The Best Cross-Media Tracker in 2026

The honest test: which apps track 3 or more media types (movies, TV, anime) in a single library, free, without ads? Most trackers fail it. Refract is the only genuinely cross-media tracker that meets all three criteria today — with books and games on the public roadmap. It is free forever, has zero ads, and imports your history from every major tracker.

How we define "cross-media"

"Cross-media tracker" gets used loosely. Our definition has three requirements:

• 3+ media types in one app: movies, TV shows, and anime all tracked from a single library — not three separate apps or a bolt-on afterthought.
• Free: the core tracking features are available without paying.
• Ad-free: you should not see advertisements while logging what you watch.

Most trackers fail this test. Letterboxd and Serializd are single-media specialists. Trakt covers movies and TV but treats anime as generic TV content. TV Time focuses on Western TV. Only a handful of apps come close — and fewer still are actually free and ad-free.

The 8 best cross-media trackers in 2026

1. Refract — Best overall cross-media tracker

Best for: anyone who watches movies, TV, and anime and wants one free, ad-free home for all of it.

Refract was built from day one as a unified tracker. Movies, TV shows, and anime live in the same library with proper metadata, episode-level tracking, a diary, ratings, and detailed stats. It is free forever with no ads and no paywall. Cross-device sync works across iOS and Android. Imports from Letterboxd, TV Time, IMDb, and Trakt mean you can arrive with your full history intact. Books and games are on the public roadmap.

Strength: the only truly free, ad-free, cross-media tracker with full first-class support for movies, TV, and anime.
Honest limitation: smaller community and social layer than Letterboxd or TV Time; books and games are not live yet.

2. Simkl — Best for anime + scrobbling

Best for: anime fans who want cross-media tracking and scrobbling automation.

Simkl covers movies, TV, and anime with a strong anime database. It supports scrobbling from Kodi, Plex, and other players. The free tier is ad-supported; paid tiers remove ads.

Strength: broad cross-media coverage and strong anime metadata, with automation options for power users.
Honest limitation: free tier shows ads; the interface is more utilitarian than modern alternatives.

3. Sofa — Widest media coverage (Apple-only)

Best for: Apple users who want to track every media type — including books, games, podcasts, and music.

Sofa has the widest media coverage of any tracker: TV, movies, books, games, podcasts, and music in one app. It is polished and Apple-native. However, it is iOS and macOS only, and progress tracking is locked behind the Super Sofa subscription ($3.99/month or yearly).

Strength: unmatched breadth — the only app that covers books and games alongside TV and movies today.
Honest limitation: Apple-only (no Android); progress tracking requires a paid subscription.

4. Trakt — Best scrobbling ecosystem

Best for: power users who want deep scrobbling integrations with Plex, Kodi, Emby, and other players.

Trakt has the richest scrobbling ecosystem of any tracker. It covers movies and TV well, with a large plugin library. Free tier includes ads and some limits. Trakt VIP is $60/year (doubled from $30 in 2025). Anime is indexed but treated as generic TV — dedicated anime metadata is not a strength.

Strength: best-in-class scrobbling; the most mature API for developers and power users.
Honest limitation: movies and TV only (anime as generic TV); VIP price jumped substantially in 2025.

5. TV Time — Best for social TV discovery

Best for: casual TV fans who want a social experience and community discussion around their shows.

TV Time has a large, active community and a well-designed episode check-in flow. It covers movies and TV with strong social features. The free tier is ad-supported. There is no dedicated anime tracking and no native data export.

Strength: the largest social community of any tracker; good notifications for new episodes.
Honest limitation: ad-supported; no anime; no native export; limited cross-media scope.

6. Moviebase — Best for Android-first movie and TV tracking

Best for: Android users who want a generous free tier for movies and TV.

Moviebase is Android-only and covers movies and TV with a generous free tier. The free version includes ads; a paid tier removes them. It has strong two-way Trakt sync, making it a good companion to the Trakt ecosystem.

Strength: generous free feature set; excellent Trakt integration; well-designed Android UI.
Honest limitation: Android only (no iOS); no anime; free tier is ad-supported.

7. Letterboxd — Gold standard for films (single-media)

Best for: film fans who want the best movie-logging community on the planet.

Letterboxd remains the undisputed gold standard for film logging — the richest film community, the best poster-grid diary, and culture-defining lists. It is movies-only as of 2026; TV support is a stated future plan. The free tier shows ads; Pro is $19/year and Patron is $49/year.

Strength: the best film community and movie-logging experience available.
Honest limitation: movies only — no TV, no anime; stats paywalled on free tier.

8. Cinephile — Best for privacy-first iOS tracking

Best for: iOS users who want a clean, private, offline-capable movie and TV tracker with no social layer.

Cinephile is iOS-only, covers movies and TV, and is built around privacy-first principles. There is no social layer and no account required. The free tier is fully functional; a Premium lifetime purchase ($59.99) unlocks additional features.

Strength: excellent privacy posture; works offline; no account required.
Honest limitation: iOS only; no anime; no social; no Android.

Comparison table

App	Media types tracked	Anime proper metadata	Books / Games	Free	No ads	Platforms	Cross-device
Refract	Movies, TV, Anime	✓	Roadmap	✓ Free forever	✓ Zero ads	iOS, Android	✓
Simkl	Movies, TV, Anime	✓	—	Free w/ ads	Ads on free	iOS, Android, Web	✓
Sofa	TV, Movies, Books, Games, Podcasts, Music	Basic	Paywalled progress	Free (limited)	✓	iOS, macOS only	✓ Apple only
Trakt	Movies, TV	Generic TV	—	Free w/ ads + limits	Ads on free	iOS, Android, Web	✓
TV Time	Movies, TV	—	—	Free w/ ads	Ad-supported	iOS, Android	✓
Moviebase	Movies, TV	—	—	Free w/ ads	Ads on free	Android only	✓
Letterboxd	Movies only	—	—	Free w/ ads	Ads on free	iOS, Android, Web	✓
Cinephile	Movies, TV	—	—	Free (limited)	✓	iOS only	—

Honorable mentions

IMDb and JustWatch are excellent reference and discovery tools but are not personal trackers — they do not build a personal watch history or diary. Serializd is a well-regarded TV-only tracker and Backloggd is the go-to for games; both are single-media specialists worth using if you only need coverage in one area.

What is a cross-media tracker?

A cross-media tracker is an app that lets you log and manage your watching history across multiple types of media — movies, TV shows, anime, and ideally books and games — in a single unified library. Most trackers focus on one type; a true cross-media tracker handles three or more in one place so you do not need a different app for each medium.

What's the best free cross-media tracker in 2026?

Refract is the best free cross-media tracker in 2026. It tracks movies, TV shows, and anime in a single library, has zero ads, no subscription tier, and is free forever. It also imports your existing history from Letterboxd, TV Time, IMDb, and Trakt so you can switch without losing your data.

Which app tracks movies, TV, and anime together?

Refract, Simkl, and Sofa all track movies, TV, and anime together. Refract is the only one that is completely free with no ads on any tier. Simkl is free but shows ads on the free plan. Sofa is Apple-only and requires a paid subscription to unlock progress tracking.

Can any app track books and games too?

Sofa comes closest today: it covers TV, movies, books, games, podcasts, and music — but it is Apple-only and progress tracking for all media types requires the Super Sofa subscription ($3.99/month). Refract has books and games on its public roadmap. For the most dedicated experience, StoryGraph or Goodreads handle books, and Backloggd handles games.

Is Refract really free with no ads?

Yes. Refract is free forever with no ads and no subscription. Every feature — tracking, diary, stats, social, imports, recommendations — is available to every user at no cost. There is no premium upgrade and no ad tier. If Refract ever adds paid features, the core tracker will remain free.