With so many movies and TV shows releasing all the time on so many different streaming services, it's difficult to keep track of what you've watched and what you still want to see. Thankfully, these apps can help.

Sure, there are already some popular options like Letterboxd, the social network for film lovers. But different people have different needs. For some, it's simply knowing when the next episode of a series airs. Others might want to track not just movies and TV shows, but also anime, podcasts, games, and more. Don't worry, there's an app out there for everyone.

1. Simkl (Web, Android, iOS): Track Movies, TV Shows, and Anime Together

Simkl is a single app to track movies, TV shows, and anime that you want to watch, and automatically log what you've seen

As an all-in-one solution for tracking watchlists with the widest free options, Simkl scores high. Not only is its movie and TV series database top-notch, but it also features a fantastic and up-to-date anime database for those who like to watch anime online for free.

The initial experience of importing existing watchlists into your new Simkl account stood out for its ease of use. The Simkl extension can grab what you've already watched on services like Netflix or Crunchyroll, connect other database libraries like Trakt, or import CSV files from your watchlists on IMDb, Criticker, Letterboxd, and other such apps. After that initial setup, you'll be ready to start filling and sorting your various lists.

Your main dashboard shows what you've recently watched, shows that have released new episodes but you haven't seen them yet, and a list of what you plan to watch. You can check the calendar to see when the next episodes are dropping. And you can quickly choose between the TV, Movies, or Anime tab to filter the list.

Simkl also doubles up as a recommendation engine for shows and movies. Since a lot of people use the service, it displays automated lists of things like the most watched movies recently on Simkl, or the top-reviewed TV series recently.

Download: Simkl Lists for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Rate.House (Web): Rate Movies, TV Shows, Music, Books, Games, Podcasts

Rate.House wants you to log and rate all the media you consume, including movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, and books

Rate.House goes beyond simply listing things that you watch and wants to help you know all the modern media you've consumed. It's a single large database to rate and track movies, TV shows, music, literature, games, and podcasts.

As the name suggests, the app focuses on asking you not just to add the items but also to rate them. It's a simple five-star rating system, with the option to add half or quarter stars. There is a separate rating for episodes and shows, and similarly for episodes and podcasts. Each media item has its own comments section for users to discuss their thoughts. Rate.House doesn't have a rich-media interface like Simkl, but includes all the information you need on any item.

You can add tags to any media, make lists with the items, or add them to your catalog. Making those lists to share with other users or friends is an excellent way to share recommendations without overwhelming them with all your choices. Users can also add their own custom entries to the database just in case something you watched, read, or listened to isn't already in Rate.House.

3. Movieo (Web): Most Beautiful and Simple Way to Manage Lists

Movieo gives you all the info about a movie when you hover over a thumbnail, and let's you add it to watchlist, seenlist, or blacklist, making for the simplest way to make lists

Movieo doesn't like to call itself a movie or TV series tracker and instead wants to be known as a way to find film and show recommendations. But we believe it's actually one of the best trackers out there because of its fantastic interface with a three-core list system.

The UI shows a grid of movies and TV series thumbnails, with several filters on the left such as IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes rating, genre, year of release, streaming services, runtime, etc. When you hover over any thumbnail, it shows you additional info (description, cast and crew, ratings, and runtime) and lets you add the title to one of three lists, without leaving the page. Staying on the page and still managing your lists is one of the best things that makes Movieo so easy to use.

Movieo encourages users to make three core lists: Watchlist (what you plan to see), Seenlist (what you've finished watching), and Blacklist (movies and TV shows you don't want to watch, and therefore don't want them showing up in Movieo recommendations and database again). The blacklist is a really cool option to avoid getting bad recommendations based on your Watchlist and Seenlist.

4. Marathon (Android, iOS): Track TV Shows and Get the Next Episode Dates

Marathon is the new kid on the block to track all the TV series you are watching or have watched, in a slick and feature-packed interface. At the moment, Marathon does not let you track movies. In our opinion, the app is ideal for those who want only to track the various TV shows they are currently watching, find out when the next episode is airing, and get a reminder.

You'll need to add any TV series manually to the app, which isn't that much of an issue since you don't have to go through your full backlog of what you've seen. For each show, Marathon prompts you to add how many episodes or seasons you have watched so far. Based on that and released episodes, it'll tell you what's available in the "Up Next" bar.

All of Marathon's data comes from JustWatch, one of the best sites to check which service is streaming any movie or TV show. So you'll immediately know where to go to catch the latest episode. If you go to your Profile page, Marathon will give you statistics of how much total time you have spent watching TV, and how many episodes across all the shows.

The Explore feed is the social aspect of the app, where you can see users adding what they have watched recently, thus getting some recommendations. You can also find more TV shows worth watching in the Discover tab.

Download: Marathon for Android | iOS (Free)

5. NWWatchlist (Web): Free Notion Watchlist Template to Track Movies and TV Shows

With any of the aforementioned apps, even if they're free, there is a risk. If they ever shut down, you'll lose all your lists and data, and have to start from scratch. But if you use the productivity app Notion to maintain your watchlist, that data is yours to back up to a spreadsheet whenever you want.

NWWatchlist is the most impressive among all the free templates for Notion to track movies and TV shows. Why? Because it uses IMDb to gather all the relevant data about a title when you add it to the list. You'll need to learn a few keyboard shortcuts to make it easier to add the right title, but once you master it, NWWatchlist works like a charm. All your titles will be added to one of three categories (Watching, To Watch, Watched) and appear as media-rich cards with all the basic details.

As you add any title, NWWatchlist fetches a mammoth amount of information in its database, including rating, poster image, YouTube trailer, official site, synopsis, cast, directory, writer, producer, dates (release, last aired, next airing), genre, language, runtime, seasons and episodes, and more. And then you can sort this data in any format you want, giving you granular control over your watchlist.

Don't Be a Slave to Your Watchlist

Your watchlist is to help you keep track of what you want to see. But that doesn't mean you need to finish the pending titles before watching something else, or even that you need to log every single thing you watch.

Like social networks, people who use these lists regularly feel pressure to update them regularly. Movies and TV shows are entertainment, so give yourself a break and don't become a slave to your lists.