VLClean Plain comparisons of self-hosted media tools

How movie reviewers can maintain rating lists in 2026

Movie reviewers can keep one IMDb rating list and turn it into Radarr and Sonarr links with practical steps.

By VLClean ยท

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

Movie reviewers can maintain rating lists by keeping one public IMDb list as the single source, choosing how a media library reads it, and checking the list on a set day each week.

OptionHow it maintains the rating listCost details
WatcharrPaste one public IMDb list and get one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows. [1]Hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [1]
Manual IMDb listThe public IMDb list is accepted from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1]not published
Shared spreadsheetKeep the rating titles in a shared spreadsheet that the reviewer controls.not published

What you need before you start

Keep one public IMDb rating list as the single source for the titles a reviewer has rated, so every tool reads the same list. A public IMDb list can be a watchlist or a list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1]

Decide whether the list holds every title reviewed or only titles above a chosen rating, and write the rule down so it stays the same. Decide how the list should reach the media library, because that decides which links the list needs.

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many movie reviewers run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready if the rating list is meant to keep the library in step with the titles covered.

Decide who checks the list each week and who acts when a title cannot be matched. Keep the list on one site in one place, so there is no second version to drift apart.

Step by step

  1. Set up one public IMDb rating list as the single source for the titles reviewed, and keep every change on that list.
  1. Write the rule for what goes on the list, such as every title seen or only titles above a set rating, and keep that rule short.
  1. Choose whether the list should move titles into a media library. If it should, prepare Radarr for movies and Sonarr for shows on the machine that runs the library.
  1. Paste the IMDb list into the chosen tool. What arrives is one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Check that movies and shows appear separately before going further.
  1. Check that the two links point at the same list each time. Links built from the IMDb list's id give the same two links every time. [1]
  1. Review the list on a regular day each week. Add the titles rated since the last check and remove titles that no longer belong.
  1. Watch for titles the tool cannot match, decide what to do with them, and note which ones were skipped. [1]
  1. Ask one other reviewer after the first week what confused them, and adjust the rule or the list to fix it.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [1]

Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into library links. [1] Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [1] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. [1]

It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [1]

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [1] The page shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. [1]

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. [1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. [1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [1]

Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [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]

A manual rating list means using a public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] A spreadsheet option keeps titles in a shared spreadsheet that the reviewer controls. No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a tool, check how it handles list matching, updates, and the way a rating list moves into the library workflow.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid keeping more than one version of the rating list. If titles are edited in two places, the library reads the wrong set and the reviewer cannot tell which one is true. Keep one public list and let every tool read the same one.

Avoid choosing a tool without checking how it fits the way titles are added to the media library. The rating list should flow into Radarr for movies and Sonarr for shows without a second copy that drifts.

Avoid forgetting to review the list after setup. A rating list that is never checked fills with old titles, and a reviewer cannot trust it as the source for what was covered.

Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what information a tool asks for and what access it uses, and confirm the list can stay public or private the way the reviewer wants before sharing it.

Frequently asked questions

How can movie reviewers maintain their rating lists?

A movie reviewer can keep one public IMDb rating list as the single source, decide which titles belong on it, and check the list on a regular day each week. The list flows into a media library through Radarr for movies and Sonarr for shows, and the reviewer verifies that the two links still point at the same list after every edit.

Can Watcharr turn an IMDb rating list into library links?

Yes. Watcharr takes one public IMDb list and gives one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [1] Radarr checks its link every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, and the links are built from the IMDb list's id so the same list always gives the same two links. [1] [1]

Does Watcharr need any install or account?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. [1] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. [1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [1]

What happens when Watcharr cannot match a show?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. [1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [1] So a reviewer sees which titles were skipped and still gets a working list while a problem is fixed.

What should be checked before choosing a rating list tool?

Check how a tool handles list matching, updates, and the way a rating list moves into the library workflow. Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site and runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database. [1] Compare how often a tool rereads the list and what it does with titles it cannot match before choosing one.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

  1. Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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