I Like Movies vs Letterboxd
This page is written by the developer of I Like Movies. A comparison written by one side is not neutral, so it names where the other app is the better choice and does not score anything.
I Like Movies as a Letterboxd alternative
Letterboxd is the social network for film lovers. It is where film culture happens online: reviews, lists, diaries, and the pleasure of reading what someone sharper than you thought of the film you just finished.
I Like Movies is a different kind of app. It is built for deciding what to watch tonight and keeping the record afterwards, for films and TV together, privately, with the people you live with. This page lays out where each one fits.
Where Letterboxd is better
The community
Letterboxd has the largest film community on the internet. If you want your reviews read, want to follow critics and friends, or discover films through other people’s lists, nothing else comes close. I Like Movies has following and taste comparison between friends, not a public town square.
Reviews and film writing
Writing and reading reviews is the product on Letterboxd, and the culture around it is genuinely good. Here, notes are private by default and there is no public review at all.
iPhone, Android and the web
Letterboxd runs everywhere. I Like Movies is Android only today, with an iOS version in development. If you are on an iPhone, Letterboxd is the one you can actually install.
Years of diary culture
The Letterboxd diary, the year-in-review stats and the list ecosystem have had a decade to mature. A younger app does not have that depth of ritual around it.
What is different in I Like Movies
TV is in the same library
Letterboxd tracks films. I Like Movies tracks films and TV series in one library, down to individual episodes, and can tell a series that has ended from one between seasons.
Private by default
Ratings and notes are yours. Nothing you write is published, and there is no audience to perform for. Some people find that freeing; some people are on Letterboxd precisely for the audience.
A household shares one library
The people you live with can share a single watchlist and watched history, so a film added on one phone is on the other before you sit down.
An AI assistant you can ask in plain language
Ask for something short and funny for a Tuesday, or the film with the submarine and the cook, and it answers with real titles, filtered against what you have already seen and what streams in your country.
Streaming availability up front
Every title shows which services carry it in your country. Deciding and finding out you can actually watch it are the same step.
Feature by feature
| Feature | I Like Movies | Letterboxd |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Android (iOS in development) | iOS, Android, web |
| TV and episode tracking | Yes, per episode | No, films only |
| Public reviews | No, notes are private | Yes, the core of the app |
| Community and lists culture | Friends and taste comparison | The largest film community online |
| Shared household library | Yes | No |
| AI recommendations | Yes, from your own ratings | No |
| Streaming availability | Yes, per country | Yes, on film pages |
| Import | Letterboxd .zip, IMDb .csv | Letterboxd is the source here |
| Price | Free, no ads | Free with ads; Pro and Patron tiers |
Moving your library
Moving is direct: request your data export from Letterboxd, which arrives as a .zip file, and upload it in I Like Movies under Imports. Ratings, watched films and your watchlist come across together.
Nothing is sent back to Letterboxd and your account there is untouched, so trying the app costs nothing but the upload.
What I Like Movies does not do
- There is no iPhone app yet. I Like Movies is Android only today; an iOS version is in development.
- There is no automatic tracking. Nothing scrobbles from a media server, a browser or a streaming app; you mark things watched yourself.
- There are no public reviews. Notes are private, and there is no feed of strangers to read.
- There is no web app. The library lives on the server, but you reach it from the phone app.
- There is no offline mode. The app needs an internet connection.
- Imports read a Letterboxd .zip or an IMDb .csv only. There is no importer for Trakt, Simkl or TV Time exports.
The honest verdict
If film reviews and the community around them are why you track films, stay on Letterboxd. It is the best at that, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
If you want films and TV in one private library, a watchlist your household shares, and help deciding what to watch tonight on Android, that is the problem I Like Movies is built for, and the Letterboxd import means you do not start from zero.
Questions people ask
Can I import my Letterboxd history into I Like Movies?
Yes. Request a data export from Letterboxd, which arrives as a .zip file, then upload that file in the app under Imports. Ratings, watched films and your watchlist are read from the export and matched against the film database.
Does Letterboxd track TV shows?
No. Letterboxd is built for films and does not track TV series. I Like Movies tracks films and TV in one library, at episode level.
Is I Like Movies a social network like Letterboxd?
Not in the same sense. You can follow friends, see what they watch and rate, and compare taste, but there are no public reviews and no feed of strangers. Letterboxd is a public community; I Like Movies is closer to a private library with friends attached.
Is I Like Movies free?
Yes, free with no advertising. Letterboxd is also free to use, with ads, and sells Pro and Patron subscriptions that remove ads and add statistics.
More comparisons: Trakt, Simkl, IMDb, Serializd, Maimovie, Moviebase, JustWatch, Matinee. Or browse every guide and watch order.