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. Buck The Critics — official sitebuckthecritics.com
    official
  2. App Store listingapps.apple.com
    official
  3. Google Play listingplay.google.com
    official
  4. IndieHackers founder postindiehackers.com
    review
  5. AlternativeTo profilealternativeto.net
    review
  6. FoxData app analyticsfoxdata.com
    review
  7. Reddit r/MovieIt founder postreddit.com
    review
  8. Crunchbase profilecrunchbase.com
    news
  9. Buck blog — StoryGraph comparisonbuckthecritics.com
    official
  10. Security page (no page found)buckthecritics.com
    security

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