IMDb list sync tools for Top 250 completionists in 2026

Compare IMDb list sync tools for Top 250 completionists and see how each handles lists, media matching, refreshes, and Radarr or Sonarr setup.

By VLClean · 2026-11-01

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Working through the IMDb Top 250 usually means keeping one public list feeding movies and shows into a Radarr and Sonarr setup without typing titles by hand. Watcharr turns a public IMDb list into separate Radarr and Sonarr links. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Cost details
MDBList	Tool for creating dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists. ^[2]	Supporter membership, with sign-up linked through Memberful and Patreon. ^[3]
Trakt	Not described in the source used here; check Trakt's site.	Free on web, iOS and Android ^[4]
Traktarr	Uses Trakt.tv to find shows and movies to add to Sonarr and Radarr. ^[5]	not published
Simkl	Simkl tracks TV shows, anime, and movies. ^[6]	Free, Pro, and VIP membership options. ^[6]; card fee not published
Listrr	Creates personalized lists for shows and movies with many filters. ^[7]	not published
Watcharr	Pastes one public IMDb list and returns one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows. ^[1]	not published

What IMDb Top 250 completionists need from IMDb list sync tools

Working through the IMDb Top 250 usually means tracking one public list and turning it into titles a media library can manage. Completionists want the same list to feed movies and shows into Radarr and Sonarr, the apps that manage movie and show downloads, without pasting titles by hand or rebuilding the list when it changes. They also want progress that is easy to follow, so a watched movie or an added show does not get requested again. Another job is handling titles that do not line up cleanly, because one entry on a public list can lack a match in a media database. Some owners prefer a hosted service with no setup, while others want a script they can run themselves, so the choice turns on how much control suits the setup. Owners should check how often each option refreshes, whether it needs an account, what it costs, and whether it handles more than one person. The tools below differ in where their lists come from and how they reach Radarr and Sonarr. One useful check is whether an option keeps serving the last good output when a list read fails, so a stalled list does not stop requests.

MDBList for IMDb completionists

MDBList describes itself as a tool for creating dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists tailored to your preferences. ^[2] MDBList's homepage promotes building and curating lists, tracking progress, discovery, personalization, and use across devices. ^[3] MDBList offers a Supporter membership, with sign-up linked through Memberful and Patreon. ^[3]

Trakt for IMDb completionists

Trakt is free on web, iOS and Android. ^[4]

Traktarr for IMDb completionists

Traktarr's source says it uses Trakt.tv to find shows and movies to add to Sonarr and Radarr. ^[5] Traktarr supports official Trakt lists including Trending, Popular, Anticipated, Box Office, Most Watched, and Most Played. ^[5] Traktarr's page marks private lists with a condition, so check what that condition means before relying on them. ^[5]

Simkl for IMDb completionists

Simkl offers Free, Pro, and VIP membership options. ^[6] Simkl includes calendar support with more than 20 calendars and iCAL sync, a calendar sharing format. ^[6]

Listrr for IMDb completionists

Listrr creates personalized lists for shows and movies with many filters for a Plex server setup. ^[7] Every list created is updated automatically. ^[7] Listrr lets users create lists that exclusively contain Anime. ^[7]

Watcharr for IMDb Top 250 completionists

You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] It matches each show to its entry in a TV database, looking it up through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

Matching the tool to the job

For an IMDb list that feeds movies and shows automatically, Watcharr takes one public IMDb list and returns one Radarr link for the movies and one Sonarr link for the shows. ^[1] For auto-updating lists, MDBList creates dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists. ^[2] For official Trakt lists, Traktarr supports official Trakt lists including Trending, Popular, Anticipated, Box Office, Most Watched, and Most Played. ^[5] For membership options, Simkl offers Free, Pro, and VIP membership options. ^[6] For a list with many filters, Listrr creates personalized lists for shows and movies with many filters. ^[7] For a free service, Trakt is free on web, iOS and Android. ^[4]

Questions to ask before you choose

Before choosing an IMDb list sync tool, consider how the list reaches Radarr and Sonarr and how often it refreshes. Check whether the tool needs an account, what it costs, and whether it splits movies and shows. Ask how titles with no media database match are handled, since some entries on a list can be left out rather than added. Check what happens when a list read fails and whether the output keeps working. Check whether a watched item stays out of later requests, so progress is shown and nothing is requested twice. Also check whether the way the tool handles access matches the way the media library is shared.

Frequently asked questions

How does Watcharr turn an IMDb list into Radarr and Sonarr links?

Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

Which tools can keep an IMDb list refreshing by itself?

MDBList creates dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists. ^[2] With Watcharr, the links are built from the IMDb list id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Watcharr can re-read a signed-in list about every 15 minutes and warns when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Before choosing, check how often each option refreshes its output and whether a scheduled run can be delayed.

How does Watcharr handle shows that do not match a media database?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] Ask each tool how titles without a matching id are treated, because some entries on a list can be left out rather than added.

What does Watcharr need to run?

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

How do these tools tell movies and shows apart?

With Watcharr, pasting one public IMDb list returns one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Traktarr uses Trakt.tv to find shows and movies to add to Sonarr and Radarr. MDBList makes dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists. ^[2] Check whether the tool gives separate movie and show output for the setup.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

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