The Best Trakt Alternative in 2026
If you're looking for a Trakt alternative after the 2025 VIP price hike, Refract is the cleanest option: free forever with no ads, no subscription, and no tiers — tracks movies, TV shows, and anime in one unified library with dedicated anime metadata and a built-in Trakt importer. If you want straightforward cross-media tracking without the infrastructure overhead, Refract is worth the switch.
Why people look for a Trakt alternative
Trakt has been the backbone of power-user media tracking for years. But a series of changes in 2025 pushed many long-time users to evaluate alternatives:
- VIP price doubled: In February 2025, Trakt raised its VIP subscription from $30/year to $60/year — a 100% price increase.
- Grandfathered pricing ended: Long-time subscribers on legacy VIP rates were migrated to the new $60/year pricing in 2025, ending a loyalty benefit many had relied on for years.
- Free-tier limits tightened: Trakt tightened free-tier feature limits in 2025, pushing more users toward a paid upgrade.
- Ads on the free tier: The free experience is ad-supported; ad removal and automatic streaming scrobbling are VIP-gated features.
- Anime treated as generic TV: Trakt has no dedicated anime metadata pipeline. Anime series are catalogued as generic TV, leading to incomplete episode counts and missing OVA/movie coverage.
- Mixed reception for the V3 redesign: The 2025 V3 interface overhaul drew polarised reactions from the long-time user base.
- No books or games: Tracking stops at movies and TV; no roadmap for broader media types.
What Trakt still does best
Trakt's automatic scrobbling is genuinely best-in-class. Its integrations with Plex, Kodi, Emby, Jellyfin, and dozens of other media servers mean your watch history updates without you touching the app. Its open API powers an ecosystem of third-party clients, tools, and automation scripts that nothing else matches. If you run a home media server and want it to manage your watch history automatically, Trakt is still the right tool — Refract does not do automatic scrobbling.
Why Refract is the strongest simple alternative
Refract is built for a different use case: clean, personal, cross-media tracking without the infrastructure. Free forever, no ads, no subscription — every feature available to every user from day one.
- Free forever, no subscription: no VIP tier, no $60/year, no price hikes.
- Zero ads: no ad interruptions on the free tier or any tier.
- Cross-media in one library: movies, TV shows, and anime together; books and games on the roadmap.
- Dedicated anime metadata: powered by a cross-database engine (TMDB + AniList + MAL) for correct seasons, episode counts, OVAs, and movies.
- Episode-level diary: log individual episodes with real watch dates and per-episode ratings.
- Free stats with no paywall: detailed all-time and yearly stats — watch time, genre breakdowns, streaks, ratings distribution — free for every user.
- Cross-device sync: your full library, progress, ratings, and diary sync instantly across iOS and Android.
- Trakt import: bring your full watch history over via a Trakt ZIP backup import.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Refract | Trakt |
|---|---|---|
| Movies | ✓ Full tracking | ✓ Full tracking |
| TV shows | ✓ Full tracking | ✓ Full tracking |
| Anime (dedicated metadata) | ✓ TMDB + AniList + MAL | Partial — generic TV metadata |
| Books & games | Coming soon | — |
| Free forever | ✓ No subscription | Free tier (ads + limits) |
| No ads | ✓ Zero ads | Ads on free; VIP $60/yr |
| Automatic scrobbling | — Manual tracking | ✓ Best-in-class (Plex, Kodi, Emby) |
| Episode-level diary & ratings | ✓ Per-episode with dates | ✓ |
| Free stats | ✓ All stats free | Basic free; advanced VIP-gated |
| Import from Trakt | ✓ Built-in importer (ZIP backup) | Export only |
| Open API & integrations | — | ✓ Best-in-class ecosystem |
| Cross-device sync | ✓ iOS & Android | ✓ iOS & Android |
How to switch from Trakt to Refract
Your watch history comes with you. The import takes a few minutes.
- Export your data from Trakt — Go to trakt.tv → Settings → Data → Export your data. You'll receive a ZIP with your ratings, watch history, and watchlist.
- Download Refract — Available on iOS and Android (links below).
- Open the Import screen — In Refract, go to Settings → Import → Trakt.
- Upload your export file — Refract processes it in the background and notifies you when the import is complete.
- Review your library — Your shows, movies, ratings, and watch history will be there.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my Trakt data into Refract?
Yes. Refract has a built-in Trakt importer. Export your Trakt ZIP backup, then use the Import screen in Refract to bring over your ratings, watch dates, and watchlist. The import runs in the background and notifies you when complete. Refract also imports from Letterboxd, TV Time, and IMDb.
Is Refract really free? Is there a VIP tier?
Completely free, no tiers. Refract has no subscription, no VIP upgrade, and no ads. Every feature — tracking, diary, stats, social, recommendations — is available to every user at no cost, forever.
Does Refract have ads like Trakt's free tier?
No. Refract has zero ads. Trakt's free tier is ad-supported; upgrading to Trakt VIP ($60/year as of 2025) removes ads and unlocks additional features. Refract is ad-free for everyone, forever.
Does Refract track anime better than Trakt?
Yes. Refract uses a cross-database matching engine (TMDB + AniList + MAL) to give anime the metadata it deserves — correct seasons, episode counts, OVAs, and movies. Trakt treats anime as generic TV, so metadata and episode counts are often incomplete for anime series.
Does Refract do automatic scrobbling like Trakt?
No. Refract is a manual tracker — you log what you watch through the app. Trakt's automatic scrobbling with Plex, Kodi, Emby, and other media servers remains best-in-class and is the main reason power users stay on Trakt. If automatic scrobbling from a home media server is your primary need, Trakt is the stronger tool for that workflow.
Is Refract a replacement for Trakt?
For free cross-media tracking — movies, TV, and anime in one library with no ads and no subscription — Refract is a strong replacement. For automatic scrobbling from Plex, Kodi, or Emby and deep media-server integration, Trakt remains the power-user choice. Refract is built for people who want a clean, free, all-in-one tracker without the infrastructure complexity.
Other Trakt alternatives worth considering
Refract isn't the only option. Here's an honest look at the most commonly recommended alternatives:
- Simkl — Often cited as the most natural Trakt migration target: broad media support (TV, movies, anime), a generous free tier, and good scrobbling via browser extensions. Worth comparing if you need cross-media and some automation.
- Letterboxd — The gold standard for film logging and social discovery. Movies-only as of 2026, so not a full Trakt replacement, but excellent if you also want a film-community layer.
- Serializd — A clean, community-focused TV tracker with a strong social layer. TV-only; no movies or anime.
Try Refract — free, no ads, forever
Import your Trakt history in minutes. Track movies, TV, and anime in one place.