Simkl Lists is an entertainment tracking app for TV, anime, and movies on iOS that syncs watch history across streaming platforms.
Product velocity
Unknown
Daily rank 🇺🇸
—
Entertainment
Sentiment
4.5
199 reviews
Nemesis
TV Time: Track Shows & Movies
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire Simkl to centralize fragmented watch history into a single automated database, removing the manual labor of logging episodes across multiple services.
For TV, movie, and anime enthusiasts who consume content across multiple streaming platforms and require a centralized tracking solution.
What does it look like?
Key features
Syncs watch history from Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Kodi, and Plex via API integration
Bulk migration of watch history from external services including Anilist, Trakt, IMDB, and MyAnimeList
Visual breakdown of viewing habits and profile activity
How much does it cost?
Freemium model uses a utility-first mobile app to drive traffic to a web-based VIP subscription service.
Velocity
Steady developmentShow more...
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Review voice lately leans mixed. Users appreciate extensive library of anime and television content provides significant value for dedicated genre enthusiasts and tracking functionality allows users to organize watched episodes and plan future viewing schedules effectively.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Extensive library of anime and television content provides significant value for dedicated genre enthusiasts
- Tracking functionality allows users to organize watched episodes and plan future viewing schedules effectively
- Native app experience is undermined by frequent redirects to the mobile web browser interface
20 of 20 recent reviews analyzed · moderate confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 more frustration theme and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access full content for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Simkl Lists: TV, Anime, Movies
How's the Entertainment market?
Simkl Lists maintains a utility-focused position in the Entertainment category, though its 4.48 rating on 199 reviews suggests a niche user base. The reliance on web-wrapper functionality limits its ability to compete with native-first rivals for mainstream attention.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Whip networks
With over 549,000 reviews, TV Time is the dominant market leader in the TV and movie tracking space, setting the standard for social discovery and episode management.
- Integrates deep social community features like comment sections and character polls for every episode.
- Provides a comprehensive 'Where to Watch' feature that links directly to streaming service deep-links.
- Offers a robust discovery engine that suggests new content based on specific user viewing habits.
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access full content for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Simkl Lists: TV, Anime, Movies
Where is it heading?
The entertainment tracking market is consolidating around native-first experiences that prioritize speed and social engagement. Simkl's maintenance-mode update cadence leaves it exposed to faster, native-built rivals, so the PM must shift from maintenance to native-UI investment to remain relevant.
- Frequent browser redirects in the latest version erode the native app experience, which compounds the existing metadata accuracy complaints.
- Recent updates focus on maintenance and performance, signaling a lack of active feature expansion to counter new entrants.
The SWOT
- Automated API-based sync reduces manual logging friction
- Cross-platform import tools lower migration barriers for power users
- Deep metadata integration across anime and TV genres
- Develop native mobile UI to eliminate browser redirects
- Expand B2B partnerships for automated tracking
- Introduce lock-screen widgets for real-time progress tracking
Next best moves
Rebuild core navigation as native UI because browser redirects are the top complaint → reduce churn
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's biggest threat is not a lack of social features…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Native episode-specific review feed (available in Serializd) +2
Since the last report: The service shifted to a freemium model and clarified its competitive position, though user feedback highlights significant friction caused by a web-wrapper mobile architecture.
Bottom line
Simkl Lists wins on automation utility, but the web-wrapper architecture creates a persistent quality gap that alienates mobile-first users, so the PM must prioritize a native UI rebuild to prevent churn to native-first competitors.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s full read.
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