shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Buck The Critics?

Buck The Critics is the all-in-one media tracker for movies, TV, games & books — with recommendations from friends, not bots. Free on iOS and Android. - buckthecritics.com

Depends. Worth a free try if you want one app tracking movies, TV, games, and books and your friends will join you. Skip it if you want a large community or proven longevity — the founder himself admits the app is barely used.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~15 public sources; many are store listings or founder-authored posts, so independent signal is limited.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo independent usability evidence found
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualitySolo dev; no support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Tracking movies, TV, games, books in one app
  • Friend groups adopting a tracker together
  • Letterboxd/StoryGraph users wanting one app
  • Anyone wanting a free watchlist app

Not for

  • Anyone wanting a large active community
  • Film-focused users already happy on Letterboxd
  • Book-only readers — StoryGraph is deeper
  • Businesses or teams — consumer app only

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Recommendations only work if friends adopt it; user base appears very small.

medium

Solo developer — one person's availability is your continuity risk for saved history.

medium

Guess: no visible monetization; long-term service availability is uncertain.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free on iOS and Android
  • One app tracks movies, TV, games, and books
  • Friend recommendations instead of bot-driven ones
  • Watchlist and review features across media types
  • Positions itself as combined Letterboxd and StoryGraph alternative

Cons

  • Founder self-describes the app as 'high-quality and barely used'
  • Social recommendations need friends to join; adoption appears small
  • No public security page found for a social app
  • Much of the online buzz is founder-posted, not independent users

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x4security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free app with full tracking features
  • Ease of use. No independent usability evidence found
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Four media types, watchlists, reviews, challenges
  • Support quality. Solo dev; no support evidence found
  • Security posture: 3/5. No known issues, but no public security page
  • Free Price iOS and Android
  • 4 Media types tracked movies, TV, games, books
  • Solo dev Team size founder self-reports low usage
  • 12+ Alternatives listed on AlternativeTo

Pricing

Free

Free

  • Full tracking for movies, TV, games, books
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Friend recommendations and reviews

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Full analysis

Based on ~15 public sources; many are store listings or founder-authored posts, so independent signal is limited.

Free all-in-one tracker for movies, TV, games, books. Good idea, solo-dev scale, tiny community. Try free; Letterboxd/StoryGraph safer.

Methodology

Based on ~15 public sources; many are store listings or founder-authored posts, so independent signal is limited.

Sources

  1. official
  2. App Store listingapps.apple.com
    official
  3. Google Play listingplay.google.com
    official
  4. review
  5. AlternativeTo profilealternativeto.net
    review
  6. review
  7. review
  8. Crunchbase profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  9. official
  10. security

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