The Polygon piece on Letterboxd’s crowdfunding push to stay independent made one thing clear: the ad-supported scrobbler and tracker corner of the internet is under real pressure. Trakt has felt that pressure too. The 2025 VIP price hike doubled annual fees from $30 to $60, wiping out grandfathered legacy pricing in the process. Free-tier limits got tighter again in 2026, the official Android app still feels thin, and Plex users keep reporting their scrobbler returning 404 errors for days at a stretch. If you have been paying Trakt VIP and quietly wondering what else is out there, this is for you. The seven Trakt alternatives below were picked specifically for the people Trakt serves best: power users who want automatic scrobbling, reliable episode tracking, and watch history that survives switching apps.
Why people leave Trakt
Specific, recurring complaints from the Trakt forums and r/trakt:
- The VIP hike landed badly. The May 2025 jump to a flat $60 per year doubled the bill for most subscribers and broke the long-standing promise that legacy and promo pricing would be honored. Neowin’s coverage flagged the under-30-day notice as a breach of Trakt’s own terms.
- Free tier got tighter, then re-tuned. The 100-item watchlist cap that arrived in early 2025 pushed a wave of users toward Simkl and SeriesGuide. The 2026 revised limits lifted the cap to 250 for new free members and 500 for existing ones, but the damage to goodwill was already done.
- The Plex scrobbler is flaky. The Plex-Trakt scrobbler has been throwing 404 errors and silently dropping plays in waves through 2024 and 2025, with GitHub issues and forum threads piling up faster than fixes ship.
- The official Android app is bare. Most heavy users run a third-party client like Hobi or wako because the first-party app skips features that competing trackers ship by default, including bulk-mark and customizable next-up screens.
- Trust eroded. Users on Reddit and the official forums called out the rollback of legacy pricing and the short notice as a sign that the service is optimizing for revenue extraction rather than retention.
Which app should you choose?
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Simkl if you want the closest one-for-one Trakt swap. Unlimited free tracking for TV, movies, and anime, plus a working Plex and Kodi scrobble path.
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SeriesGuide if you watch mostly TV and you want open source with no ads. Episode tracking is its whole reason for existing.
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Moviebase if you want a polished Android app that keeps Trakt as the sync backend. Material You design, two-way Trakt sync on the free tier.
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Hobi if you mostly want a better-looking Android front end on top of Trakt. Reads and writes your existing Trakt account.
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wako if you run Kodi or want a single app that can swap between Trakt and Simkl. The only major tracker that supports both backends.
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TV Time if the social side of tracking matters more than scrobbling. Episode emoji reactions, friends timeline, premiere countdowns.
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Plex Discover if Plex is already your media server. Native watchlist sync into the Plex app you have open anyway.
Stay on Trakt VIP if your stats history goes back many years and you depend on the API ecosystem. No alternative matches Trakt’s data depth or the breadth of third-party apps that read from it.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Standout feature | Trakt import |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simkl | One-for-one Trakt swap | Yes, unlimited tracking | Free Plex + Kodi scrobble path | Direct CSV and API import |
| SeriesGuide | TV episode tracking, open source | Yes, no ads | Local-first sync, optional Trakt sync | Reads from Trakt sync |
| Moviebase | Modern Android UI on Trakt | Yes, ads | Two-way Trakt sync, free stats | Native Trakt account |
| Hobi | Better Trakt Android front end | Yes | Full Trakt-account sync | Reads from Trakt |
| wako | Trakt + Simkl + Kodi remote | Yes | Choose Trakt or Simkl backend | Native Trakt sign-in |
| TV Time | Social TV + episode reactions | Yes, ads | Friends timeline, premiere alerts | Manual via CSV |
| Plex | Plex households | Yes | Built-in Universal Watchlist | Third-party PlexTraktSync |
1. Simkl, the closest one-for-one Trakt replacement
Simkl is the most direct swap and the one most r/trakt threads end up pointing to. The free plan tracks unlimited TV, anime, and movies with no per-list cap, calendar notifications fire by email, push, and Apple Watch, and the Plex and Kodi scrobble paths are free where Trakt now reserves comparable polish behind VIP. Simkl was built as medium-agnostic from day one, so anime and shows are first-class instead of bolted on later.
Trakt vs Simkl on free-tier generosity, Simkl wins clearly. The PRO upgrade exists for power-user statistics, bulk season-marking, and ad removal, but the core tracking you would pay Trakt VIP for is free here.
Where it falls short: The Android app’s design feels older than Moviebase or Hobi. Trakt has more third-party integrations and a deeper public API. Some advanced stats and rewatch tracking sit behind Simkl PRO.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited tracking for TV, movies, and anime; calendar; notifications; basic stats
- Paid: Simkl PRO (annual subscription) for ad removal, bulk marking, advanced stats, and rewatch counting
- vs Trakt: cheaper at every comparable tier; the free plan covers more than Trakt’s does today
Migrating from Trakt: Simkl reads Trakt CSV exports directly and offers a one-click API import that pulls your watched history, ratings, and lists. A library of a few thousand episodes typically imports in 10 to 20 minutes.
Bottom line: Pick Simkl if you want everything Trakt used to be at the price Trakt used to charge. Skip it if you depend on Trakt’s API ecosystem of third-party clients.
2. SeriesGuide, open-source TV tracking with no ads
SeriesGuide has been around since 2010 and treats TV episode tracking as the only job worth doing well. There are no ads, no investors leaning on growth, and the project is supported entirely by subscribers. The free plan covers episode tracking, calendar views, TMDB data, and optional Trakt sync, so users leaving Trakt can keep their existing account as a backup destination while moving day-to-day use to SeriesGuide.
Trakt vs SeriesGuide on TV-show focus, SeriesGuide wins because the entire app is built around that single workflow. Trakt covers movies and anime more evenly but spreads its UX thinner.
Where it falls short: Movie tracking is supported but secondary. No social or community features. Streaming-availability data is lighter than Simkl or Trakt.
Pricing:
- Free: episode tracking, calendar, optional Trakt sync, TMDB data
- Paid: subscription at roughly $5 per month or around $30 per year unlocks advanced statistics, year-in-review, automatic streaming scrobbling, and custom lists
- vs Trakt: comparable annual price, but the free tier covers more of the day-to-day TV workflow
Migrating from Trakt: Sign into your Trakt account from SeriesGuide settings. Watched episodes, collection state, and ratings pull across the first sync. A multi-year Trakt library typically arrives within a few minutes.
Bottom line: Pick SeriesGuide if TV is the bulk of what you watch and “no ads, no investors” is a feature rather than a footnote. Skip it if you need anime depth or movie-first tracking.
3. Moviebase, modern Android UI with free Trakt sync
Moviebase is what the official Trakt Android app would look like if it had been redesigned for 2026. Material You theming, fast library loads, multiple watchlists, two-way Trakt sync, and detailed statistics are all on the free tier. Premium only removes ads. The app pulls scrobbles from Plex through your Trakt account, so the Plex pipeline still goes through Trakt’s backend rather than Moviebase replacing it.
Trakt vs Moviebase on Android polish, Moviebase wins outright. The official Trakt app simply does not feel like it was built for a modern Android device, and Moviebase does.
Where it falls short: It depends on Trakt for sync, so the Trakt outages and limits still affect you. The free tier serves ads. No first-party scrobbler of its own.
Pricing:
- Free: full watchlists, ratings, Trakt sync, episode tracking, statistics
- Paid: Premium removes ads (one-time or subscription depending on platform)
- vs Trakt: free where Trakt charges; the only cost is keeping a Trakt account underneath
Migrating from Trakt: Sign in with Trakt at first launch. Two-way sync runs automatically, so the migration is effectively zero work for anyone whose data already lives in Trakt.
Bottom line: Pick Moviebase if your problem is the Trakt Android app rather than Trakt itself. Skip it if you want to leave the Trakt backend entirely.
4. Hobi, a cleaner Trakt client for Android
Hobi is a focused TV tracker that signs into your existing Trakt account and exposes it through a much nicer Android UI. Trending shows, next-episode countdowns, a tidy episode tracker, premiere notifications, and a series guide of more than 50,000 shows all live in a free app with over a million downloads. Heavy Trakt users have leaned on Hobi for years specifically because the official app falls short.
Trakt vs Hobi on day-to-day Android navigation, Hobi wins on every screen. Hobi vs Moviebase, Hobi is more TV-focused; Moviebase covers movies and stats more evenly.
Where it falls short: The last update was July 2024, so it has been on maintenance footing for nearly two years. TV only, no movie tracking. Still requires an active Trakt account underneath.
Pricing:
- Free: full Trakt sync, episode tracking, countdowns, premiere notifications
- Paid: none
- vs Trakt: free on top of whatever Trakt tier you already pay for
Migrating from Trakt: Sign in with Trakt. Your existing watched history, lists, and ratings show up immediately because Hobi treats Trakt as the source of truth rather than syncing to it.
Bottom line: Pick Hobi if the Trakt official Android app is your one complaint and you watch mostly TV. Skip it if you need active development or anime and movie coverage.
5. wako, the only tracker that runs both Trakt and Simkl
wako sits in a category of one: it can sync with either Trakt or Simkl as the backend, so you can switch backends without rebuilding your library by hand. It also acts as a Kodi remote with auto-sync, which is the closest thing to first-class Kodi scrobbling currently available on Android. Anime support comes through Simkl’s catalogue. The built-in player handles multi-track audio, subtitle customization, gesture controls, picture-in-picture, and automatic resume.
Trakt vs wako on flexibility, wako wins because the choice of backend is yours. Trakt wins on raw stats history and third-party API breadth.
Where it falls short: The interface tries to do many things and can feel busy compared with Hobi or Moviebase. The built-in player is more relevant to Kodi users than to people watching only on streaming services. The free tier is generous but full feature parity sits behind a paid upgrade.
Pricing:
- Free: tracking with either Trakt or Simkl, Kodi remote, watchlist, history sync
- Paid: paid tier unlocks advanced player and pro features
- vs Trakt: free Trakt-compatible tracking; the upgrade competes with Trakt VIP rather than replacing it
Migrating from Trakt: Sign in with Trakt or Simkl. wako reads your full library from whichever backend you choose and lets you swap later without losing data, since both services hold a synced copy.
Bottom line: Pick wako if you use Kodi or you want to migrate Trakt to Simkl gradually instead of in one cut. Skip it if a minimal tracker is what you want.
6. TV Time, the social side of TV tracking
TV Time is the closest thing to a social network for TV viewers. Episode-level check-ins, in-app emoji reactions tied to specific scenes, a friends timeline that shows what people you follow are watching tonight, and a release calendar that updates from broadcast schedules. The catalogue runs into the hundreds of thousands of titles and notifications fire reliably for premieres, finales, and new seasons.
Trakt vs TV Time on community and conversation, TV Time wins because Trakt is a database with comments stapled on. TV Time wins again on premiere alerts. Trakt wins on automatic scrobbling and stats.
Where it falls short: Movies are tracked but secondary. No automatic scrobbling from Plex, Kodi, or Jellyfin. Recent updates pushed more ads into the free tier and the Premium upgrade is required to remove them. Some niche or older shows have incomplete schedule data.
Pricing:
- Free: full tracking, notifications, social timeline, episode reactions
- Paid: TV Time Premium at roughly $5 per month removes ads and unlocks calendar export
- vs Trakt: comparable monthly price to Trakt VIP, with different priorities
Migrating from Trakt: No native Trakt importer. You can export your Trakt history as CSV and import the watched-shows list manually. A third-party converter can transform Trakt CSV into TV Time’s import format with some effort.
Bottom line: Pick TV Time if the part of Trakt you miss is the people, not the data. Skip it if you need Plex or Kodi scrobbling.
7. Plex Discover, native watchlist for Plex households
If Plex is already running your media library, Plex Discover and the Plex Universal Watchlist cover a surprising amount of what people pay Trakt VIP for. Watched state and personal ratings sync with your Plex account, the Universal Watchlist tracks titles across major streaming services and your personal library together, and Plex’s free ad-supported streaming catalog drops into the same search results. For households that already pay for Plex Pass, the value is essentially free on top.
Trakt vs Plex Discover on watchlist convenience for Plex users, Plex wins because the app is already open. Trakt wins on portability, third-party integrations, and detailed stats.
Where it falls short: Tracking is shallower than Trakt and Simkl, with no automatic scrobble counts or detailed history. It is locked into the Plex ecosystem, so leaving Plex later means rebuilding your watchlist elsewhere. Episode-level tracking sits behind the Plex server rather than being a first-class app feature.
Pricing:
- Free: Plex Discover, Universal Watchlist, free ad-supported streaming
- Paid: Plex Pass (around $5 to $10 per month, or about $120 lifetime) unlocks DVR, hardware transcoding, mobile sync, and intro skipping
- vs Trakt: free for the watchlist features; the costs you compare are Plex Pass against Trakt VIP
Migrating from Trakt: No direct importer. The community runs PlexTraktSync, an open-source Python script that performs two-way sync between a Plex server and a Trakt account, no Plex Pass or Trakt VIP required. Most users run it on a small home server and forget about it.
Bottom line: Pick Plex Discover if you already run a Plex server and the Trakt features you actually use are the watchlist and watched flags. Skip it if you want detailed stats or you do not have a Plex setup.
How to choose
Pick Simkl if you want the closest one-for-one replacement and the price-to-features ratio Trakt offered five years ago.
Pick SeriesGuide if your viewing is mostly TV and “open source, no ads, no investors” is a feature you would pay for. The optional Trakt sync means you keep your history portable.
Pick Moviebase or Hobi if your real complaint is the official Trakt Android app rather than Trakt itself. Both keep the Trakt account as the source of truth; Moviebase is more even between TV and movies, Hobi is the cleaner TV-first front end.
Pick wako if you run Kodi or you want to keep both Trakt and Simkl synced while you decide which to commit to.
Pick TV Time if the social timeline and episode reactions were the reason you tracked anything at all.
Pick Plex Discover if Plex already runs your media library and the watchlist and watched flags cover what you actually use Trakt for.
Stay on Trakt VIP if you have a decade of stats you do not want to lose, you rely on third-party API integrations, or your scrobbling setup happens to be one of the configurations that works smoothly today. None of the alternatives match Trakt’s API ecosystem.
FAQ
What is the best free Trakt alternative?
Simkl is the strongest free pick because the free tier tracks unlimited TV, anime, and movies and includes Plex and Kodi scrobble support, all without the watchlist caps Trakt applies to its own free users. SeriesGuide is the best free pick for TV-only viewers who want an ad-free, open-source app.
Can I import my Trakt history into Simkl?
Yes. Simkl has a direct Trakt import that pulls your watched history, ratings, watchlists, and custom lists through the Trakt API. You can also import a Trakt CSV export manually. A multi-year library typically finishes importing in 10 to 20 minutes.
Is there a Trakt alternative that works with Plex?
Simkl and wako both scrobble from Plex without requiring a paid tier. PlexTraktSync, an open-source Python script, runs on a home server and syncs Plex with Trakt or Simkl on its own. Plex Discover provides a native watchlist for users who already run a Plex server.
Why did Trakt VIP get more expensive?
Trakt raised VIP from $30 to $60 a year in May 2025, then refused to honor existing legacy and promotional pricing. The change took effect with under 30 days’ notice, which forum users flagged as a breach of Trakt’s own terms of service. Coverage in Neowin and AlternativeTo summarizes the timeline.
Does Simkl track anime as well as Trakt?
Yes, and better. Simkl was designed from day one to treat TV, movies, and anime as equal pillars rather than bolting anime onto a TV-first system. The anime catalogue is more complete and the seasonal anime tracking is the feature heaviest anime watchers cite when they switch.
What replaces Trakt for Kodi users?
wako and Simkl both scrobble from Kodi. wako is the closest replacement because it bundles a Kodi remote with auto-sync into the same app and lets you pick Trakt or Simkl as the backend. Many Kodi users keep their Trakt account active, point wako at it, and treat wako as the Android front end.
