Serializd vs TV Time: Two Ways to Track TV Shows
Serializd and TV Time both log what you watch, but they are built for different kinds of viewers. One is built for episode-by-episode ratings and written reviews.
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Update: TV Time shut down on July 15, 2026 and permanently deleted all watch history after that date. If you are here to choose your next tracker, see the full list of TV Time alternatives. This Serializd comparison still helps if a Letterboxd-style TV diary is what you are after.
If you want to rate every episode and write reviews, Serializd is the closest fit. TV Time built the largest episode-reaction community, but with it closing, that crowd is moving to Serializd and Trakt.
Most viewers fall into one of those two groups. The rest of this post breaks down what each app does well, where each one falls short, and how to decide if neither description quite fits you.
Before you commit to another TV-only app, remember why you are here. A single-purpose tracker decided your history was disposable. Achriom imports your TV Time files as-is, keeps your shows next to your films, books, and music, and lets you export everything back out any time. You migrate once, not once per hobby. Free to start, no card.
Import your TV Time history →What to look for in a TV tracker
The right tracker depends on what kind of viewer you are. A few questions worth thinking through before comparing apps.
Episode-level ratings. Some trackers only let you rate a series overall. Others let you rate every episode individually. If you watch television like a critic, tracking episode quality matters. Serializd is built around this. TV Time is not.
Push notifications. Staying current with ongoing shows requires knowing when new episodes drop. TV Time sends alerts across all major streaming platforms. Serializd does not.
Review culture. Writing about what you watch is part of the point for some people. Serializd has a full review system with a community that reads and responds. TV Time has episode comments and quick reactions, but the format is more spontaneous than analytical.
Community size and energy. TV Time has one of the largest TV tracking communities around. Popular shows generate thousands of reactions per episode. Serializd has a smaller but more review-focused community.
Movie tracking. Serializd focuses exclusively on television. TV Time includes movies alongside shows.
Import and export. TV Time offers a data export; Serializd has no built-in export, so moving your history out relies on third-party tools. Neither has the open API that Trakt offers. If data portability matters to you, check what each currently supports before investing your watch history.
Serializd
Serializd was built for people who watch television the way film fans use Letterboxd.
The core feature is per-episode ratings. Open any show in Serializd and you can rate each episode on a half-star scale, add it to your diary, and write a review. Over time, your profile becomes a detailed record of exactly what you thought about each season, not just whether you liked the series overall. For a show like Succession, where certain episodes are unforgettable and others are filler, this level of granularity matters. You build a real account of your viewing history rather than a simple check-in log.
The review culture is genuine. Users write proper reviews and the community reads them. Lists are a significant part of the experience: thematic collections, ranked orders, recommendations built around specific moods or genres. The design is clean and considered, closer to a film site than a utility app.
Discovery works reasonably well. You can browse popular shows, see what people you follow are watching, and find lists organized around themes. Some people find this experience compelling. Others find it more fussy than they want from a tracker.
There are no push notifications. Serializd does not alert you when Severance or The White Lotus drops a new episode. If you are juggling a lot of ongoing shows across multiple streaming services, that gap is real and worth factoring in.
Serializd is fully free. Tracking, episode ratings, reviews, lists, and stats are all available to everyone; the project runs on voluntary patronage rather than a paid tier.
Serializd suits: cinephiles who extend that sensibility to television, viewers who want to rate and review episode by episode, and anyone building a detailed archive of their watching life.
TV Time
TV Time is built around following shows in real time.
The mobile app is clean and well-designed. Tracking is simple: mark episodes as watched, see what is coming next, and get alerted when new episodes drop through push notifications. If you are watching The Bear season by season and want a notification the moment a new episode lands, TV Time handles that across all the major streaming platforms.
The community is the app’s biggest differentiator. Popular shows generate thousands of reactions per episode. After a significant plot moment, the comments fill up fast. If you want to know what a large number of other viewers thought about the latest White Lotus episode minutes after it aired, TV Time is where that conversation happens. The reactions skew short and energetic rather than analytical, but there is a lot of it.
Progress tracking is clean and low-friction. The plan to watch, watching, and watched categories are easy to manage. The recommendation engine, based on your watch history, surfaces decent suggestions. Movie tracking is also available, though the experience is clearly built around television.
Per-episode ratings are not part of the design. You can mark episodes watched and leave a reaction, but a detailed scoring record for each episode is not the point here.
TV Time free tier covers tracking, notifications, community features, and most of the app. TV Time Premium removes ads and adds some extras, but the free version covers what most users need.
TV Time suits: casual viewers tracking several ongoing shows at once, anyone who wants to be part of the conversation when episodes drop, and people who watch primarily on streaming services.
Want all of it in one place? Achriom tracks your TV shows alongside your books, films, music, and anime, with an AI librarian that finds the threads between them. That is the part no single-format tracker can do.
Try Achriom free →Serializd vs TV Time: at a glance
| Feature | Serializd | TV Time |
|---|---|---|
| Per-episode ratings | Yes | No |
| Written reviews | Yes | Basic comments |
| Push notifications | No | Yes |
| Community size | Medium, review-focused | Large, reaction-focused |
| Movie tracking | No | Yes |
| Automatic scrobbling | No | No |
| List creation | Yes | Yes |
| Design | Clean, aesthetic | Functional, polished |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Paid tier | Pro (~$2/month) | Premium |
| Data export | Yes | Yes |
Which should you use?
Choose Serializd if:
- You want to rate individual episodes, not just full series
- You write reviews or enjoy reading detailed takes from other viewers
- You care more about building a personal archive than following a community feed
- The Letterboxd model of tracking appeals to you, applied to television
Choose TV Time if:
- You want push notifications when new episodes drop
- You watch shows as they air and want to join the community conversation
- You also track films and want both in one app
- You want the simpler, lower-friction check-in experience
Consider Achriom if:
- You also track books, albums, and films alongside your television watching
- You want an AI librarian that reasons across all your media, not just TV
- You care about cross-media connections: the novel a show adapted, the album that shares its tone
The honest answer
Serializd and TV Time are solving different problems, and the gap between them is real.
Serializd is for people who watch television as a critical practice. They finish an episode of Severance and immediately want to rate it, log a note, see how it fits against the rest of the season. The diary format, per-episode ratings, and review community are all built for this viewer. The lack of push notifications is a genuine cost if you are also tracking a large number of ongoing shows.
TV Time is for people who watch television socially. The experience is organized around staying current: knowing what drops and when, being in the room when everyone else is reacting, managing a large slate of shows without much friction. The absence of per-episode ratings is a real limitation for anyone who wants to do serious analysis of what they watched.
Both are free. Both do the core job. Choosing between them is mostly about deciding whether your relationship with television is more like keeping a journal or following a community feed.
Common questions
Is Serializd better than TV Time for tracking TV shows?
Serializd is better for viewers who want per-episode ratings and a written record of their watching. TV Time is better for casual viewers who want push notifications and a large community. Both handle the basics well. The right choice depends on how you engage with what you watch.
Does Serializd have push notifications?
Serializd does not send push notifications for new episodes. If staying current with ongoing shows is a priority, TV Time is the better tool. It sends alerts across all major streaming platforms when episodes drop for shows you follow.
Can you rate individual episodes on Serializd?
Yes. Serializd lets you rate every episode separately on a half-star scale and add each one to your diary. For a show with uneven seasons or standout episodes, this builds a much more detailed record than an overall series rating would. TV Time does not have this feature.
Does TV Time track movies too?
Yes. TV Time expanded to include movie tracking alongside television. The app was built around TV, and that shows in the experience, but the movie tracking is functional. For more serious film logging alongside TV, a dedicated movie tracker covers it better.
Can I export my data from Serializd?
Serializd does not offer a built-in export, so getting your history out means third-party tools. Neither app provides the fully open API that Trakt does, so if data portability matters a lot to you, check what each currently supports before committing your history to one.
Is Serializd free to use?
Yes, fully. Every Serializd feature is available to everyone, with the project supported by voluntary patronage rather than a paid tier. That generosity is part of its charm, and worth knowing when you compare it against trackers that gate their best statistics behind subscriptions.