$19.99/mo
IMDbPro price
after 30-day free trial
Report
Should I Use IMDb?
Depends
DependsThe free IMDb site is the best movie/TV reference available — use it without hesitation.
Free and unmatched for movie lookups; pay for IMDbPro only if you work in film or TV.
Confidence: Medium
Yes
Free tier
IMDb.com is free to browse
30 days
Free trial
IMDbPro
3 rounds
Funding
raised funding per Tracxn
Value for money
4
Core site free; IMDbPro niche
Ease of use
3
Users cite frustrating redesigns
Feature depth
5
Most authoritative film and TV database
Security posture
4
Dedicated security page; no IMDb CVEs found
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- mediumIMDbPro converts to $19.99/month after trial; some report unexpected charges
- low'IMDbPro Basic' wording confusingly suggests free when it isn't a normal free tier
- lowCVEs found only in third-party WordPress IMDb widgets, not itself⁹
Best for
- Movie and TV fans checking ratings
- Finding where to stream titles
- Entertainment industry professionals via IMDbPro
- Researchers needing film metadata
Not for
- Casual viewers eyeing paid IMDbPro — $19.99/month for a profile pic
- Anyone wanting community forums — IMDb shut its message boards
- Businesses wanting review management or a CRM — wrong category entirely
- Users wanting an open database with API freedom
Pricing
IMDb.com
Free
- Ratings and reviews
- Watchlists
- Where-to-watch info
IMDbPro
$19.99/month
- Industry insights and contacts
- Profile management
- 30-day free trial
Security
No IMDb-specific vulnerabilities found in reviewed sources; listed CVEs affect a third-party WordPress IMDb widget, not imdb.com.
- WordPress IMDb Profile Widget <= 1.0.8 — Local File Inclusion (CVE-2016-20078)Affects a third-party WordPress plugin that embeds IMDb profiles, not IMDb itself.⁹
What users say
Longtime fans praise the database's depth but increasingly complain about redesigns, removed forums, and rating bias.
“I love what the app is meant to do.”
“I hate what IMDB has become in recent years.”
“IMDB has become awful. It used to be so good.”
Alternatives
Compare IMDb with each alternative.
The Movie Database (TMDB)
Community-built movie database; friendlier for developers and APIs
IMDb vs The Movie Database (TMDB)Letterboxd
Social film diary for logging and reviewing movies
Fandom
Wiki communities for shows, franchises, and fandoms
Moviebase
Mobile app tracking movies, shows, and streaming availability
IMDb vs MoviebaseFull analysis
Based on 25+ public sources: official help pages, user reviews on Reddit/Trustpilot/Google Play, and security advisories.
Sources
official
- IMDbPro Official Sitepro.imdb.comofficial
- How much does using IMDb cost?help.imdb.comofficial
- IMDb Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
review
- Imdb pro? Like for real? Why? — Redditreddit.comreview
- IMDb Pro: Career Booster or Pricey Profile Pic?actorsite.comreview
- Large Movie Review Dataset (50K reviews)kaggle.comofficial
- IMDb Profile Widget < 1.0.9 — Local File Inclusionwordfence.comsecurity
- CVE-2016-20078: WordPress IMDb Widget Path Traversalsentinelone.comsecurity
- IMDb Product Security Pageimdb.comsecurity
- Top 7 imdb.com Alternatives & Competitorssemrush.comnews
- Moviebase vs IMDbmoviebase.appnews
- IMDb — 2026 Company Profiletracxn.comnews
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