shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Trakt?

TV and movie tracking with scrobbling, stats, and media-server sync - trakt.tv

Depends. Buy it only if you scrobble from Plex/Kodi and will pay the doubled $60/yr VIP. Casual viewers should skip it — the free tier is now crippled.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources; evidence is Reddit/forum-heavy with light formal review coverage.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo reliable evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
VIP$60/year

Best for

  • Plex/Kodi/Emby scrobblers
  • Binge-watchers who love stats
  • Media-server power users
  • Watchlist and list curators

Not for

  • Casual viewers tracking a few shows
  • Anyone unwilling to pay $60/yr
  • Free-tier streamers — one service connection max
  • Privacy-sensitive users given breach history

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

VIP renewal pricing jumped to $60/year effective June 2025 — double the old rate

high

Free accounts capped at one connected streaming service; more requires VIP

high

Breach notifications historically tardy — 2014 incident reported to users years later

medium

Lock-in: users describe exporting years of watch history when leaving

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Robust public API powers many third-party clients and integrations
  • Syncs watch status across streaming services and media servers
  • Plex users report VIP pays off for scrobbling
  • Long track record: bootstrapped to 1M+ users
  • Detailed stats and month-in-review features

Cons

  • VIP annual price doubled to $60
  • Free tier limited to one connected streaming service
  • Long-time users call the free tier 'useless' now
  • Some veteran users see no advantage over manual tracking
  • Locked new API app creation, hurting the ecosystem

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 10 sources - Shaky record: 2014 breach disclosed years late, user-reported private feed-data exposure, and no security page found.

official x2review x4security x2news x2
  • 2014 data breach with tardy notification, PHP exploit exposed user data; Trakt notified users years after the incident.
  • Private user feed data exposure, User report claims Trakt exposed private feed data via a hardcoded credential.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. VIP doubled to $60/yr; free tier gutted
  • Ease of use: 3/5. App Store/Play users say 'too much going on'
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Deep scrobbling, integrations, strong public API
  • Support quality. No reliable evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. 2014 breach, late notice, no security page
  • $60/yr VIP price doubled from ~$30 in 2025
  • Yes Free tier limited to 1 connected service
  • 1M+ Users bootstrapped, no outside funding
  • 29 Trustpilot reviews tiny formal-review sample

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Basic tracking
  • Only 1 connected streaming service
  • Key features now gated

VIP

$60/year

  • Unlimited service connections
  • Full integrations and features
  • Renewal price doubled June 2025

Security

Shaky record: 2014 breach disclosed years late, user-reported private feed-data exposure, and no security page found.

  • 2014 data breach with tardy notificationPHP exploit exposed user data; Trakt notified users years after the incident.⁷
  • Private user feed data exposureUser report claims Trakt exposed private feed data via a hardcoded credential.

What users say

Long-time power users value the scrobbling ecosystem, but many feel recent pricing and feature changes gutted the free tier.

“Trakt.tv just became useless without a subscription”
Reddit, r/DataHoarder
“I don't see any advantage”
Reddit, r/trakt
“Trakt is no longer a tracking site”
Reddit, r/TraktRejects

Alternatives

Compare Trakt with each alternative.

  • Simkl

    Managed movie/TV tracker; strongest full-feature rival

  • TV Time

    Free community TV tracker, lighter than Trakt

  • Serializd

    Clean, simple show tracking without the clutter

    Trakt vs Serializd
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources; evidence is Reddit/forum-heavy with light formal review coverage.

Great scrobbling hub, but free tier gutted, VIP doubled to $60/yr, and a shaky security record.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources; evidence is Reddit/forum-heavy with light formal review coverage.

Sources

  1. Trakt.TV doubles annual price of VIP to $60reddit.com
    news
  2. Trakt Now Limits Free Users to One Connected Streaming Servicetroypoint.com
    news
  3. Upcoming VIP Renewal Pricing Changesforums.trakt.tv
    official
  4. Trakt.tv just became useless without a subscriptionreddit.com
    review
  5. What's the advantage of using Trakt?reddit.com
    review
  6. Trakt tardily notifies users of data breachbetanews.com
    security
  7. Trakt app users' personal data exposed (2014 breach)theregister.com
    security
  8. Bootstrap to One Million: How Trakt Grewmedium.com
    official
  9. Best Trakt Alternatives in 2026achriom.com
    review
  10. Trakt Reviews on Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.