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How to compare available titles for streaming enthusiasts in 2026

Streaming enthusiasts can compare available titles across their library with a ready list, clear steps, and a tool that works from a public IMDb list.

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

Streaming enthusiasts can compare available titles by keeping one public list of movies and shows, letting that list feed the library they use, and checking title details before deciding. A comparison list that is already kept on IMDb can be turned into links that Radarr and Sonarr check on their own schedules. [1] [1]

OptionWhat it doesCost details
WatcharrPaste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1]not published
Manual list comparisonKeep the titles you care about in one place and check each streaming catalog against it by hand.not published
Combined household listCombine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household. [1]not published

What you need before you start

Before comparing available titles, decide which movies and shows matter and where they should show up. A comparison works when every title you care about is in one place you control, so keep a single list of the movies and shows you want to weigh against each other.

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many streaming enthusiasts run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready if the comparison list is meant to feed the library, because that is where the title links will be checked.

Pick one source for the list and stick with it. A public IMDb list works as a shared starting point, because the links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [1] Have access to the list as you compare, so you can see which titles are in it and which are missing.

Step by step

  1. Write down the movies and shows you want to compare, and put them in one list that everyone involved can see.
  1. Choose one public IMDb list as the starting point, using the desktop site, the phone site, or an IMDb page in another language, and keep its id handy because that id is what the rest of the process uses. [1]
  1. Have Radarr ready for movies and Sonarr ready for shows, because a comparison that feeds the library works through those two programs.
  1. Turn the list into one link for movies and one for shows. Paste the same public IMDb list and keep the two links it gives, since the same list always produces the same links. [1] [1]
  1. Check the titles in the list before you decide. Look at each title's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer from one place, so the comparison uses the same details for everything. [1]
  1. Review the list after a while. When a title cannot be matched, note which ones were skipped so nothing is compared by guesswork. [1]
  1. Decide how often the list should be re-read and act on the warnings that come back, so the comparison reflects the current list rather than an old one. [1]

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is a tool made by the team that publishes this site. 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]

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [1] It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [1]

The page shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. [1] If you sign in, it re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [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; older versions remain under MIT. [1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. [1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it keeps a list current, how it handles titles it cannot match, and how title details reach the person comparing.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid comparing titles from a list you cannot keep in sync. A comparison is only as current as the list behind it, so keep the list in one place and re-check it on a regular schedule.

Avoid deciding on titles you have not checked. Look at each title's details before you weigh it, instead of comparing from memory.

Avoid keeping separate lists for the same purpose. Watcharr combines several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link, and a title on two lists is added only once, so one shared list set keeps the comparison clean. [1]

Avoid ignoring titles that could not be matched. Watch out for shows that get skipped when no id can be found, and decide separately whether those still belong in the comparison. [1]

Frequently asked questions

How can streaming enthusiasts compare available titles?

A streaming enthusiast can compare titles by keeping one public list of movies and shows, feeding that list into the library they use, and checking each title's details before deciding. The important parts are a single list everyone can see and a regular schedule for re-reading it, so the comparison matches what is actually available rather than an old version.

Can Watcharr compare titles from an IMDb list?

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] The same list always gives the same two links, built from the list's id. [1]

How often does Watcharr re-check a title list?

Watcharr links act like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks the list every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads the list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [1] If a read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [1]

Does Watcharr show title details before comparing?

Watcharr shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. [1] That keeps the details consistent across every title being compared. For shows it cannot match to a TheTVDB id, Watcharr leaves them out and tells you which ones it skipped. [1]

What should be checked before choosing a comparison tool?

Check how a tool keeps a list current, how it handles titles it cannot match, and whether title details reach the person comparing. Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. [1] Compare those details with the way the library is managed before choosing a tool.

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

Try Watcharr

Sources

  1. Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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