TV Time closes on July 15, 2026. The developer has confirmed the shutdown and given users a short window to export watchlists before the servers go dark. If you have spent years marking episodes and pinning shows to remember what to watch next, that history is at risk of vanishing on the same date the app does. We tested seven TV Time alternatives on Android that can take over the tracking job, most of them able to import a TV Time backup file directly.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trakt | Data owners with a long history | Yes, capped | Around $3 | Broad integrations with Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and Emby |
| Simkl | Anime and TV in one place | Yes, unlimited tracking | Around $2 | Native anime library with MyAnimeList sync |
| Serializd | Social show diaries | Yes | Free | Letterboxd-style social feed for TV |
| JustWatch | Deciding what to watch tonight | Yes | Free | Live prices and streaming availability by country |
| Sofa | Local watchlist without accounts | Yes | Free with in-app pro | Works fully offline, no login |
| Episode Track | Simple episode countdowns | Yes | Free with pro upgrade | Home screen widgets for next-episode countdowns |
| TV Forecast | Calendar-first tracking | Yes, capped shows | Around $2 | Google Calendar sync for airing schedules |
Why people are leaving TV Time
The shutdown is the headline reason, but there was frustration well before that. TV Time added a subscription paywall around cross-device sync a while back, and reviews grew louder about ads on the free tier and a slower app after several redesigns. The community feed features, once the app’s calling card, thinned out. When the sunset announcement landed, most long-time users were already looking.
Three specific complaints show up over and over in forum threads:
- The subscription costs kept rising while the free tier lost features.
- Marking episodes felt slow after the interface refresh, especially for shows with long back catalogues.
- Community activity dropped off, so the social angle stopped paying back the friction.
If any of that sounds familiar, the seven apps below cover the different reasons people used TV Time in the first place.
Trakt — Best for keeping every episode you have ever watched
Trakt is the closest replacement if you treat your watch history like a permanent record. It scrobbles from Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Kodi, and Infuse, so anything you play on a home server or a smart TV stays in sync without a manual tap. The API is open, third-party clients like Watched and Trakt Buddy fill gaps in the official app, and the export tool gives you a clean JSON of your entire library. Trakt vs TV Time is the swap most users are making because Trakt’s import routine reads TV Time backup files.
Where it falls short: The free plan caps how many shows you can pin as “collected” and the official Android app is functional rather than pretty. Older users complain that the calendar view is the app’s weakest screen.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited history, limits on collections and personal lists
- Paid: VIP tier around $3 per month or a discounted yearly plan
- vs TV Time: cheaper than TV Time Pro was, and the paid tier removes almost every cap
Migrating from TV Time: Trakt’s importer accepts the ZIP file TV Time exports. Episode timestamps carry across, ratings survive, and the show art rebuilds automatically. Most libraries finish in a few minutes.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Trakt if you want your history to survive the next sunset too and you already use a media server.
Simkl — Best for anime watchers switching from TV Time
Simkl covers TV, movies, and anime under one account, which matters if half your watchlist is Crunchyroll and the other half is Netflix. The Android app pushes episode notifications the moment they air by region, and the anime metadata is a step ahead of Trakt for seasonal shows. Simkl for TV Time refugees works because the app has a dedicated TV Time importer that reads exported files without extra tools.
Where it falls short: The interface has a lot of screens and menus, which can feel busy after TV Time’s stripped-back look. Some users report that the recommendation engine leans hard on popularity.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited show tracking, small ad on the sidebar
- Paid: Simkl VIP is around $2 per month, discounted annually
- vs TV Time: broadly cheaper than the TV Time paid tier was
Migrating from TV Time: The Simkl website has a one-click importer that ingests the TV Time backup file. Anime titles remap to their AniDB entries so the metadata comes out consistent.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Simkl if anime is a real part of your watchlist and you want notifications the same evening a new episode drops.
Serializd — Best for the social side of TV Time
Serializd is what people meant when they said TV Time felt like a diary rather than a spreadsheet. You log episodes, write short reviews, follow friends, and see what people you trust are watching this week. The Android app is newer than most on this list and iterates fast, and the community is small enough that the feed stays personal.
Where it falls short: Serializd is still growing, so a lot of niche titles need a manual add. It has no scrobbling from Plex or Jellyfin, so anything you watch outside the app has to be logged by hand.
Pricing:
- Free: everything
- Paid: no paid tier yet, though the team has hinted at optional features later
- vs TV Time: no subscription pressure
Migrating from TV Time: No direct importer at the moment. The recommended path is to export a CSV from Trakt after importing there first, then paste the show list into Serializd’s bulk add tool.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Serializd if you liked TV Time for the friends’ feed and short reviews and can live without server scrobbling.
JustWatch — Best for deciding what to actually watch
JustWatch is not really a habit tracker at all, and that is why it is on this list. It answers the “which service has this show tonight and how much does it cost” question better than every rival, then keeps a lightweight watchlist to bookmark future viewing. It updates streaming availability by country in near real time and shows rental and purchase prices from Amazon, Google, Apple, and the platforms you have set as active.
Where it falls short: The tracking side is thin. Episode-by-episode ticking is minimal and you cannot import a TV Time backup at all.
Pricing:
- Free: everything
- Paid: no paid tier
- vs TV Time: JustWatch is fully free with no ads inside the app
Migrating from TV Time: Not applicable. Use JustWatch alongside a real tracker (Trakt or Simkl).
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick JustWatch as a companion to another tracker on this list, not as your only replacement.
Sofa — Best for local watchlists without accounts
Sofa is a small Android app that keeps your shows, movies, and games in one plain list on the device. No accounts. No cloud sync unless you turn on the optional backup. If you never trusted TV Time’s server side and would rather own your list, Sofa is the calmest option here. The design is deliberately spare and the paid unlock is a one-time in-app purchase rather than a subscription.
Where it falls short: No episode-level tracking. You mark shows as watching, planned, or finished, but not “up to season 3 episode 4.” No syncing between devices without an active backup on your Nextcloud or WebDAV server.
Pricing:
- Free: everything except the in-app tip
- Paid: one-time unlock for a few dollars
- vs TV Time: no subscription at all
Migrating from TV Time: Manual. Sofa has no import wizard, so you rebuild your watchlist from the TV Time export by copying titles across.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Sofa if minimalism matters more than episode tracking and you would rather own your data than sync it.
Episode Track — Best for countdowns and home screen widgets
Episode Track is the app for people who want to see how long until the next episode of their favourite show without opening anything. Its widget stack is the strongest on Android, with a countdown, a next-airing view, and a compact card for the watchlist. The paid unlock adds unlimited shows, dark themes, and a widget calendar view.
Where it falls short: Episode Track focuses on airing schedules, not on rating or reviewing. The social layer is nonexistent.
Pricing:
- Free: track a limited number of shows
- Paid: one-time unlock, a few dollars
- vs TV Time: no monthly subscription and no ads on paid
Migrating from TV Time: No importer. You add shows by search, which is quick because the database uses TMDB.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Episode Track if you use home screen widgets and only want to know what airs next.
TV Forecast — Best for calendar-first schedule tracking
TV Forecast puts every airing episode on a calendar and syncs the calendar to Google Calendar if you turn that on. That single feature is why people who watch a lot of live TV or scripted network shows prefer it. The Android app is fast, offline-friendly, and remembers episodes as you scroll past them on the calendar view.
Where it falls short: No community feed, no notes on episodes, and the UI feels a bit dated compared with Serializd or Trakt.
Pricing:
- Free: track a small number of shows and see the calendar
- Paid: TV Forecast Premium is around $2 per month or a cheaper annual plan
- vs TV Time: cheaper than TV Time Pro was and the Google Calendar sync is unique
Migrating from TV Time: No importer for the backup format. The paid tier includes a bulk search-and-add tool that reads a text list of titles, which speeds the rebuild.
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Pick TV Forecast if you want a real calendar in your pocket rather than a feed of episode cards.
How to choose
Pick Trakt if you want your history to be safe from the next sunset. It is the only app on the list with a large existing user base, a public API, and scrobbling from every media server that matters. The TV Time importer is one click.
Pick Simkl if anime is at least a third of what you watch. Its metadata catches new seasons faster than anything else on Android, and the importer keeps your anime and TV in a single list.
Pick Serializd if the friends’ feed was the reason you loved TV Time. It is the closest social replacement, though you will need to rebuild the network.
Pick Sofa or Episode Track if you want to stop paying for TV tracking and can live without episode-level scrobbling.
Stay on TV Time only if you have not exported your data yet. Do that first, before the July 15 shutdown, then move to whichever of the seven above fits how you actually watch.
FAQ
Where can I download my TV Time data before the shutdown?
Open the TV Time app before July 15, 2026 and go to Settings, then the export option. The app produces a ZIP file with your watchlist, ratings, and episode history in JSON. Save it somewhere you will remember, since Trakt and Simkl both need it for one-click migration.
Is Trakt free or does it need a subscription?
Trakt has a free plan that covers unlimited watch history and rating. VIP is around $3 a month and removes caps on personal lists, adds ad removal on the website, and unlocks advanced statistics. Most switching from TV Time can start on the free tier.
Can Simkl really import my TV Time backup?
Yes. Simkl added a TV Time importer on the website in the run-up to the shutdown. Upload the ZIP that TV Time exports and the site rebuilds your watchlist, including episode positions and ratings. Anime titles are remapped to AniDB IDs so metadata stays consistent.
What is the best free TV Time alternative?
For most people the answer is Simkl on the free tier, because it covers TV, movies, and anime with no show cap. If you also care about scrobbling from Plex or Jellyfin, use Trakt free instead. Sofa is a better fit if you want a fully local app without an account.
Will any of these apps also work on iPhone or on the web?
Trakt, Simkl, Serializd, and JustWatch all have iOS apps and full web dashboards, so they work if you use Android and iOS in the same household. Sofa, Episode Track, and TV Forecast are Android only.
Can I combine JustWatch with a tracker like Trakt?
Yes, and it is a common setup. JustWatch tells you which streaming service carries a show tonight, and Trakt records what you have watched. The two apps do not sync directly, but they cover different jobs cleanly.
