How to build lists from ratings for rating list builders in 2026

Learn how to build movie and show lists from IMDb ratings, organize titles, and choose a list tool that works with your Radarr or Sonarr library.

By VLClean · 2026-10-28

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

To build lists from ratings, choose the source of your ratings, decide how to group titles, and keep each list organized around a clear purpose. If the lists come from public IMDb lists or watchlists, Watcharr can turn one public IMDb list into a Radarr link for movies and a Sonarr link for shows. ^[1] Compare tools by checking which rating sources they accept, how they organize titles, and whether their lists can be used by the apps that manage your movie and show library.

Option	How it handles lists	Cost details
Watcharr	Turns one public IMDb list into one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]
IMDb public lists and watchlists	Watcharr accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site, and IMDb pages in other languages. ^[1]	not published
Manually maintained list	Use a list editor of your choice to organize titles around rating criteria; confirm the editor's sorting and export features before choosing it.	not published
Separate list-management tool	Check whether the tool accepts your rating source and supports the sorting, filtering, and export features you need.	not published

What you need before you start

Start by deciding what a rating-based list should help you find. You might want a list of highly rated movies, shows worth watching, titles from a particular genre, or films that match a personal collection theme. The goal determines which ratings and other details you need to consider.

Choose a source for the titles and ratings. If the source is IMDb, decide whether to work from a public list, a public watchlist, or another list you can access. Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Keep in mind that a list of ratings and a list of titles are not necessarily the same thing. Check whether the source gives you the ratings you need or whether you will need to review ratings separately.

Decide how to group titles before you start. Separate movies from shows if they need different handling, and consider whether genres, release periods, or rating ranges should become separate lists. Use names that explain why each list exists.

If the eventual goal is to add movies and shows to a media library, have Radarr ready for movies and Sonarr ready for shows. Watcharr provides one link for Radarr with the movies and another for Sonarr with the shows from one public IMDb list. ^[1] If you only want to keep track of ratings, first check whether a list tool can display or export the information you want.

Finally, decide whether the lists should stay current when the source changes. That choice affects whether a simple manually maintained list is enough or whether a tool that checks the source again is useful.

Step by step

Choose the rating source. Pick the website or list that contains the titles you want to organize. Confirm that you can access its ratings and that the titles can be placed into lists. If using IMDb with Watcharr, start with a public IMDb list or watchlist. ^[1]

Set a clear rule for each list. Decide what belongs in a list before collecting titles. For example, one list could focus on highly rated movies, while another could collect shows for later consideration. If ratings are the main criterion, decide which rating source matters and whether other factors, such as genre, also affect inclusion.

Create the source lists. Group titles using the list features available on the chosen source. Use separate lists when the purpose or selection rule differs. Check the list entries for duplicates, incorrect titles, and items that no longer belong. Keep the names specific enough that the purpose is clear later.

Choose how the lists will be used. A list intended for browsing may need useful title details, while a list intended for a media library needs a way to pass titles to the relevant library-management apps. Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into separate Radarr and Sonarr links, with movies in the Radarr link and shows in the Sonarr link. ^[1]

Connect the list to the intended workflow. Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 minutes. ^[1]

Check the titles that carry through. Confirm that the resulting movie and show lists contain the items expected from the source. Watcharr looks up TheTVDB IDs through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] Review skipped titles instead of assuming every show will be included.

Decide how updates should work. If ratings or list membership change, decide whether to update the source list manually or use a tool that checks it again. Watcharr can re-read a list about every 15 minutes for signed-in users and warns when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] If a read fails, its links continue serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

Review and refine. Revisit the list rules when the results no longer match the purpose. Remove unwanted entries from the source, check whether the destination apps still use the intended lists, and keep a note of any titles that need manual review. Clear rules make it easier to maintain rating-based lists over time.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site, VLClean. It turns one public IMDb list into a Radarr link for movies and a Sonarr link for shows. ^[1] It accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site, and IMDb pages in other languages. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] If you sign in, it can re-read your list about every 15 minutes and warn you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, while older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

IMDb lists and watchlists are the source lists that Watcharr accepts when they are public. ^[1] They are a starting point for organizing titles around your ratings and other selection rules. Check whether the list itself provides the rating information and sorting options you need before relying on it for rating-based decisions.

A manually maintained list is another option for people who want to organize titles without connecting the list to a media library. Keep the source, rating criteria, and title details together so entries can be reviewed later. This page names no specific manual-list product, so check the features of any list editor you choose.

A separate list-management tool may be worth considering when your main task is sorting, filtering, or exporting rating information rather than sending titles to Radarr or Sonarr. Before choosing one, check which rating sources it accepts, whether it supports the list format you need, and whether ratings can be used to filter or sort titles. This page gives no feature details for a specific list-management tool, so confirm those features directly.

Watcharr also lets signed-in users combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the household, adding a title only once if it appears on multiple lists. ^[1] Its links are based on the IMDb list ID, so the same source list always produces the same two links. ^[1] The page displays list covers in a row, and each cover opens TMDB details including plot, genres, rating, backdrop, and trailer. ^[1] These features are relevant when the aim is to move public IMDb lists into a movie and show library, rather than simply store a personal rating record.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid building a list before deciding what the ratings are meant to represent. A list of personal favorites, a list of highly rated movies, and a list of shows to consider later may need different selection rules. Write down the purpose and use it to decide which titles belong.

Avoid treating a title list as proof that every rating is available. Check the information provided by the source and confirm whether the tool you choose can sort or filter by the rating you care about. When those capabilities are not documented, verify them before committing to a workflow.

Avoid overlooking the difference between movies and shows. If the list will feed a media library, confirm that titles reach the appropriate app. Watcharr separates movies into its Radarr link and shows into its Sonarr link, and it skips shows it cannot match to a TheTVDB ID while reporting which ones were skipped. ^[1] ^[1]

Avoid assuming that scheduled checks guarantee immediate updates. Watcharr's Radarr link is checked every 15 minutes and its Sonarr link every 5 minutes. ^[1] If a source read fails, the links continue serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] Check the displayed or reported status when the result does not match the source.

Avoid overlooking licence terms and account choices. Watcharr's hosted version needs no installation or account, while its code is available under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] Review the terms that apply to your intended use before selecting a tool.

Frequently asked questions

How can rating list builders create lists from IMDb ratings?

Start with an IMDb list or watchlist that contains the titles you want to organize, then decide how to group those titles by rating, genre, or another clear rule. Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, phone site, or IMDb pages in other languages. ^[1] Check the source's rating information and the features of the chosen tool before assuming that ratings can be filtered automatically.

Can Watcharr turn an IMDb list into separate movie and show lists?

Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into one link for Radarr containing movies and one link for Sonarr containing shows. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 minutes. ^[1]

Does Watcharr need to be installed to build rating-based lists?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] You can paste, copy, and browse from any screen in the web app, while the one-click sticker appears on bigger screens. ^[1] If choosing to run a self-hosted version, note that Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1]

Can Watcharr combine several IMDb lists for a household?

Signed-in Watcharr users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household. A title that appears on two lists is added only once. ^[1] This can reduce duplicate entries when several source lists feed the same movie and show library. Check that the source lists are public and that their contents match the intended household collection.

What happens when Watcharr cannot match a show?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB IDs through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells you which titles it skipped. ^[1] Review the reported titles if a show expected from the source list does not appear in the Sonarr link. A missing match should be checked rather than treated as proof that the show is unavailable or unsuitable.

Does Watcharr keep a list available if reading IMDb fails?

If a read of the source list fails, Watcharr's links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] Signed-in users can also have Watcharr re-read the list about every 15 minutes, with a warning when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] These features help identify repeated read failures while preserving the last successfully loaded list.

Can Watcharr be used for commercial rating-list projects?

Commercial use is not licensed for Watcharr, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1] Its code is available under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, while older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Review the licence that applies to the version being considered and confirm that the planned use is permitted before building a workflow around it.

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)