What is Simkl & How to Use It: In this guide, I’ll walk you through what Simkl is and how to use it. Simkl is a third-party watch history tracker that works with several platforms and apps, including Kodi, Plex, Jellyfin, Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Prime Video. For this demonstration, I’ll be using Kodi, but the steps are generally the same across all Simkl-supported platforms.

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What is Simkl?

Simkl is a tracking tool for movies, TV shows, and anime. It serves as an alternative to Trakt and TV Time, letting you sync your watch history across multiple streaming services and devices.

With Simkl, you can easily keep track of:

• The movies you’ve watched
• The episodes you’ve finished
• The anime series or films you’ve completed

It acts like a personal streaming assistant by analyzing your viewing habits and preferences. Simkl also keeps a record of what you watched, where you watched it, and offers recommendations for similar shows, movies, or anime. If any recommended titles catch your eye, you can add them to your watchlist. You can also mark content as “I’ve seen this” to update your history. Simkl’s interface is clean, intuitive, and designed to be beginner-friendly. It’s easy to navigate and requires minimal setup.

Simkl Pricing

While many features are available for free, Simkl offers a premium experience through optional subscriptions:

• Pro – $2.91/month
• VIP – $5.83/month
• Lifetime VIP – $149 one-time payment

These plans unlock additional features and customization options.

Simkl Features

Simkl offers a range of useful features for tracking and managing your watch history. Here are some of the key highlights:

• Both free and premium subscription options
• Track your TV shows, movies, and anime with automatic syncing across all your devices
• Compatible with multiple platforms and streaming services
• Personalized content recommendations based on your viewing habits
• Discover new, trending, and popular titles across genres
• Share your watchlists and collections with other users
• Built-in search function to quickly find specific titles
• Import your existing watch history from other platforms like Trakt, Plex, Letterboxd, and IMDb
• The free plan includes ads to support the service

How to Set Up Simkl on Kodi

Simkl supports a variety of platforms, including Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, Stremio, and Kodi. It can also be integrated with certain FireStick apps like Syncler+ and Weyd. For this guide, I’ll demonstrate the setup using Kodi, but the steps are generally similar across other supported platforms.

The setup process is broken down into two main parts:

1. Creating a Simkl Account
2. Installing and Configuring Simkl on Kodi

Part 1: Sign Up for a Simkl Account

To get started with Simkl, follow these steps to create your free account:

1. Open your web browser and go to https://simkl.com. In the top right corner, click Join SIMKL.
2. You’ll be taken to the sign-up/sign-in page. You can sign up using your Google, Apple, or email account. In this example, we’ll choose Email Sign Up.
3. Fill in your name, email address, and password. Then click Create Free Account.
4. After signing up, Simkl will offer to import your watch history from other platforms (such as Trakt, IMDb, or Plex). You can either proceed with the import or choose Skip to do it later.
5. On the next screen, click Start Using Simkl.
6. You’ll be taken to the welcome page where Simkl introduces its VIP subscription plans.
7. Now, navigate to your Profile to complete the setup. You’ll be prompted to verify your email address.
8. Check your email inbox for a verification message from Simkl. Click the verification link inside the email.
9. Once your email is verified, your Simkl account setup is complete. You’re now ready to connect Simkl to Kodi or any other compatible platform.

Part 2: Install Simkl on Kodi

Simkl has an official Kodi addon available in the Kodi Addon Repository. Here’s how to install and connect it:

1. Launch Kodi and go to Settings (gear icon on the home screen).
2. Select Add-ons.
3. Click on Install from repository.
4. Choose Kodi Add-on Repository from the list.
5. Scroll down and select Services.
6. Locate and click on Simkl TV Tracker.
7. Hit Install to begin downloading the addon.
8. After a few seconds, you’ll see a notification confirming the Simkl TV Tracker Addon Installed.
9. Once installed, you’ll be prompted to link your Simkl account with Kodi. A PIN code will appear on your screen.
10. On your computer or mobile browser, go to https://simkl.com/pin. Log in to your Simkl account if you haven’t already.
11. Enter the PIN code shown on Kodi, then click Yes to allow Kodi Scrobbler access to your Simkl account.
12. You’ll see a Congratulations message on your browser. Back on Kodi, a Login Successful notification will appear.

You’re all set! Simkl is now successfully integrated with Kodi and will start tracking your watch history automatically.

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How to Use Simkl

Simkl is a user-friendly tracking service with a simple and intuitive interface. Once your account is set up, you can start importing your watch history, connecting your favorite streaming apps like Kodi or Plex, and organizing your media libraries. We’ve already gone over how to connect Simkl with Kodi. Now, let’s look at how to import your watch history, manage your lists, and navigate the Simkl dashboard.

Getting Started with Simkl

To begin, open the Simkl web interface (you can also use their apps for Android, iOS, and other platforms). Make sure you’re logged into your account. When you first access the dashboard, the sections such as Recently Watched, My List, and Plan to Watch will appear empty. This is because no data has been imported yet.

How to Import Watch History

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Simkl homepage and click the Import link.

2. You’ll see a list of services that Simkl supports for importing, including:

   • Trakt

   • AniList

   • IMDb

   • EpisodeCalendar

3. Click the Connect button next to the platform you want to import from.

4. Sign in to your selected service with your credentials.

5. When prompted, click Yes to grant Simkl access to import your watch history.

6. Finally, choose Import all episodes, shows, and movies. Your Simkl account will then update with your viewing history from the connected service.

Manually Add Titles to Your List

If you prefer to manually add content:

1. Use the search bar to find the show, movie, or anime.

2. Click on the title to open its details page.

3. Click Add to Watchlist, then select a list status:

• Completed
• On Hold
• Dropped

Using the Simkl Dashboard

Once your lists are updated, your dashboard will start to show activity under:

• Recently Watched
• My List
• Plan to Watch

You can now track progress on your content. For example, shows you’ve finished will display 100% Watch Progress. You’ll also see other helpful details like:

• Where to watch
• Genre
• Rating
• Last and next aired episode
• Air dates
• Plot summaries

Additionally, user ratings and comments offer insights into what others think about the content.

Discover Trending & Popular Content

To explore trending content:

1. Click the Trending tab on the Simkl menu.

2. Use filters such as:

• Best This Year
• Genres
• Most Watched
• Most Voted

This helps you discover what’s popular or worth watching across different categories.

Social & Profile Features

Simkl also includes social features:

• Customize your profile
• Follow other users
• See shows and movies you’ve rated

These tools make it easy to interact with others, get recommendations, and keep track of your media habits.

Simkl vs Trakt: Which Watchlist Tracker Is Better?

Both Simkl and Trakt are popular services designed to help you track your watchlists and sync your viewing data across devices. But how do they stack up against each other? Let’s compare them based on several important factors:

Features

Simkl offers a rich set of features, including detailed progress tracking, a comprehensive content calendar, watchlists, and personalized recommendations tailored to your recent viewing habits. It particularly shines in the anime category, allowing you to track your anime watch history without needing additional plugins.

Trakt, while strong in scrobbling and integrations, provides a more basic feature set. It covers essentials like watchlists, custom recommendations, and an upcoming shows calendar. Trakt also has social features that let you follow friends and chat about movies and shows. However, tracking anime watch history requires third-party plugins.

Supported Platforms and Integration

Simkl supports platforms such as Kodi, Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin. For Kodi users, an official addon is available directly from the Kodi addon repository. Plex users rely on a standalone app for watchlist tracking, while Emby and Jellyfin integrations come via plugins. Simkl also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, which track viewing on sites like YouTube and Netflix.

Trakt is also highly compatible, with official addons and plugins for Kodi, Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin, plus API integration for apps like Stremio. Its biggest strength is integration: Trakt connects with over 100 streaming apps, supported by a broad developer community building plugins using its API. However, Trakt lacks browser extensions.

Interface and User Experience

Simkl features a modern, clean, and beginner-friendly interface. Content is well organized into clear sections for TV, movies, and anime. Helpful filters make it easy to find exactly what you want, and your watch history, upcoming shows, trending content, and popular lists are all displayed neatly. Trakt’s interface is also intuitive but can feel overwhelming at first due to its social features like following users and commenting on shows. Once familiar, it’s straightforward to use, with access to your watchlists, community and friends’ lists, recommendations, and simple options to add and rate content.

Data Import and Export

Simkl excels in this area by offering built-in tools to import your watchlists and tracking data from services such as Trakt, TV Time, and MyAnimeList. It also lets you export your Simkl data as CSV files—useful for backups or migrating to another tracker. Trakt does not provide native options to import data from other platforms but allows exporting your watchlists and history as CSV files for use elsewhere.

Free and Premium Plans

Simkl provides both free and paid subscription options. The free tier includes unlimited tracking of TV shows, movies, and anime, calendar reminders, import/export functionality, and personalized recommendations. Paid plans start at $2.91/month, with the popular VIP tier at $5.83/month offering exclusive perks like access to a VIP Discord channel, beta features, auto backups, and advanced export options. Simkl occasionally runs promotions, including a free VIP package after 20 days of consistent use, and offers legacy plans for students and supporters.

Trakt’s free plan remains available but is now limited, restricting users to a maximum of 100 lists across collections and watchlists—a constraint for those with large libraries. The premium Trakt VIP plan costs $6/month or $60/year, which is a price increase from the previous $30/year. Legacy and promotional plans have been phased out, which has caused dissatisfaction among some longtime users.

• Simkl is feature-rich, especially for anime fans, with strong data import/export and a modern UI.
• Trakt excels at broad platform integration and social features but has more limited native functionality and recent restrictions on free plans.

Your choice depends on your priorities—if you want deeper anime support and flexible data management, Simkl is a great pick. If you value extensive app integrations and social interactions, Trakt may be more suitable.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you watch shows on Simkl?

No, you can’t watch shows and movies on Simkl. The platform doesn’t host any content. Instead, it provides metadata to help you track the movies, TV shows, and anime you’ve watched. It also recommends content based on your watch habits, as well as reveals trending and popular titles.

Is Simkl free?

Simkl is a freemium service. While it offers a free tier with a significant number of helpful tracking features, it also offers paid plans with exclusive features. However, the free plan is sufficient for casual users seeking a decent tracking service for movies and TV shows.

Is Simkl legal?

Yes, Simkl is 100% legal. It doesn’t host or distribute any content. The platform also contains links that direct you to legal streaming websites where you can watch the content.

Does Simkl work on Stremio?

Yes, Simkl works on Stremio. It offers a third-party Stremio addon that you can install on the platform to track your watchlists.

Winding Up

Simkl lets you track your TV shows, movies, and anime watch lists. It is a good Trakt alternative offering more features in the free tier, including unlimited tracking of all your libraries, an import feature for your lists on other tracking services, and a discover function for new releases and upcoming titles. It’s a decent option if you are looking for a beginner-friendly tracker for what you are watching on various devices and platforms. Have you tried Simkl? Kindly share your thoughts and experience in the comments section below.