TV Time shut down on July 15, 2026

JustWatch vs WatchTrail: two tools, two questions

JustWatch is often described as 'the site that tells you where to stream', and stopping there would be a mistake: it also tracks your shows episode by episode. So the comparison is tighter than it looks, and it plays out somewhere other than tracking.

Checked on August 15, 2026

JustWatch and WatchTrail, point by point

Criterion	JustWatch	WatchTrail
Episode tracking	Yes — 'Continue watching', 'Haven't started', 'Caught up', with new-episode notifications	Yes, with the watch date kept
Where to watch	That is its core: availability by platform and country	Present, but not our speciality
Where it runs	Web, mobile and TV apps	Web and installable app, no TV app
Ratings and reviews	—	Per-episode rating, reviews, comments with hidden spoilers
Extended universes	—	MCU, Star Wars, DC checklists, in chronological or release order

What JustWatch does better than us

**On 'where to watch', nobody does it better.** That has been JustWatch's job from the start: which platform, in which country, rental or included.
**It tracks your episodes too**, and that deserves saying plainly — many comparisons still miss it. With a 'Continue watching' resume and new-episode notifications.
It runs all the way to TV apps, where we stop at the browser and the phone.

Where JustWatch falls short

The tool is built around the catalogue, not around you: it is not where you go to write about what you have just watched.
No extended-universe checklist — the 'in what order' question is not its subject.

JustWatch is the right pick if…

If your main question is 'which platform, and is it included', JustWatch is built for that and does it better than us. If you mostly watch on a single platform, its tracking will serve you fine.

So where does WatchTrail fit?

WatchTrail is built the other way round: around what you have watched, not around what is available. Per-episode ratings, reviews, extended universes and TV Time history import are there because that is what you keep over ten years — an availability catalogue changes every month.

Frequently asked questions

Does JustWatch really track episodes?

Yes. Its TV tracking marks watched episodes and files your shows under 'Continue watching', 'Haven't started' and 'Caught up'. Many comparisons still miss it.

Do I have to choose between JustWatch and WatchTrail?

Yes, and many do: JustWatch to find where it streams, WatchTrail to keep what you have watched.

Does WatchTrail say where to watch too?

Yes, on the show pages and the 'where to watch' pages. It is useful, but it is not what we do best, and JustWatch remains more complete there.

The real criterion: your history

Whatever tool you pick, check that it takes your TV Time export — and how. On WatchTrail, every show is matched by its ID, not by its title.

See how to move my history

Other comparisons

Other services' pricing and features change over time: this page shows when it was last checked. When in doubt, the service's own page is authoritative.