As streaming services continue to divvy up content in new ways, it remains a challenge to keep track of all of the shows and movies you want to watch. Being able to keep track of when shows are released and on what platforms they are available is more of a necessity than ever. After a handful of years trying out dozens of apps for media tracking, I’ve settled on a few that I like and that I think work well. You could use Apple’s Reminder app or Notes, but there are apps made specifically for tracking media that do a really good job. Most of the best ones will automatically pull in all of the data that you need about TV shows you watch to make sure you never miss an episode.
Here are a few apps worth checking out to help you manage watchlists across various services like Netflix, Max, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, Peacock, Paramount+, and more. You can download all of the apps for free, but nearly all of them offer extra features via in-app purchases, so make sure that you find the one that meets your media tracking and budgetary needs.
No matter what app you end up selecting, you’ll probably want to sign up for Trakt. This is a backend service for syncing and managing media tracking. Chances are you can back up and save your progress across multiple apps by logging into Trackt.
The Streamable’s Recommendations:
Sequel
My go-to media tracking app is Sequel. It has the best mix of organization and content discovery. The app’s polished design makes it easy to navigate and use quickly. I like how it organizes items from current releases to future premieres.
Not only will the app keep track of episodes you’ve watched and want to watch, but it will also help you discover new shows. The app automatically features cast and crew info, trailers, and show details. If you tap on an actor’s name, it will show past and future projects they’re a part of. Within the search area, Sequel will populate upcoming and trending content once you’ve finished your queue.
When you open a new show’s profile, the app will display which services it’s available on — powered by Just Watch. You can preemptively select only the services you have access to so that you know that you’ll be able to watch everything that Sequel suggests.
The app allows you to set up release reminders, and beyond shows and movies, the app can handle books, audiobooks, and video games, so you don’t have to use multiple apps for different types of media. Sequel is available for iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, and Mac. If you want to sync data via Trakt, that’s available as well.
Hobi
Hobi is a slick-looking app that handles all of the basics of tracking and discovery. In fact, its Discover section is full of useful recommendations like Trending Now, Returning This Week, new shows airing this month, and selections across different genres. I found several new shows just as they were about to debut because of Hobi’s discovery features.
The series tracking feature is fairly robust and will even show screenshots and descriptions for each episode, although it does require multiple taps to get there. I wish I could tell it which services I used, but mostly I wish it supported tracking movies.
Hobi is probably a good choice for more casual viewers who don’t need too many advanced features like custom lists or collections. Also, since this app is solely focused on TV viewing, if you want something that will allow you to organize other types of media, this likely isn’t your best bet. Hobi is available for iPhone and Android.
Sofa
Sofa might be one of the ultimate media managing apps, but it will take some work to make it work specifically for your purposes. The self-proclaimed “downtime organizer” can be your way of keeping track of TV shows you want to watch, but you can throw any type of content at it. It can also handle more advanced tasks like a personal rating system and importing data via Apple’s Shortcuts.
The app is available on most Apple platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. You can create unlimited lists, view the logbook, and create custom categories for free. If you want to dig in more, you can get stats, automation features, and more via in-app purchases. There’s even a one-time purchase available for people adverse to reoccurring payments.
Television Time
Television Time, as its name suggests, focuses on tracking series, rather than movies or other media types. You can follow shows and then get an up-to-date watchlist of available episodes. The app allows for some customization for whether show graphics are displayed as vertical posters or horizontal strips. Television Time will also prominently display how many days are left until new episodes are released.
This was one of the first apps in the category that I used for quite a while before exploring other options because it handles all of the basics of tracking really well. For example, you can tap on the last episode of a season and it will ask if you want to mark all of the previous episodes watched as well. Its Discover section is well-populated and continuously up to date, as well as divided into sub-sections for easy browsability.
I ended up wanting a little more than the app offered, but it still features episode descriptions, where to watch info, trailer link, and cast info. It’s pretty well-featured without paying for any subscription, but it’s made by an indie developer who charges $9.99 per year — less than $0.99 per month.
The Others
These are by no means all of the apps in this category; in fact, there are tons of them worth checking out.