The current TV window is loud. House of the Dragon just aired its Helaena reveal, Doctor Who is still working through the Clara-era retrospectives, King of the Hill’s reboot is three weeks out, and Frieren’s season 3 wait is a real appointment on the calendar. Four different services, four different drop schedules, and no single service that surfaces “what airs tonight, what to watch, and where.” These are the best Android apps for tv show release tracking in 2026, tested across three testers running different streaming stacks.
We picked eight apps, tracked them for a full month across live and streaming schedules, and cut the ones that broke on either.
What to look for in a TV show release tracking app
Six criteria separated the ones we kept.
- Complete metadata sync. Titles, seasons, episodes, and correct air dates for global markets, not just the US.
- Watched-episode tracking. Not just series-level. Which episode of season 3 was last.
- Push notifications for tonight’s episode. Silent trackers are missing the point.
- Where-to-watch overlay. Knowing an episode aired is one thing. Knowing which service has it is the point.
- Sync across devices. Phone, tablet, sometimes TV. Progress should be portable.
- Backup and export. Watchlists represent years of viewing history. Losing them because the service shut down is common enough to worry about.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Sync | Free plan | Starting price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trakt | The universal tracker with the biggest ecosystem | Full cross-device | Yes, capped | $4.99 VIP |
| Simkl | Simpler UI, anime and TV in one | Full cross-device | Yes | $6.99 Pro |
| TV Time | Social-first tracking | Full cross-device | Fully free with ads | $2.99 ad-free |
| SeriesGuide | Local-first, no vendor lock-in | Trakt-backed sync | Fully free | Optional donation |
| Sofa | Elegant Material You tracking | Local, Trakt-backed | Fully free | Optional donation |
| Moviebase | TV and movies with strong search | Trakt-backed | Fully free | Premium $2.49 |
| Reelgood | Where-to-watch overlay, not just tracking | Cloud sync | Fully free | Premium $4.99 |
| Next Episode | Simple episode countdown | Cloud sync | Fully free | Premium $2.99 |
The apps
1. Trakt — best universal tracker
Trakt is the closest thing TV tracking has to a standard. The API is the source of truth for half the trackers below. Scrobbling from Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, and Kodi is native. Watched-status syncs across every client that talks to Trakt. Notifications, watchlists, and season-level completeness are all covered.
Where it falls short: Free tier caps recommendations and calendar depth behind VIP. The UI on Android has improved but still feels dense compared to purpose-built trackers.
Pricing:
- Free: Watchlist, watched history, calendar (limited)
- Paid: VIP $4.99/mo or $30/year adds unlimited history, recommendations, ad-free
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, integrations with almost every media server.
Bottom line: The right first pick when a Plex or Jellyfin server is already scrobbling. Everything else in this list can talk to Trakt.
2. Simkl — best anime plus TV together
Simkl is Trakt’s closest competitor and it wins on one specific point: anime and Western TV in one integrated app. The calendar shows both. The notifications cover both. The recommendations sit in the same feed. For anyone tracking Frieren season 3 and House of the Dragon at the same time, this is the single-app answer.
Where it falls short: Smaller ecosystem than Trakt. Fewer integrations with media servers.
Pricing:
- Free: Watchlist, watched history, basic calendar
- Paid: Pro $6.99/mo adds notifications, ad-free, backup
Platforms: Android, iOS, web.
Download: Simkl on Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick when the watchlist is half anime, half Western.
3. TV Time — best social-first tracker
TV Time is the tracker with the strongest social layer. Reactions per episode, community threads, and stats about how long a series took the whole audience to finish. If watching is a shared activity in your group chat, TV Time gives you the discussion layer for free.
Where it falls short: The social layer can be noisy. Spoilers happen. Ad-free requires the paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free with ads
- Paid: Ad-free $2.99/mo
Platforms: Android, iOS, web.
Download: TV Time on Google Play
Bottom line: The pick for the social viewer. Skip if you would rather watch alone.
4. SeriesGuide — best local-first, open ecosystem
SeriesGuide is the veteran Android-first tracker. Local database, Trakt-backed sync as an option, and no vendor lock-in. Widgets on the home screen actually work, and the “notifications for tonight” pipeline is the most reliable of any app in this list. The developer has kept the project going for over a decade.
Where it falls short: UI is functional, not beautiful. No native iOS app.
Pricing: Fully free. Optional in-app subscription supports development.
Platforms: Android only. Cross-device via Trakt.
Download: SeriesGuide on Google Play
Bottom line: The Android specialist. Pick when the whole watching stack lives on Android.
5. Sofa — best Material You aesthetic
Sofa is the newer, well-crafted Material You TV and movie tracker. The UI is calm, gestures are considered, and Trakt sync arrives without any of the friction Trakt’s own app has. If a tracker’s job includes not adding stress to the process of picking what to watch, Sofa gets that.
Where it falls short: Newer project. Fewer integrations with media servers.
Pricing: Fully free. Optional donation.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Sofa on Google Play
Bottom line: Pick when SeriesGuide’s UI does not feel modern enough.
6. Moviebase — best hybrid TV and movie search
Moviebase treats movies and TV as equal citizens. TMDB integration is deep, the search finds titles other trackers miss, and the “coming soon” section covers cinema and TV releases in one calendar. If your watching pattern is a mix of new episodes and new film releases, this is closer to the point.
Where it falls short: Smaller community than TV Time. Fewer social features.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracking, ad-supported
- Paid: Premium $2.49/mo removes ads and adds cross-device sync
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Download: Moviebase on Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick if the watchlist is 50/50 TV and film.
7. Reelgood — best where-to-watch overlay
Reelgood is a different shape of app. Instead of tracking what you have watched, Reelgood answers where a given show is available across the services you actually subscribe to. Add your services, and Reelgood filters the watchlist to only titles you can watch tonight. The calendar of upcoming releases is competitive with Trakt.
Where it falls short: Coverage is US-first. UK and international users see gaps.
Pricing:
- Free: Full tracking, ad-supported
- Paid: Premium $4.99/mo removes ads
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, Fire TV.
Download: Reelgood on Google Play
Bottom line: Pick when the pain point is “which service has this” and not “what did I watch last week.”
8. Next Episode — best minimalist countdown
Next Episode is the countdown app for the case where the goal is one specific answer: when does the next episode of the thing I care about drop. No community, no recommendations, no bloat. Add shows, get pushed notifications.
Where it falls short: Not a full tracker. Watchlist is thin.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic countdowns
- Paid: Premium $2.99/mo adds unlimited follow list and richer notifications
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Download: Next Episode on Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick when the whole ask is “tell me when tonight’s episode drops.”
How to pick the right one
- If a media server is running: Trakt. It scrobbles and everything else can read Trakt.
- If half the watchlist is anime: Simkl.
- If the goal is discussion: TV Time.
- If Android-first with widgets and reliable notifications matter more than looks: SeriesGuide.
- If the UI matters and Trakt sync is nice-to-have: Sofa.
- If movies and TV blend in the same watchlist: Moviebase.
- If the pain point is “where can I watch this”: Reelgood.
- If you want one show’s countdown and nothing else: Next Episode.
FAQ
Is Trakt free enough for most users? Yes, for basic watchlist and history. VIP unlocks recommendations, unlimited history, and backups. Most users stay on the free tier.
Can I import my Trakt history into Simkl? Yes. Simkl has a Trakt importer that pulls history in one pass. The reverse also works.
Which app handles anime best? Simkl. TV Time handles anime but treats it as generic TV. SeriesGuide covers anime through TMDB but without the seasonal chart depth.
Do these apps work with Jellyfin or Plex? Trakt scrobbling is native in both. Simkl has a Jellyfin plugin. SeriesGuide reads Trakt-backed data. The rest either sync via Trakt or run standalone.
Which one does not need an account? SeriesGuide can run fully offline. Sofa also works local-first. Trakt, Simkl, TV Time, and Reelgood all require accounts.
