FlexGet vs Simkl in 2026

FlexGet and Simkl compared for self-hosters with Radarr or Sonarr, and when the Watcharr tool fits.

By VLClean · 2026-10-21

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

FlexGet and Simkl compared for people who run Plex with Radarr or Sonarr: what each does, what it costs, and what to check first.

Option	What it manages	Connects to	Pricing stated	Other stated details
FlexGet	Series and movies from Trakt, TheTVDB or IMDb ^[1]	Deluge, transmission, uTorrent, rTorrent, SABnzb and more ^[1]	not published	Torrents, nzbs, podcasts, comics, TV, movies, RSS, HTML, CSV and more ^[1]; uses YAML for configuration ^[1]; runs in daemon mode ^[1]; custom plugin support ^[1]; validator guides mistakes ^[1]
Simkl	TV shows and movies ^[2]	Apps for Android, iOS, Chrome, Windows, Kodi, Plex and more ^[2]	Free, Pro and VIP membership options, without prices ^[2]	Catalog of 1,197,907 movies ^[2] and 140,994 TV shows ^[2]; notifications for new episodes and movies ^[2]; calendar with 20+ calendars and iCAL sync ^[2]; imports watch history from 20+ services ^[2]; personalized AI recommendations ^[2]; API for developers ^[2]
Watcharr	Public IMDb watchlist or list ^[3]	Radarr and Sonarr via links and a bookmark ^[3]	not published	Hosted version needs nothing installed and no account ^[3]; each link checked by Radarr every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 ^[3]; stable links from the IMDb list id ^[3]

The short answer

Radarr and Sonarr are the apps that add movies and shows to a home media library, and this page compares FlexGet, Simkl and Watcharr for people who run them. Simkl tracks TV shows and movies, and sends a notification when a new episode or movie is released. ^[2] ^[2] Its catalog lists 1,197,907 movies. ^[2] FlexGet's pages centre on a security note: a recent release closed a flaw that let specially formed titles run commands when the exec plugin was used, and its validator tries to guide users who make mistakes. ^[1] ^[1] ^[1] Watcharr is a hosted website from the team that publishes this site, where you paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[3]

What FlexGet, Simkl is built for

FlexGet's pages describe a tool that watches series and movies from sources such as Trakt, TheTVDB or IMDb, details that appear in the table below. ^[1] On the safety side, its pages report a validator that tries to guide users who make mistakes in their set-up. ^[1] They also flag two security matters: a critical vulnerability that allowed remote code execution with specially formed titles when the exec plugin was used, and that both reported issues are addressed in version 3.20.13. ^[1] ^[1] Simkl tracks TV shows and movies. ^[2] Its catalog lists 1,197,907 movies. ^[2] It sends notifications when a new episode or movie is released. ^[2] The table below gathers the other points FlexGet and Simkl state about what they manage and where they run, and their sources give little beyond that, so check each tool's own pages for anything else you need.

What Watcharr is built for

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[3] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[3] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[3] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[3] It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[3] 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. ^[3] 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. ^[3] If a read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[3]

Pricing and fees

For FlexGet, no price appears in the facts, so what it costs is not published here. Simkl offers Free, Pro and VIP membership options, and the facts give no prices for any of them, so those amounts are not published either. ^[2] For Watcharr, the claims state no subscription price, so that part is also not published. Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and commercial use is not licensed, with no commercial licence for sale. ^[3] ^[3] No card fee or charge from a payment service is stated for any of the three, so that part is not published here.

Setting it up with your server

FlexGet's facts say nothing outside the table about connecting to Radarr or Sonarr, so check its own pages for the steps, and see the table for the download clients it integrates with. Its set-up uses YAML for configuration and a validator that tries to guide mistakes, both listed in the table. ^[1] ^[1] Simkl's facts give no connection steps either, so check its own pages for how it links to a library, and the table for the platforms it has apps for. For Watcharr, the hosted version needs nothing installed and no account. ^[3] You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[3] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[3] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app. ^[3]

Things to check before you choose

Ask how each tool connects to your Radarr and Sonarr, and check its own pages for the steps, because the facts here do not always say. For FlexGet, ask which version you run and whether it carries the fix in 3.20.13 for the reported exec plugin flaw. ^[1] Ask what Simkl's Free, Pro and VIP memberships actually cost, since the facts give no prices. ^[2] Ask whether you want to reuse a public IMDb list directly, which Watcharr's claims cover, or maintain a separate configuration in another tool. ^[3] Ask whether the tool will be used commercially, since Watcharr's licence does not allow commercial use. ^[3]

How to choose

If you want a notification when a new episode or movie is released, Simkl's pages say it offers that. ^[2] If you want to track shows and movies against a catalog, Simkl's pages say it does that. ^[2] If you want one public IMDb list to become a Radarr link and a Sonarr link, Watcharr's claims cover it. ^[3] If you want nothing installed and no account, Watcharr's hosted version needs neither. ^[3] If you want your list re-read on its own and a warning when reads fail, Watcharr's signed-in features cover that. ^[3] If you want a tool whose recent security fix you can verify, FlexGet's pages name the version that addresses the reported issues. ^[1]

Frequently asked questions

How much does Simkl cost?

Simkl's pages say it offers Free, Pro and VIP membership options, but they give no prices for any of them. ^[2] So the amounts are not published here. Check Simkl's own pages for what each membership actually costs before you plan around it.

How much does Watcharr cost?

The claims for Watcharr state no subscription price, so that part is not published here. Its code is available under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence. ^[3] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[3] No card fee is stated, so that part is not published either.

Can Simkl notify you about new episodes?

Simkl's pages say it sends notifications when a new episode or movie is released. ^[2] The facts give no detail on where those notifications arrive, so check Simkl's own pages for the exact options before you rely on them.

Is the FlexGet security issue fixed?

FlexGet's pages report a critical vulnerability that allowed remote code execution with specially formed titles when the exec plugin was used, and that both reported issues are addressed in version 3.20.13. ^[1] ^[1] Check which FlexGet version you run and whether you use the exec plugin before you decide.

Does Watcharr need anything installed?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. ^[3] You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[3] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you. ^[3]

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[3]

Try Watcharr