Refract vs Trakt: Free, No-Ads Tracking with Proper Anime Support

Refract is a strong Trakt alternative if you want completely free tracking with no ads, proper anime support, and no pressure to upgrade. Trakt excels at automatic scrobbling and media-server integrations — but its free tier now shows ads and caps watchlist items, while VIP doubled to $60/year in 2025. If those trade-offs don't work for you, Refract covers movies, TV, and anime with no cost and no ads, ever.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Refract	Trakt
Movies	✓ Full tracking	✓ Full tracking
TV Shows	✓ Full tracking	✓ Full tracking
Anime (proper metadata)	✓ Dedicated anime support	Partial — generic TV metadata, no filler lists
Books	Coming soon	—
Games	Coming soon	—
Free forever	✓ No caps, no limits	Free with limits (250 watchlist items)
No ads	✓ Zero ads	Ad-supported on free tier (✓ VIP only)
Automatic scrobbling	✗ Manual tracking only	✓ Best-in-class (most services)
Media-server integration	—	✓ Plex, Kodi, Emby
Import history	✓ TV Time, Letterboxd, IMDb, Trakt	Limited
Cross-device sync	✓ iOS & Android	✓ iOS, Android & Web
Price	Free forever	Free (limited) / VIP $60/year

Where Trakt is better

Trakt's automatic scrobbling is genuinely best-in-class — it can detect what you're watching through Plex, Kodi, Emby, and dozens of other integrations and mark it as watched without any manual input. If you run a media server or want set-it-and-forget-it tracking, Trakt's scrobbling ecosystem is unmatched. Refract does not offer automatic scrobbling; all tracking is manual.

What changed with Trakt in 2025–2026

Trakt VIP doubled in price from $30 to $60/year in 2025. The free tier, which once allowed 250 watchlist items (raised from 100 in February 2026), still shows ads and gates advanced stats, exports (CSV/iCal/RSS), and scrobbling for most services. The V3 redesign also received significant community backlash. If you were on Trakt primarily for free tracking and are now reconsidering, Refract is worth a look.

Can I import my Trakt history into Refract?

Yes. Refract includes a built-in Trakt importer. Export your backup from Trakt and use the Import screen in Refract to bring over your watch history. The import runs in the background and shows progress as it goes.

Is Refract really free with no ads?

Completely free, no catch. Refract has no subscription tier, no premium upgrade, and no ads — ever. Every feature including tracking, diary, stats, and recommendations is available to every user at no cost.