Keeping track of shows sounds like it should be simple, but most TV and movie tracker apps end up feeling messy. I have tried a lot of them, and I even got to the point where I was just using the Trakt website because the apps were not doing everything in a clean way.
Showcase is the first one I have used in a while that feels like it gets the basics right: what I am watching, what is available now, what is coming next, and what I have already marked as watched.
Quick Answer
Showcase is an iPhone app for tracking TV shows and movies. You can use it on its own, or you can import and sync with Trakt if you already use Trakt to manage your watch history.
The main reason it stands out is the interface. It is clean, fast to understand, and focused on the things I actually check: upcoming episodes, available episodes, alerts, show details, where to watch, and my watch history.
What Showcase Does
At its core, Showcase helps you keep track of shows you want to watch and shows you have already watched. That is not a new idea, but the way Showcase presents the information is what makes it useful.
The app is organized around tabs like Upcoming, Available, Alerts, Profile, and Search. That gives you a simple workflow: find shows, follow them, see when episodes are coming, and mark things as watched when you finish them.
The website for the app is getshowcase.app, and it includes an App Store link if you want to make sure you are downloading the right one.
Trakt Support
For me, Trakt support is a big part of why Showcase matters. I use Trakt to keep track of TV shows and movies I have watched over the years, and Showcase can import that information.
You do not need Trakt to use Showcase. You can add shows directly in the app and track everything there. But if you already have a Trakt history, importing it saves a lot of time.
In my case, Showcase brought in a large library from Trakt, including hundreds of shows I have watched or followed over the years. Some of those shows are long finished, but having the history available still matters.
- Trakt import is useful if you already have an existing watch history.
- Trakt sync makes Showcase more valuable if you move between apps and services.
- You can still use Showcase without Trakt.
Upcoming And Available
The Upcoming tab shows episodes and premieres that are not out yet. This is where I can see what is coming soon from the shows I follow.
The Available tab is the one I use more often. It shows episodes that are already out and ready to watch. Each item can show how many days ago it became available, which makes it easy to decide what to catch up on next.
This is the part of the app that fits my real use best. I do not want to dig through streaming apps trying to remember what came out. I want one clean list of what is available from the shows I already care about.
Marking Episodes Watched
When you finish an episode, you can swipe on it and mark it as watched. After a few seconds, the app refreshes and the item disappears from the available list.
That delay is worth knowing about. It does not always update the exact second you swipe. In my use, it can take a few seconds before the list refreshes and the episode is cleared out.
It would be nice if this happened instantly, but the behavior is understandable once you know what to expect.
Search And Discovery
Search lets you look up TV shows and movies, but it also includes discovery sections like new and trending titles. One section I especially like is new shows, because I often look through Trakt for upcoming series that might interest me.
When you open a show page, you can follow or unfollow it, view it on TMDB, send feedback if something looks wrong, see seasons, watch trailers, and browse cast and crew details.
The cast pages are also useful. You can tap an actor and see more information about them, including featured shows or movies and a timeline of recent work.
Alerts And Notifications
Showcase has an Alerts section for things like episodes coming out today, this week, or this month. It is basically a notification-focused view of what is happening with your followed shows.
In settings, you can turn on notifications for releases, big news, date reveals, and new trailers. If one of your followed shows or movies gets one of those updates, Showcase can notify you.
I do not personally spend a lot of time in Alerts, but the information is there if you want a more notification-driven way to track your shows.
Calendar And Imports
Showcase includes calendar support, but there is an important distinction: it pulls from a calendar. It does not put your shows onto your calendar.
That confused me at first. If you use another service that adds movies or shows to a calendar, Showcase can read from that calendar. But it is not creating calendar events for your tracked shows by itself.
The app also supports importing from services like Trakt and Letterboxd. I have used Letterboxd a bit, but for my workflow Trakt has been the better fit.
Profile And Settings
The Profile section shows stats about your library, including how many shows you have in Showcase, what you have watched, and what you have hidden.
Settings include region selection, notification controls, calendar options, import tools, and links to the app website and social channels.
The region setting matters because availability and where-to-watch information can vary depending on where you live. I have mine set to the United States.
Pricing And Pro
Showcase has a Pro version. In the video, the pricing shown was 10 euros per year or 30 dollars lifetime, though pricing can change over time.
I do not remember exactly which plan I bought or what every free-versus-Pro limitation is, so I would check the App Store listing before deciding. What I can say is that the app has been useful enough for me to keep using it.
Why I Like It
The biggest thing Showcase has going for it is restraint. It does not feel bloated. It gives me the information I came for without making the app feel heavy.
The developer also seems active and responsive. There is a Discord community for suggestions and bug reports, and I have seen the app improve over the months I have been using it.
I would still like to see an Apple Vision Pro version someday, especially because widgets in that environment could be useful. But even as an iPhone app, Showcase is now the tracker I am leaning toward.
Key Takeaways
- Showcase tracks TV shows and movies in a clean, easy-to-scan iPhone interface.
- You can use it by itself, but Trakt import and sync make it much more useful if you already track your watch history there.
- The Available tab is the most practical day-to-day view because it shows episodes that are ready to watch.
- The Upcoming tab helps you see premieres and future episodes before they come out.
- Calendar support imports from a calendar; it does not automatically add your shows to your calendar.
- The app includes alerts, show pages, trailers, cast details, where-to-watch info, widgets, and Pro features.
Watch the Video
The video above for the full walkthrough of Showcase on iPhone, including the app layout, search, Trakt import, alerts, settings, and how I use the Available and Upcoming views to keep track of what to watch next.
