The best TV Time alternatives after the shutdown
Updated July 2026
TV Time (tvshowtime) closed in July 2026 and there isn't one obvious replacement — it depends on what you actually used it for. Below is an honest rundown of the main options, including mine, with the tradeoffs laid out so you can pick the one that fits instead of app-hopping. If you also need to get your history out first, there's a separate step-by-step for that.
At a glance
| App | Cost | TV Time import | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| bobin ★ | Free, no ads | TV Time zip + DioCache.db | Browser / PWA |
| Trakt | Free tier + paid VIP | Data export zip / CSV | Web, apps, scrobblers |
| Simkl | Free + optional VIP | TV Time zip | Web, mobile, TV |
| Serializd | Free | Limited | Web, mobile |
| Sofa Time | Free (beta) | TV Time CSV | iOS, Android beta |
Which one is for you
bobin
People who want their TV Time history back with dates, in their own language, no cost.
Trakt
Power users who scrobble from Plex/Kodi and want deep integrations. Note: the free tier recently dropped to one connected app.
Simkl
A solid all-rounder if you want anime tracking and a big catalog alongside shows and movies.
Serializd
A Letterboxd-style social feel for TV — reviews and lists you share. Import is thinner than the others.
Sofa Time
A clean, familiar feel for people who mainly want the classic check-off flow on a phone.
bobin — track shows and movies, import your TV Time history with dates intact, in your language. Free, no ads, runs in the browser.
Open bobin →Full disclosure
bobin is mine, so weigh that. I've tried to describe the others as fairly as I'd want mine described. The honest short version: if scrobbling from Plex/Kodi is the core of your setup, Trakt or a self-hosted route beats me — that's a real integration problem and I don't solve it. Where bobin is genuinely different is getting a lost TV Time history back (it reads DioCache.db and the export zip as-is, keeping your original dates), working in 13 languages, and staying free with no ads. If those are what you care about, it's worth a look.
Didn't get your TV Time export out before the shutdown? How to recover your history from your phone →
Frequently asked
What's the closest thing to TV Time?
For the classic "check off episodes, get air-date reminders" flow, Simkl and Sofa Time feel closest. For getting your old history back specifically, the deciding factor is whether the app reads TV Time's files — several now do, including bobin (DioCache.db and the export zip).
Which TV Time alternative is free?
bobin, Serializd and Sofa Time are free. Simkl has a free tier. Trakt has a free tier but recently limited it to one connected app, with paid VIP above that.
Can I bring my TV Time watch history to a new app?
Yes, if you have the export zip (or the DioCache.db file still on your phone). Trakt, Simkl and bobin all import it; bobin and a couple of others also read the raw DioCache.db directly, keeping your original watch dates.
I already lost my data. Is it gone?
Maybe not. If TV Time is still installed on your phone, the history is cached locally and recoverable — there's a separate guide for pulling it off iOS and Android before you do anything that wipes it.