VLClean Plain comparisons of self-hosted media tools

Kometa vs MDBList in 2026

Kometa and MDBList compared with Watcharr for people who run Radarr or Sonarr: what each does, what each costs, and what to check first.

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

Kometa and MDBList compared for people who run home media servers with Radarr or Sonarr. MDBList describes itself as a tool for creating dynamic lists from your tastes. Watcharr turns one pasted public IMDb list into a Radarr link and a Sonarr link. No price for any of the three is published here, so check each one's own pages before you commit.

OptionPriceCard feeWorks withAlso stated
MDBListSupporter membership; price not published [1]not publishedStremio, and ratings from many platforms [2]Curated lists [2]; Trakt integration [2]; requires login or sign-up [1]
Watcharrnot publishednot publishedYour Radarr and Sonarr [3]One IMDb list gives a Radarr link and a Sonarr link [3]; nothing to install [3]

The short answer

Radarr and Sonarr are the apps that add movies and shows to a home media library, and this page is for people who run them. MDBList describes itself as a tool for creating dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists tailored to your preferences. [2] Watcharr is a hosted website where you paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [3]

With Watcharr each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [3] Watcharr's hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [3] Kometa is one of the tools this page compares, but the facts here give no details about it, so check its own pages for what it does and how it runs.

What Kometa and MDBList are built for

MDBList's own page says it is the go-to tool for creating dynamic, auto-updating movie and show lists tailored to your preferences. [2] Its homepage promotes building and curating lists, tracking your progress on movies and shows, discovery, personalization and use across your devices. [1]

It lets you import external lists from Trakt, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and other sources. [2]

MDBList also has a Streaming Charts section, requires login or sign-up to use, and a page footer links to an API, Reddit, Discord, Contact and a Privacy Policy. [1] [1] [1]

The facts list no details for Kometa on this page, so check its own pages for what it does and how it is run.

What Watcharr is built for

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste one public IMDb list into the web app and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [3]

The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. [3] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. [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]

For shows, Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids, leaves out the ones it cannot match, and tells you which 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 household, and a title on two lists is added only once. [3]

Pricing and fees

MDBList offers a Supporter membership, with sign-up linked through Memberful and Patreon. [1] The facts do not publish a price for that membership, so the amount is not stated here.

Watcharr has no price in its claims, so no plan or fee is published here either. No card fee from a payment service is stated for MDBList or Watcharr, so those parts are not published.

Kometa's price does not appear in the facts for this page, so check its own pages before you plan around a total cost.

Setting it up with your server

MDBList's facts say little about connecting to Radarr or Sonarr. Its pages describe importing external lists from Trakt, IMDb and other sources, [2] but say nothing about how those connect to Radarr or Sonarr, so check its pages for that step.

For Watcharr, nothing is installed; you paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr and one for Sonarr. [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] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [3] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [3] The claims for Kometa say nothing here, so check its own pages for the setup steps.

Things to check before you choose

Start with what each tool connects to. MDBList's facts do not describe connecting to Radarr or Sonarr, so check its own pages before you rely on it. Watcharr turns an IMDb list into Radarr and Sonarr links. [3]

Ask how each list refreshes. Watcharr's links are checked by Radarr every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [3] Ask how you sign in and what it costs, since no price for MDBList or Watcharr is published here. Ask whether your library wants curated lists, ratings from many platforms or Trakt sync, and check Kometa's pages for what it offers.

How to choose

If you want dynamic, auto-updating lists built from your tastes, MDBList says it does that. [2]

If you want to turn one public IMDb list into working Radarr and Sonarr links, Watcharr does that. [3] If you want nothing installed and no account to start, its hosted version covers that. [3] If you want a list that keeps serving the last version that loaded when a read fails, Watcharr covers that. [3]

No price for any of the three is published here, so check each one's own pages before you choose.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free version of MDBList or Watcharr?

MDBList offers a Supporter membership, with sign-up linked through Memberful and Patreon, [1] but the facts do not publish its price, so no free or paid tier is stated here. Watcharr has no price in its claims, so no plan is published here. Check each one's own pages for what signing up or paying would cost.

How do you connect MDBList to Radarr or Sonarr?

The facts for MDBList describe importing external lists, [2] but they do not describe connecting them to Radarr or Sonarr. Check MDBList's own pages for that step before you rely on it. Watcharr gives a Radarr link and a Sonarr link from one pasted IMDb list. [3]

How often does Watcharr update the lists?

Each Watcharr link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. [3] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. [3] If a read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [3]

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, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. [3]

Can Watcharr handle more than one IMDb list?

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. [3] For shows, Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids, leaves out the ones it cannot match, and tells you which it skipped. [3]

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

Try Watcharr

Sources

  1. MDBList, mdblist.com, read 2026-10-07
  2. MDBList, docs.mdblist.com, read 2026-10-07
  3. Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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