7 apps for tracking TV show releases worth installing
Prime Video confirmed this week that The Expanse is coming back in 2027, six years after the show ended on Amazon in 2022. Six years is exactly the kind of gap that eats a show's audience alive. Half the fans have forgotten which season they left off on. The other half will find out about the return three months after it happens, from a screenshot on Reddit. A TV show tracker is built for this: it knows when a show is coming back, what episode you paused on, and which streamer is going to carry it. We compared seven Android apps that do this job in different ways, from social-first calendars to open-source media centers with add-ons for TMDB.
The list mixes the two obvious names (TV Time and Trakt), a couple of Material 3 challengers that have crept up in Play Store rankings this year, a where-to-watch app that doubles as a tracker, and one power-user pick for people who already live inside Kodi.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid tier | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV Time | Social tracking and calendars | Full tracker with ads | Around $2.99/mo | Episode reactions and community threads |
| Trakt | Cross-device history | Manual tracking | Around $2.99/mo VIP | Scrobbles from Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin |
| Simkl Lists | TV plus anime plus movies | Full tracker, light ads | Around $2.49/mo Premium | Tracks anime schedules alongside TV |
| Moviebase | Clean Material 3 UI | Full tracker, no ads | Around $9.99 lifetime | TMDB and Trakt sync in one app |
| JustWatch | Where a show is streaming | Fully free, no ads | Free | Alerts when a title lands on a service you have |
| Reelgood | US streaming coverage | Free with ads | Around $5/mo Premium | Filters by services you subscribe to |
| Kodi | Self-hosted power users | Fully free, open source | Free | TMDB Helper add-on adds a full calendar |
What to look for in a TV show tracker
Not every tracker does all these jobs, and picking the wrong one for your habit is where most people end up bouncing between two apps.
Release date notifications. This is the reason most people install a tracker. You want a push when a new season is announced, when the premiere date locks in, and when each new episode goes live. Every app on this list does some version of it; only a few do all three.
Cross-streamer search. The Expanse spent its first three seasons on Syfy and moved to Prime Video for seasons four through six. When it returns in 2027 it will presumably stay on Prime, but the pattern of shows jumping between services is now normal. A tracker that pulls availability from JustWatch or a similar backend saves you the "who has this again" hunt.
Progress tracking. Season and episode numbers, not just "watched" or "not watched." Bonus points for auto-detecting when you resume a show on Plex, Kodi, or Jellyfin.
Watchlist sharing. If you and a partner keep separate accounts, look for shared lists or at least a public profile URL. TV Time and Trakt both do this; Moviebase and Simkl do it through their sync backends.
Offline caching. Some apps show the release calendar even without a connection, others go blank. If you commute on a subway that drops signal, this matters more than you would guess.
Anime. If your watchlist is even 20% anime, a general tracker will feel a step behind. Simkl and Kodi (via add-ons) handle anime scheduling properly; the others treat it as a category, not a separate release cadence.
1. TV Time, the social tracker most people already have
TV Time by Toze Labs is the app most casual viewers land on. It ties together a personal calendar, episode reactions, and community threads for every show. The Android build has crossed 10 million downloads, and the notification engine covers premiere dates, new episodes, and cast news. Import from Trakt is one screen away, and the calendar view is the cleanest of any tracker we tested.
Where it falls short: the free tier serves banner ads and pushes recommendations that lean toward what is popular rather than what fits your history. The social feed can feel loud if you follow big shows; muting spoilers helps but is not exhaustive.
Pricing: Free with ads. TV Time Pro removes ads and adds a few personalization features from around $2.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
Platforms: Android, iOS, web.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the default pick if you want release notifications plus a social layer, and you do not want to think about setup.
2. Trakt, the tracker your other apps talk to
Trakt is the closest thing the tracker world has to a standard. Its value is not the Android app itself, which is functional but plain, but the fact that Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, Emby, and half a dozen streaming apps can scrobble to it automatically. Watch an episode on your Shield in the living room, and Trakt marks it played on your phone before you open the app. The calendar view lists premieres by day and week, and the notification settings are granular enough to pick per-show behavior.
Where it falls short: the free plan caps how many lists you can create and gates some stats behind Trakt VIP. The Android app has caught up in the last year, but the web experience is still where power users live.
Pricing: Free for basic tracking. VIP starts around $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year and unlocks unlimited lists, advanced filters, and a few UI touches.
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, plus scrobbler plugins for Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, Infuse, and more.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the right pick if you watch across a Plex or Kodi setup and want the phone to just reflect state, not create it.
3. Simkl Lists, best for TV plus anime plus movies in one place
Simkl Lists by Simkl covers the same ground as Trakt but treats anime as a first-class citizen with its own release schedule, seasons, and airing status. That matters if you follow currently airing series where episode counts and cour breaks are irregular. The Android app added a proper calendar view last year and now supports offline caching for lists you have opened recently. Cross-device sync runs through a free Simkl account.
Where it falls short: the interface is denser than TV Time or Moviebase and takes a while to learn. Some settings still send you to the web dashboard.
Pricing: Free with light ads. Simkl Premium starts around $2.49 per month or $22 per year and removes ads, adds automatic history import, and lifts list caps.
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, plus scrobbler plugins for Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, and Emby.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the tracker to pick if a meaningful slice of your watchlist is anime and you refuse to run two apps.
4. Moviebase, the clean Material 3 tracker
Moviebase by tobiapplications is the app to try if you want a Material 3 interface that looks like it belongs on a 2026 Pixel, with none of the social clutter. It pulls its data from TMDB, supports Trakt sync for anyone already invested there, and includes shared watchlists over a private link. Reminder notifications fire on premiere day and on individual episode releases, and the settings screen lets you dial in exactly how noisy you want them.
Where it falls short: no first-party community layer, which is a feature to some and a miss to others. Anime handling is basic compared to Simkl.
Pricing: Free tier with no ads. Moviebase Premium is a one-time purchase around $9.99 that unlocks themes, widgets, and unlimited custom lists.
Platforms: Android only.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the tracker to install if you want a quiet, well-designed app and you plan to sync your data to Trakt anyway.
5. JustWatch, when the release question is really a streaming question
JustWatch is not strictly a tracker, but it earns a slot because most "when is this coming back" questions are really "and where can I watch it" questions. The Android app lets you save a watchlist, filter by the streamers you actually subscribe to, and get a notification when a title lands on one of them. Its release calendar covers upcoming premieres across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+, and every regional service you care about, with the country picker set right in the top bar.
Where it falls short: episode-level tracking is thin. If you want per-episode ticks and season progress, layer JustWatch on top of a real tracker instead of using it alone.
Pricing: Free with no ads.
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, Android TV, Fire TV.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: keep this on your home screen next to whichever tracker you pick. The two answer different questions.
6. Reelgood, the US-focused streaming guide with a proper watchlist
Reelgood covers roughly the same ground as JustWatch but leans heavily into the US streaming market, with tighter integration for the services most Americans actually pay for. The Android app pairs a where-to-watch guide with a genuine watchlist and per-service filters, and the release calendar surfaces new episodes for shows on services you have flagged as yours. If The Expanse's revival lands on Prime Video, Reelgood will treat it as a "your streamer" premiere and push a notification.
Where it falls short: catalogue coverage outside the US is patchy, and some services quietly disappear from filters after licensing shifts. Ads on the free tier are less obtrusive than TV Time's but still there.
Pricing: Free with ads. Reelgood Premium is around $5 per month or $30 per year and removes ads, adds parental controls, and unlocks a few more filters.
Platforms: Android, iOS, web, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick for US viewers who want release alerts filtered down to the streamers already on their bill.
7. Kodi with TMDB Helper, the power-user setup
Kodi by the Kodi Foundation is the media center most enthusiasts already run at home, and with the TMDB Helper add-on installed it turns into a fully featured TV tracker. TMDB Helper builds a personal calendar of upcoming premieres, in-progress shows, and next-episode countdowns, and it can push those to your Android phone through the Kodi remote app or a companion notification service. Trakt sync is optional but well supported, so history collected here also lands in the Trakt account your other apps read from.
Where it falls short: setup is not casual. You install Kodi, add the TMDB Helper repository, pull in the add-on, and grant it TMDB and Trakt credentials. If that sentence made you sigh, this is not your app.
Pricing: Free, GPLv2 for Kodi. TMDB Helper is community-maintained and free.
Platforms: Android, Android TV, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Raspberry Pi, Fire TV.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the option for people who already curate their own library and want the tracker to live where their media lives.
How to choose
Pick TV Time if you want release notifications, a calendar, and a social layer, and you are fine with ads. Pick Trakt if your watching happens across Plex, Kodi, or Jellyfin, and you want everything to sync automatically. Pick Simkl Lists if anime and TV live on the same watchlist for you. Pick Moviebase if you care about a clean interface and hate ads, and are happy to pay once. Pick JustWatch as the companion to any of those when the real question is which streamer has the show. Pick Reelgood if you are in the US and want alerts filtered to the services you already pay for. Pick Kodi with TMDB Helper if you self-host and want tracker, library, and calendar in one place.
For The Expanse specifically, we would set Trakt to follow the show, layer TV Time on top for the community reactions when the premiere drops, and keep JustWatch pinned for the "is it on Prime Video in my country yet" check.
FAQ
What is the best free TV show tracker for Android?
Trakt and Simkl both offer full tracking on their free plans, with no ads on Trakt and light ads on Simkl. TV Time is the most popular free option but shows more ads. Moviebase is free with no ads, ad-free out of the box.
What TV show tracker do most people use?
TV Time by download volume, thanks to a large social layer that pulls new users in. Trakt has the larger power-user share because so many other apps scrobble to it automatically. Both are worth trying.
Can a tracker notify me when a specific show comes back?
Yes. TV Time, Trakt, Simkl, Moviebase, and Reelgood all send a push notification when a show you follow announces a return, locks a premiere date, or drops a new episode. The exact wording and the delay after the official announcement vary; Trakt and Simkl tend to update fastest.
Does any tracker sync with Plex or Jellyfin?
Trakt, Simkl, and Moviebase all sync with Plex, Kodi, and Jellyfin through official or community scrobbler plugins. TV Time does not. If your watching happens on a home media server, this is the single feature that matters most.
Which tracker handles anime release schedules properly?
Simkl is built around this and covers currently airing series with correct episode counts and cour breaks. Kodi with the right anime add-on is a close second for anyone already inside that setup.
Are TV show trackers free of subscription pressure?
Moviebase and Kodi are the only two on this list that do not push a subscription at any point. Kodi is fully open source and free; Moviebase asks a one-time payment for extras but keeps the tracker itself unlocked. Every other app on the list uses a freemium model.
