Trakt, Simkl, MDBList and WeTrakr: what each adds

Last checked October 21, 2026

The short answer

Cinopsys connects to four services: Trakt, Simkl, MDBList and WeTrakr, or none at all. With each, your watch history and watchlist stay in step both ways, and ratings, check-ins and your personal calendar work on all four. Each service then adds what it supports, such as collection on Trakt and MDBList, half-star ratings on MDBList and WeTrakr, and the anime tab on Simkl.

Cinopsys is a client, not a service: your library lives on your phone and, if you like, on one of four services it connects to. This page answers the common question "which services does Cinopsys connect to?" and shows what each one adds. It is not a review of the services themselves, only of how they work inside Cinopsys.

The four services, and none

Cinopsys connects to Trakt, Simkl, MDBList and WeTrakr. It also works with no account at all: changes save on your phone first and sync in the background, and your library stays on your device unless you connect a service or turn on Google Drive backup.

With any of the four, your watch history and watchlist stay in step both ways. Ratings, check-ins and your personal calendar work on all four, and each service then adds what it supports. You can stay signed in to several services and switch between them, each with its own library.

What each service adds in Cinopsys

A cross means the Cinopsys listing does not list that feature for that service. Simkl lists are read-only in Cinopsys, so they can be viewed but not created or edited. Features change as the app is updated.

Trakt

Trakt adds the widest set of extras in Cinopsys: collection, favorites, smart lists, list reordering and comments, along with creating and editing lists. If you keep detailed lists, it is the service with the most to use. Setup is in connect Trakt.

Simkl

Simkl adds the anime tab. Simkl lists are read-only in Cinopsys, so you can see them but not create or edit them there. If anime is a big part of what you watch, see connect Simkl and the comparison of the Simkl app.

MDBList

MDBList adds collection tracking, half-star ratings and comments, and lets you create and edit lists. Half-star ratings are available on MDBList and WeTrakr only. See connect MDBList.

WeTrakr

WeTrakr adds half-star ratings, favorites, list reordering and comments, and lets you create and edit lists. See connect WeTrakr.

Choosing which service to connect

The right service is usually the one you already use, because your history and lists are already there. Sign in and they appear in Cinopsys, and anything you mark watched is sent back.

• You keep detailed lists, a collection or smart lists: Trakt.
• You watch a lot of anime: Simkl, which adds the anime tab.
• You rate on a half-star scale: MDBList or WeTrakr.
• You want to track privately first: start without an account and connect a service later.

Whichever you pick, your library is not locked to Cinopsys. It lives on the service, and Cinopsys is one app that reads and writes it. You can also add scheduled backups to Google Drive or a folder on your device, daily, weekly or monthly, whether or not a service is connected.

Using more than one

You do not have to pick once. Each service you sign in to keeps its own library, and you can switch between them. If you want your activity to land on a second service as well, there is an optional setting called Copy my activity, which also writes your new watches, ratings and watchlist changes to that second service. Nothing is copied unless you turn it on.

If you are weighing Trakt against Simkl as a home for your library, the Trakt vs Simkl comparison covers the services themselves.

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