's job is simple to state: remember where you are in every series, tell you when something new airs, and ask as little of you as possible.
This page compares the five worth knowing in 2026, by how they track episodes, whether they read a TV Time export, and what they cost.
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 October 2026.
The ranking
1. I Like Movies
Best for films and TV in one free, ad-free app, with alerts for new episodes.
I Like Movies tracks TV down to the episode, marks a whole season in a tap, and keeps films in the same library, with ratings, notes and statistics. It sends a push when a new episode of a show you are watching comes out and a heads-up before a series returns, shows where every title streams in your country, and imports a TV Time export as well as Trakt, Letterboxd and IMDb.
It does not track automatically: you mark episodes yourself, the way TV Time worked. There is no web app and no public reviews, and the TV Time import leaves episode ratings behind.
Strengths
- Episode tracking, with a whole season in a tap
- Films and TV in one library
- New-episode push and a heads-up before a series returns
- Imports TV Time, Trakt, Letterboxd and IMDb; free, no ads
Trade-offs
- No automatic tracking; you mark episodes yourself
- No web app; it is a phone app for iPhone and Android, not the browser
- The TV Time import leaves episode ratings behind
2. Trakt
Best for automatic tracking from players, media servers and streaming services.
Trakt is the tracking service much of the ecosystem plugs into: Plex, Kodi, Emby, Jellyfin and Infuse can log what you play to it automatically, other apps read and write its history through an open API, and its own apps cover iPhone, Android, Apple TV and Android TV. It imports IMDb, Letterboxd, Plex and TV Time data.
Logging from Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services needs VIP, about $60 a year, and the free tier caps how many items your lists and watchlist can hold.
Strengths
- Automatic tracking from players and media servers
- Open API, so your history works with many other apps
- Imports TV Time, IMDb and Letterboxd
Trade-offs
- Tracking from streaming services requires VIP
- The free tier limits list and watchlist sizes
3. Simkl
Best for automatic tracking without a media server, anime included.
Simkl tracks TV, films and anime in one account, and can log what you watch on streaming sites through its browser extension rather than a media server. It imports from Trakt, IMDb, MyAnimeList, AniList, Netflix and Crunchyroll, and reads a TV Time export.
The core app is free; some imports and extras sit in paid tiers, and the interface is busier than a TV-only tracker.
Strengths
- TV, films and anime in one free account
- Automatic tracking through a browser extension
- Wide imports, TV Time included
Trade-offs
- Some imports and extras need a paid tier
- Busier interface
4. Serializd
Best for rating and reviewing TV, the way Letterboxd does film.
Serializd is built around TV reviews: you rate individual episodes, seasons or whole series, keep a diary, follow people and read discussion, and it also works as a next-episode tracker. It is completely free, runs on the web, iPhone and Android, and imports TV Time and Trakt data.
It covers TV only, so films need a second app.
Strengths
- Rate episodes, seasons and whole series
- Reviews, a diary and a community around TV
- Free; imports TV Time and Trakt
Trade-offs
- TV only, no films
5. Bingers
Best for TV Time's community features, rebuilt by one of its co-founders.
Bingers was launched in August 2026 by a co-founder of TV Time to bring back what its users miss: episode and film ratings, votes on characters and emotions, spoiler-free comments, stats and new-episode alerts. Its TV Time import is the fullest we found: it brings everything across, comments included.
It is very new, still on version 0.2, free with no in-app purchases so far, and how it will pay for its servers is not yet settled.
Strengths
- Brings back TV Time's community features
- The fullest TV Time import, comments included
- Free
Trade-offs
- Very new (version 0.2)
- Business model still unsettled
Compared side by side
| Feature | I Like Movies | Trakt | Simkl | Bingers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode-level tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Films in the same app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic tracking | No, you mark it | Yes, from players and servers | Yes, via browser extension | No, you mark it |
| Imports a TV Time export | Yes, minus episode ratings | Yes | Yes | Yes, comments included |
| Ads in the Android app | None | None | None | None |
| Price | Free | Free, VIP about $60 a year | Free, paid tiers | Free |
The honest verdict
If you want one free, ad-free app that tracks every episode, keeps films in the same library and tells you when a show returns, I Like Movies fits best. If you want tracking to happen by itself, Trakt (with players and media servers) and Simkl (with a browser extension) are the two that do it properly. Serializd is the place to rate and review TV, and Bingers is the closest thing to the old TV Time community, from one of the people who built it.
Questions people ask
What is the best TV Time alternative?
It depends on what you used TV Time for. For episode tracking on your phone with films in the same library, I Like Movies. For automatic tracking, Trakt or Simkl. For rating and reviewing episodes, Serializd. For the community features, Bingers, launched by one of TV Time's co-founders.
Can I still import my TV Time history?
Only if you saved your export before 15 July 2026: TV Time deleted user data when it closed, and exports can no longer be requested. With the export, I Like Movies, Trakt, Simkl, Serializd and Bingers can all read it, each bringing across different parts. Without one, no app can recover the history.
Which TV show trackers track episodes automatically?
Trakt and Simkl. Trakt logs what you play in Plex, Kodi and other connected players, and from streaming services with VIP; Simkl uses a browser extension for streaming sites. I Like Movies, Serializd and Bingers ask you to mark episodes yourself, as TV Time did.
Is there a free TV show tracker with no ads?
Yes. Google Play lists no ads for I Like Movies, Trakt, Simkl, Serializd or Bingers. Trakt and Simkl also sell paid tiers for extra features, so check what sits behind them before you move years of history.
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Compared head to head: Letterboxd, Trakt, Simkl, IMDb, Serializd, Maimovie, Moviebase, JustWatch, Matinee, Cronica, Flick.
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