The Softonic piece this week noted that the Avengers: Doomsday trailer became the most-watched trailer in film history, second only to one other Marvel release. Trailers are how modern audiences decide what to see. The apps that catalogue them, notify you when they drop, and let you save a list are the apps that make you a smarter audience. These are the eight Android apps we install on a phone to keep on top of new trailers without opening YouTube 40 times a day.
What to look for in a movie trailer tracking app
- Coverage. How many trailers land in the app the day they drop? IMDb and TMDB win here.
- Notification quality. Push notifications for the specific films or franchises you follow, not “someone released something today.”
- Watchlist integration. A saved title should surface its next trailer automatically.
- Playback quality. In-app 1080p at minimum. Anything that ships you to YouTube counts against.
- Region coverage. Regional trailers, dubs, and localised campaigns matter outside the US and UK.
- No ad drown. Some free apps drown the play surface. Pick apps that keep the interstitial ads civilised.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Trailer drops | Notifications | Free plan | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMDb | Widest catalogue | Same day | Yes | Free with ads | 4.4 |
| Letterboxd | Cinephile watchlist and reviews | Same day | Yes | Free | 4.7 |
| Trakt | Cross-media library | Same day | Yes (Pro) | Free tier | 4.4 |
| TMDB | Data-first crowdsourced trailers | Same day | No | Free | 4.5 |
| YouTube | Every official trailer channel | Same day | Yes (per channel) | Free with ads | 4.3 |
| Just Watch | Streaming discovery + trailers | 1 to 2 days | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | Trailers plus consensus | Same day | Yes | Free with ads | 4.5 |
| TVDB | Community catalogue for TV | Same day | Yes | Free with ads | 4.3 |
The 8 best movie trailer tracking apps
1. IMDb, best for the widest catalogue
IMDb is the app most casual moviegoers already have. New trailers hit the front page within hours of release, notification settings can be scoped to a franchise or a star, and the watchlist ties the trailer feed to titles you actually plan to see. IMDb Trailer channel embeds run in the app without kicking to a browser.
Where it falls short: Ads are aggressive. UI treats trailers as sidebar content, not headline.
Pricing:
- Free: full features, ad-supported
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: IMDb on Google Play · IMDb on Aptoide
Bottom line: The everyday pick. Loud on ads, but the catalogue is unmatched.
2. Letterboxd, best for cinephile watchlist and reviews
Letterboxd is where film fans build lists. The 2026 app updates finally surfaced trailers on film pages, and the “coming soon” feed became a proper feature. Watchlist drives the notifications: mark a film as watchable and the app pings when its next trailer or teaser drops.
Where it falls short: Best for people who already track films actively. Casual users get less of the app’s value.
Pricing:
- Free: full features
- Paid: Pro at $19/year, Patron at $49/year
Platforms: Android.
Download: Letterboxd on Google Play
Bottom line: The best pick for anyone who already logs films after watching.
3. Trakt, best for cross-media library
Trakt is the “scrobbler for TV and film” that also tracks trailers for anything on your watchlist. Point it at your Netflix, Prime, Disney+, and Apple TV history and it fills in the tastes; new trailers hit the notifications when related titles surface. Pro tier unlocks push.
Where it falls short: Free tier limits history and features. Pro at $30 per year adds up if you already pay for Letterboxd.
Pricing:
- Free: full logging, limited push
- Paid: VIP at $30 per year
Platforms: Android.
Download: Trakt on Google Play · Trakt on Aptoide
Bottom line: The pick for people who watch equal amounts of TV and film.
4. TMDB, best for data-first crowdsourced trailers
TMDB (The Movie Database) is the community-run database Trakt, Radarr, and half the apps here pull from. The official Android app has a stripped-back UI, but every film page carries the community’s uploaded trailers, including regional and language variants.
Where it falls short: No notifications. Pull, not push.
Pricing:
- Free: full features
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: TMDB on Google Play
Bottom line: The reference database. Faster than IMDb at surfacing regional trailers.
5. YouTube, best for every official trailer channel
YouTube is where trailers live natively. Subscribe to the studio channels: Marvel Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures, A24, Focus Features, Neon, Netflix Film Club. Turn on the bell for each and the notifications land the second an official trailer drops. The trick is aggressive channel subscribing.
Where it falls short: No editorial layer. You get everything the studios upload, teasers and TV spots included.
Pricing:
- Free: full features with ads
- Paid: YouTube Premium from $13.99/month removes ads
Platforms: Android.
Download: YouTube on Google Play
Bottom line: The most raw feed. Pair with IMDb for the editorial context.
6. Just Watch, best for streaming discovery + trailers
Just Watch answers the “where can I stream this?” question and now embeds trailers on every title page. The 2026 app added notifications for titles that drop on services you already pay for, which is how you find out The Odyssey landed on the streamer you have without noticing.
Where it falls short: Trailer coverage is slightly behind IMDb and TMDB on the day of release.
Pricing:
- Free: full features
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: Just Watch on Google Play
Bottom line: The best pick for people who care as much about where to watch as when to watch.
7. Rotten Tomatoes, best for trailers plus consensus
Rotten Tomatoes carries the trailer plus the critic score you’ll want to check five minutes after watching. The app’s “trailers this week” feed is well curated for people who don’t want to subscribe to eight studio channels on YouTube.
Where it falls short: Aggressive interstitial ads. Notifications are broad.
Pricing:
- Free: full features with ads
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: Rotten Tomatoes on Google Play
Bottom line: The pick when you want the trailer and the tomatometer in one tap.
8. TVDB, best for community catalogue for TV
TVDB is the TV-first sibling to TMDB. If your trailer-tracking priority is HBO and Netflix limited series, TVDB has richer episode and season metadata, and the trailer coverage on TV is stronger than IMDb’s. Community-driven, occasionally slower to update on first-day drops.
Where it falls short: Weaker for film-only interests. Community edits mean occasional data errors.
Pricing:
- Free: full features, ad-supported
- Paid: subscriber tier removes ads
Platforms: Android.
Download: TVDB on Google Play
Bottom line: The pick when TV trailers matter more than film ones.
How to pick the right one
- If you want one app and don’t want to think: IMDb.
- If you already log films: Letterboxd.
- If you watch a lot of TV too: Trakt.
- If you care where to stream what you’re excited about: Just Watch.
- If you want the raw firehose: subscribe to studio YouTube channels.
- If you want the consensus score alongside: Rotten Tomatoes.
FAQ
Which app notifies me the fastest when a trailer drops? YouTube, if you subscribe to the studio channels with the bell on. IMDb is close behind.
Can I save a trailer to watch later? YouTube’s Watch Later, Letterboxd’s watchlist, and IMDb’s watchlist all handle this. Trakt exposes a similar list under “Coming”.
Do these apps show international trailers? TMDB and YouTube are best for regional variants. IMDb shows the primary trailer for the market you’re logged in from.
Which apps are free with no ads? Letterboxd, Trakt, TMDB, and Just Watch. IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and YouTube are free with ads.
Does Chromecast work for the trailers in these apps? YouTube casts natively. IMDb and Just Watch cast via the Chromecast overflow menu. Letterboxd links out to the trailer’s platform, then casts.
