Cinopsys
When people ask "Trakt, Simkl or MDBList?", they're usually really asking "where should my watch history live?" Both are cloud services that store your movies, shows and ratings and sync them across devices and apps. The app you actually look at every day is a separate choice — and that's where this gets interesting.
Trakt has the bigger ecosystem; Simkl is cross-platform and great for anime. Their own Trakt↔Simkl connection is only one-way. Cinopsys does full two-way sync with either — or both — so you can choose a service for its strengths without being locked in.
What Trakt and Simkl actually are
Neither Trakt nor Simkl is mainly about its own app. They're sync services: an account, an API, and a database that remembers what you've watched. Dozens of apps, media centres and browser extensions plug into them. So the real decision is two-part — which service stores your data, and which app you use to interact with it.
Trakt — the bigger ecosystem
Trakt is the long-standing standard. Its biggest advantage is reach: it scrobbles automatically from Plex, Kodi, Emby and more, and a huge number of third-party apps support it (Cinopsys included). If you want your viewing tracked automatically as you watch across devices, Trakt's ecosystem is hard to beat.
The trade-offs are on the free tier. Trakt now caps the size of your watchlist and the number and size of personal lists, with unlimited reserved for paid VIP. We cover that — and how Cinopsys keeps your library intact regardless — in our guide to Trakt's list limits.
Simkl — cross-platform and anime-friendly
Simkl tracks movies, TV and anime in one account and is genuinely cross-platform — iOS, Android, web, browser extensions, Plex and Kodi. It can import your history from 20+ other services, which makes it easy to move in. For anime watchers in particular, Simkl is often the better fit.
One thing to know: Simkl can import from Trakt, but that link is one-way (Trakt → Simkl). Updates you make in Simkl don't push back to Trakt. So Simkl and Trakt aren't a two-way pair on their own.
Trakt vs Simkl at a glance
| Feature | Trakt | Simkl |
|---|---|---|
| Movies & TV | ||
| Anime tracking | Limited | Strong |
| Auto-scrobble (Plex/Kodi) | Extensive | Yes |
| Third-party apps | Many | Fewer |
| Cross-platform (web/iOS/ext.) | ||
| Free-tier list limits | Capped | More generous |
| Two-way sync with Cinopsys |
The honest answer: you may not have to choose
Most "Trakt vs Simkl" guides assume you'll commit to one. But the app you use day-to-day matters more than the logo on the account. Cinopsys does full two-way sync with Trakt, Simkl and MDBList — independently — so you can:
- Use Trakt for its scrobbling and ecosystem, with Cinopsys as the front-end.
- Use Simkl for anime and cross-platform reach, with Cinopsys as the front-end.
- Keep an account on both, and let Cinopsys push your changes to each.
- Use neither — run Cinopsys standalone with a Google Drive backup.
So which should you pick?
- You scrobble from Plex/Kodi and want the biggest ecosystem: Trakt.
- You watch a lot of anime or want true cross-platform: Simkl.
- You're not sure: start standalone in Cinopsys, then connect whichever service you like later — nothing is lost.
The verdict
Pick the service that fits how you watch — but pick the app first. Cinopsys gives you Trakt, Simkl and MDBList two-way sync, plus a standalone mode and Drive backup, so the "Trakt vs Simkl" question stops being a lock-in and becomes a preference.
Frequently asked questions
Is Trakt or Simkl better?
Neither is strictly better. Trakt has the larger ecosystem and the most third-party apps and scrobblers; Simkl is cross-platform and especially strong for anime. With Cinopsys you can two-way sync either — or both — so you don't have to commit.
Does Simkl sync with Trakt?
Simkl can import your history from Trakt, but that connection is one-way (Trakt to Simkl) — changes you make in Simkl don't flow back to Trakt. Cinopsys, by contrast, does full two-way sync with each service independently.
Can I use more than one service?
Cinopsys works with all three, but your library lives in one of them at a time. Under Settings then Sync & Backup you pick This device only, Trakt, Simkl or MDBList, and you can switch whenever you like. A Google Drive backup can run alongside whichever you choose.
Which is better for anime, Trakt, Simkl or MDBList?
Simkl is generally the stronger choice for anime tracking. Since Cinopsys two-way syncs with Simkl, you can track anime alongside movies and TV in one app.