A Polygon piece this week pointed out that Ryan Reynolds’ last great performance is over a decade old, and it is free to stream right now if you can remember which app holds it. That is the wider problem with streaming in 2026. The catalogues are split across Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, Crunchyroll, Tubi, Pluto, and a dozen vertical services. The six apps below tell you where a title actually lives, what to queue next, and whether a subscription is worth keeping for the rest of the month.
What to look for in a streaming guide app
The apps overlap, but each leans in a direction:
- Where can I watch this? JustWatch and Reelgood specialise in cross-platform availability.
- What should I watch next? Trakt, TV Time, and Letterboxd are stronger on personalised recommendations.
- Did anyone like it? IMDb and Letterboxd lead on community ratings and reviews.
- Track my watch history. Trakt is the deepest tracker. TV Time is the most app-native.
- Cancel-and-rotate strategy. JustWatch and Reelgood show every service that carries a title at once, which makes the “subscribe for a month, cancel before the next bill” loop practical.
Things worth checking before installing:
- Region coverage. Streaming licenses are regional. JustWatch and Reelgood handle this by asking for your country.
- Live tracking from Plex or Trakt. Trakt can ingest scrobbles from Plex, Jellyfin, and Kodi. TV Time and Letterboxd do not.
- Privacy. IMDb’s tracker count is high. Letterboxd asks for less. Reelgood and JustWatch sit in the middle.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Cross-service search | Tracking depth | Free plan | Aptoide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JustWatch | Where can I watch this title | Yes (50+ services) | Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
| TV Time | TV episode tracking | Limited | Strong | Yes | Yes |
| Reelgood | Cross-service search and remote | Yes (200+ services) | Watchlist | Yes (Premium) | Yes |
| IMDb | Community ratings and trivia | Yes (links out) | Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
| Letterboxd | Film community and lists | Limited | Films only | Yes (Pro upgrade) | Yes |
| Trakt | Hardcore tracker with scrobble | Limited | The deepest | Yes (VIP upgrade) | No |
The 6 best apps to find what to watch on streaming services
1. JustWatch — best for “where can I watch this”
JustWatch is the first stop for a “we want to watch this tonight” search. The app aggregates rights across more than fifty streaming services per country, so a quick search shows whether the title is on Netflix, Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, or a free service like Tubi or Pluto. Filters let you slice by service, genre, IMDb rating, release year, and age rating.
Where it falls short: Recommendations are basic compared to a tracker. JustWatch shows availability, not curation.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, ad-supported in select regions
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, smart TVs
Bottom line: The default search app. Use it before anything else when you want to watch a specific title.
2. TV Time — best for TV episode tracking
TV Time is the most native phone app for tracking the shows you watch episode by episode. Mark an episode as watched and the next one shows up on the home screen. Spoiler-free season summaries, mood-based recommendations, and a Now Watching feed that surfaces other people watching the same episode at the same time. Anime tracking sits in the same app as Western TV.
Where it falls short: Catalogue gaps for very recent or regional shows. Some recommendation features need an account.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracker, ad supported
- Paid: TV Time VIP for ad removal and extras
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Bottom line: If you watch TV episode by episode, TV Time is the home-screen pick.
3. Reelgood — best for cross-service search and remote launch
Reelgood competes head-on with JustWatch for “what is on right now” search, with two extras. It tracks more services in the US (Reelgood’s main market) and the Android app doubles as a remote that can launch a chosen service directly on a connected smart TV or streamer. The Premium plan adds personalised filters and ad removal.
Where it falls short: Coverage is strongest in the US. The free tier shows ads in the discovery feed.
Pricing:
- Free: Full search, ad supported
- Paid: Reelgood Premium subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, smart TVs
Bottom line: Best US-focused pick. The remote-launch trick saves seconds, which adds up.
4. IMDb — best for community ratings and trivia
IMDb is the rating database most people already trust. The Android app keeps the full title pages with the rating, the trivia, the goofs, the soundtrack list, the cast filmography, plus a watchlist that syncs to the web. The Watch Options panel links out to the services that carry the title, which makes it a working “where to watch” backup as well.
Where it falls short: Heavy ad load and a tracker-rich UI. The watch-tracking features are thin compared with dedicated trackers.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, ad supported
- Paid: None for IMDb itself, IMDb TV ads are part of the experience
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Bottom line: Keep it on the phone for ratings and cast lookups. Use JustWatch or Reelgood for the actual “where” search.
5. Letterboxd — best for film fans
Letterboxd is the film-fan social network. Diary entries, themed lists, friend follows, and a four-star plus half-star rating system that has shaped how a generation talks about movies online. The Android app handles the diary, the watchlist, and friend activity well, and Letterboxd Pro removes ads and unlocks list customisation.
Where it falls short: Films only, no TV. Some statistics features are Pro only.
Pricing:
- Free: Full diary, ratings, watchlist, lists
- Paid: Letterboxd Pro and Patron for advanced features and ad removal
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Bottom line: Letterboxd for movie watchers. TV Time for TV watchers.
6. Trakt — best for hardcore tracking
Trakt is the tracker for people who scrobble. It ingests watch data from Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, Emby, and a dozen other clients, builds the deepest history of any app on this list, and exposes that history through a generous API. The Android app handles search, watchlists, calendar, and progress, and Trakt VIP adds advanced filters, custom lists, and Discord integrations.
Where it falls short: Not on Aptoide. The on-phone experience trails TV Time and Letterboxd in polish.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracker with limits on lists and history depth
- Paid: Trakt VIP yearly
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, Plex plugin
Bottom line: Pick Trakt as the source of truth if you also use Plex or Jellyfin. The scrobble integration is unmatched.
How to pick the right one
- Find a title fast: JustWatch or Reelgood.
- Track TV episode by episode: TV Time.
- Track films with reviews and friend activity: Letterboxd.
- Want a full history that syncs from Plex or Jellyfin: Trakt.
- Want trivia, cast lookups, and ratings: IMDb.
A practical phone setup: JustWatch on the home screen for nightly searches, TV Time or Letterboxd as the watchlist, and Trakt running in the background if you also use Plex.
FAQ
What is the best app to see where a movie or show is streaming?
JustWatch covers more than fifty services per country and is the most reliable for “where can I watch this” search. Reelgood matches it in the US and adds remote launch.
Is JustWatch free?
Yes. JustWatch is free and supported by ads, mostly in the discovery feed.
What is the best app to track what I have watched?
Trakt is the deepest tracker, especially if you scrobble from Plex or Jellyfin. TV Time is the most native for TV. Letterboxd is the standard for films.
Can I sync my watch history across services?
Through Trakt. Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and Emby all scrobble to Trakt, and IMDb watchlists can be imported with a third-party tool. Streaming services do not natively share watch history.
Which app has the best ratings for movies?
IMDb has the largest rating sample. Letterboxd’s ratings are smaller but more useful for film-focused recommendations.
