App Like Letterboxd, But Private: 4 Real Alternatives in 2026
Letterboxd is social by design. If you want private film tracking with the same logging ritual, here are the real alternatives in 2026.
Achriom is the closest thing to a private Letterboxd in 2026. It keeps the diary, ratings, and reviews you’d recognize from Letterboxd, but the library is yours alone with no followers, no public profile, and no shared feed. Moviebase covers films and TV with stronger streaming integration. Obsidian and Notion templates give you total control if you’re willing to build the tracker yourself. Letterboxd itself can be locked down to private, though that quiets most of what makes it Letterboxd.
If you want the logging ritual without an audience, Achriom is the closest fit and it tracks books, music, TV, and anime in the same library. If you only watch films and just want a quieter Letterboxd, switch your existing profile to private.
Last reviewed: April 19, 2026.
What to look for in a private movie tracker
A good private tracker should handle most of these jobs:
- Logging: dates, ratings, notes, rewatches
- Privacy by default: your library is yours, not a feed
- Watchlists: separate from anything public
- Discovery without an audience: finding new films without performing taste
- Data portability: export when you want to leave
Each app below optimizes for a different combination. The table later in the post maps the tradeoffs.
Achriom
Best for: A private library with an AI librarian across all your media
Achriom is private by default. Your collection is yours, no followers, no feed, no shared diary. You can rate, log, and write notes the same way you would on Letterboxd. The audience is just you and the librarian.
What it does well:
- Films sit alongside books, albums, TV, and anime
- A conversational AI that actually knows your library
- Pattern recognition across everything you’ve added
- Letterboxd CSV import works on day one
The limitation: No community. If reading reviews and following critics is part of why you use Letterboxd, Achriom won’t replace that. Free tier covers unlimited items and 50 AI messages. Pro is $9.99/month for unlimited conversations.
Letterboxd (private mode)
Best for: Keeping the Letterboxd interface and hiding the social layer
Letterboxd has a Private account setting that hides your profile, diary, and reviews from anyone who isn’t a confirmed follower. You can also mark individual entries as private. This is the simplest answer if you already use Letterboxd and just want to disappear.
The catch is that most of Letterboxd’s value comes from the social layer. Lists, reviews, popularity sorting, friend activity, all of these get quieter when you’re not part of the network. You’re paying for an apartment in the city to live alone with the curtains closed.
Free tier works. Pro is $19/year and Patron is $49/year for additional features.
Moviebase
Best for: Tracking films and TV with strong streaming integration
Moviebase is a mobile-first tracker with a clean interface and good metadata. It handles both movies and TV in one place, with streaming availability, watch progress, and discovery features. You can keep your library private from other users.
It feels closer to Trakt than Letterboxd. The focus is consumption tracking, with reviews and lists as a smaller community feature. Free with a Pro subscription for advanced features and an ad-free experience.
Obsidian or Notion templates
Best for: Total control and integration with your other notes
A film tracking template in Obsidian or Notion gives you complete privacy and full ownership of the data. You can structure entries however you like, link films to reviews you’ve written, and keep everything inside your existing knowledge base.
The tradeoff is setup time and missing features. There’s no automatic metadata import, no recommendation engine, no pre-built ratings UI, no AI that understands the structure unless you build the connection yourself. Free if you already use the tool.
Quick comparison
| App | Private by default | Cross-media | AI features | Letterboxd CSV import | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achriom | Yes | Films, books, music, TV, anime | Yes (librarian) | Yes | Free / $9.99 mo |
| Letterboxd (private mode) | Opt-in | Films only | No | Native | Free / $19 / $49 yr |
| Moviebase | Opt-in | Films + TV | No | Yes | Free / Pro |
| Obsidian or Notion template | Yes | Whatever you build | No | Manual | Free |
Which should you use?
Use Achriom if: You want a private library that holds more than films, and you want an AI that can talk to you about your taste. You like the idea of asking “what should I watch tonight” and getting a real answer based on what you’ve actually loved.
Use Letterboxd in private mode if: You’re already deep in Letterboxd, you like the interface, and you just want to stop sharing. You accept that most of what makes Letterboxd special goes quiet.
Use Moviebase if: You want a mobile-first tracker for films and TV with strong streaming availability, and you don’t need cross-media or an AI on top.
Use an Obsidian or Notion template if: You already live inside one of these tools and want film notes alongside the rest of your second brain. You’re willing to build and maintain the system.
The honest answer
If “app like Letterboxd but private” is what you typed into Google, you’re really asking one of three questions:
- I want to log films without an audience. Achriom or Letterboxd in private mode.
- I want a private tracker for films and TV. Moviebase or Achriom.
- I want my film notes inside my notes. Obsidian or Notion.
Achriom is the only option that brings books, music, TV, and anime into the same library and adds a conversational AI that reasons across all of it. Privacy is the table stakes; the cross-media library is where it goes further.
If you want the broader landscape, see Best Movie Tracking Apps 2026. For a direct head-to-head, read Letterboxd vs Achriom. For the Achriom pitch scoped just to film, see the movie tracker page.
Common questions
Is there a private version of Letterboxd?
Letterboxd has a Private account setting in profile preferences that hides your profile, reviews, and diary from anyone who isn’t a confirmed follower. You can also mark individual films as private when you log them. The interface stays the same and the audience disappears.
What’s the best Letterboxd alternative for private use?
Achriom is the closest fit if you want Letterboxd-style logging without a public profile. It accepts Letterboxd CSV imports, keeps your library private by default, and adds an AI librarian that can talk about your taste. Moviebase is the closest fit if you want a film-and-TV-only tracker with good streaming integration.
Can I import my Letterboxd diary into a private app?
Yes. Letterboxd lets you export your diary, ratings, watchlist, and lists as CSV from Settings > Data > Export your data. Achriom accepts that CSV directly. Most other trackers either accept it natively or have community import scripts.
Are there any movie trackers that don’t require an account?
Obsidian and Notion templates are the closest you’ll get. Obsidian stores data locally on your device; Notion stores it in your own workspace. Neither has a public profile or an algorithmic feed. The cost is that you build the tracker yourself.
Why would someone want a private Letterboxd?
The reasons people actually give: not wanting to perform taste in public, not wanting algorithmic suggestions shaped by social signals, not wanting to read reviews before watching something, not wanting employers or family to see what they watch, or just preferring a personal record over a profile.
Does Achriom have reviews and ratings like Letterboxd?
Yes. You can rate films, write notes and full reviews, log watch dates, and track rewatches. The difference is that none of it is public. The librarian uses those ratings and notes to understand your taste and recommend across your other media.