Trakt vs SIMKL for TV, movies and anime

Start with your hardest record

A simple watched movie is easy to represent in many trackers. The decision becomes clearer with a show that has specials, an unfinished season or a rewatch. For anime, test the actual series and releases you follow rather than assuming every season boundary matches.

Make a short list of requirements: next episode, watch dates, repeat plays, ratings, planned titles and the playback tools you use. The service that preserves these details with acceptable effort is the useful choice.

Compare the systems by task

Requirement	Trakt	SIMKL
Movies and TV progress	Current tracking and Continue Watching documentation	TV and film tracking alongside anime
Anime organization	Check the exact title and episode structure	Dedicated anime catalog and tracking area
Connected playback tools	Check Trakt's supported apps and service settings	Check SIMKL's automatic tracker and app directory
A copy of your record	Account Data export	Current export and plan options
Moving Trakt history into SIMKL	Produce the source export	Use the documented ZIP import route

An integration logo is the start of a check. Confirm that your actual device, playback service and desired update frequency are supported.

A current migration change

On October 23, 2026, SIMKL's Trakt import page stated that its Trakt API connection no longer imports data. The same page offers an export ZIP upload. Instructions in older comparison articles that promise a continuing connection may therefore send you down the wrong path.

The documented route begins in Trakt's Data settings, where you request an export. Keep the ZIP intact and follow SIMKL's importer. Its page describes transferring watched history, planned titles and ratings. After importing, check which details survived rather than assuming that every comment or custom field moved.

A one-time export is a snapshot. It does not establish an ongoing two-way sync, so decide where new activity will be recorded afterward.

Check a small representative set

Use a completed film, a partially watched show and an anime title with unusual episode organization. Confirm the next episode and any watch dates you value. If you keep rewatches, inspect one title watched twice. Review mismatches before treating the new account as your main record.

Retain the source export and account until the transfer is useful. Correcting a few details can be reasonable; silently losing a field you care about is a different outcome.

Account for paid features

Both products offer free access with paid options. SIMKL's current plans page places features such as custom lists, rewatch tracking and export conveniences in its plan comparison. Trakt's settings and membership rules determine its own connection and usage limits.

Check the price of the complete routine you intend to recreate in your country. A free account that omits a needed export or connection is not a like-for-like cost comparison. This page deliberately links current plans rather than carrying a price that may vary by billing term or store.

Keep recommendations in proportion

If tracking already works, another recommendation tool need not replace it. ReelRecs can help assess the next movie or show through its personal suggestion flow. It is not presented as a substitute for these tracking integrations, anime episode management or automatic history imports.

This comparison follows official documentation checked October 23, 2026. It does not report a completed personal-data migration or claim that either tracker maps every title without error.