How to import old lists for trakt alternative seekers in 2026

How to use public IMDb lists with Watcharr and other list methods when planning a move away from Trakt.

By VLClean · 2026-10-29

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

People looking for a Trakt alternative can compare ways to manage old lists and check which sources each option accepts.

Option	How it brings in old lists	Cost details
Watcharr	Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop, phone or other-language pages works. ^[1]	Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] A price is not published.
Shared list source	The old list stays in a shared place and an import step pulls it on a schedule.	not published
Manual list file	The titles are exported from the old service and given to the library by hand.	not published

What you need before you start

People leaving Trakt can import the lists they already keep, as long as the lists are public and held somewhere that an import tool can reach. A public IMDb watchlist or a list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages all work for this. ^[1]

Have Radarr and Sonarr ready if part of the plan is to add imported titles to a movie and show library. Radarr finds and adds movies, and Sonarr finds and adds shows. Watcharr provides one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]

Keep the list's id from its URL, because an import link is built from that id and the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Decide which titles still matter and whether several household lists should be folded into one, since more than one IMDb list can be combined into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link. ^[1]

Step by step

Identify where the old lists are stored and which ones are still needed. If using Watcharr, choose a public IMDb watchlist or list, since Watcharr accepts public IMDb lists from the desktop site, phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1]

If using Watcharr, copy the address of the public IMDb list and paste it into Watcharr. ^[1] The links it returns are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

Decide how the selected titles will reach the movie and show libraries. If using Watcharr, paste one public IMDb list to get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]

If using Watcharr, use the movie link with Radarr and the show link with Sonarr. ^[1]

Decide how often the imported list should refresh, and check that the tool re-reads the list on a schedule that suits the library.

Check the titles that came through, and follow up on any that did not match so nothing valuable is silently left out.

Check the imported titles against the original list and look for any titles that did not appear. This is a general checking step, not a requirement specific to any import tool.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. It 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 Watcharr returns 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] A bookmark can be clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr to add the list, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1] Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells 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]

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title on two lists is added only once. ^[1] If the reader signs in, Watcharr re-reads the list about every 15 minutes and warns 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] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] The code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Users can paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app, and the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1]

A shared list source is a generic alternative, where the list stays in a shared place and an import step pulls it on a schedule. A manual list file is another option, where the titles are exported and given to the library by hand. No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it reads the list, how often it refreshes, and how it reports titles it cannot match.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid assuming every import tool accepts the same list sources. Watcharr accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Check the chosen tool's supported sources before preparing the lists.

Avoid assuming that every tool uses a list address in the same way. Watcharr builds its links from the IMDb list's id, and the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Follow the chosen tool's instructions for identifying a list.

Avoid assuming every show will be matched. Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and reports which ones it skipped. ^[1] Review the reported titles after importing a list.

Avoid forgetting to review what a tool asks for and what access it uses before sharing it with the household, and confirm the tool's licence matches how the lists will be used.

Frequently asked questions

Can Watcharr import old Trakt lists?

Watcharr accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] The sources on this page do not cover importing Trakt lists directly or moving titles from Trakt into IMDb, so check Trakt's own export options before you plan the move. To use Watcharr, provide a public IMDb list. The resulting links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

How do you point Watcharr at an IMDb list?

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

Does Watcharr work with Radarr and Sonarr?

Watcharr gives one link that acts like a small Radarr server and one that acts like a small Sonarr server. ^[1] Radarr checks its link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB and leaves out shows it cannot match, reporting which ones it skipped. ^[1]

What happens in Watcharr when a list fails to load?

Signed-in users are warned 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]

What should be checked before choosing an import tool?

Check how the tool reads an old list, how often it refreshes, and how it reports titles it cannot match. Watcharr re-reads a signed-in user's list about every 15 minutes. ^[1] Watcharr uses a noncommercial licence, so confirm the intended use is allowed. ^[1] ^[1] Compare those details with how the movie and show library is managed.

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

Try Watcharr

Sources

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