Comparison

Kernel vs Sofa Time

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Kernel

This AI-powered app helps you discover, organize, and share movies and TV shows. Describe a title to find it, get recommendations directly from friends, and track upcoming releases. It also shows you where to stream content across various services.

Highlights
  • AI-powered search by description
  • Direct friend recommendations
  • Create movie/TV show playlists
  • Automatic release tracking and notifications
  • Streaming service availability
  • Widgets and Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Kernel is your AI-powered companion for movies and shows. Discover, organize, and share what to watch, all in one remarkably simple app. • Describe it, we’ll find it Forgot the name? Just describe the movie or show and Kernel AI will find it for you. • Recommend directly Effortlessly share what you’re watching. Your friends can now receive recommendations right on their Kernel profile. • Create playlists for Movies and TV Shows Save what you’ve seen, what you want to watch, and everything in between. • Track releases automatically Add upcoming titles and get notified as they approach. Stay on top of every release without any effort. • Know where to stream See exactly where to watch across services like Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Disney+, and more. • Built-in widgets & Apple Watch support Keep your most anticipated releases front and center, on your home screen or your wrist. Available in English and Spanish. Photos and artwork used on Kernel are the property of their respective owners. Studio logos and other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Information about the auto-renewable Subscription: * Subscription terms are 1 week, 1 month or 1 year. The subscription is renewed every week, month or year. * Payments will be collected through your iTunes account after you confirm your purchase. * Auto-renewable Subscriptions will be renewed unless canceled 24 hours before the subscription expires. * You can cancel your subscription at this address: http://support.apple.com/HT202039 * Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sofa Time

This app helps you discover new TV shows and movies, track your viewing history, and find out where to stream content. It offers personalized recommendations, reminders for new releases, and social features to discuss shows with others.

Highlights
  • Discover new TV shows and movies
  • Track watched episodes and movies
  • Find streaming services worldwide
  • Create and manage watchlists
  • Set reminders for releases
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Sync watch history with Trakt.tv/Simkl
Features
Read full description

Never miss a show with Sofa Time - The Ultimate App for Tracking TV Shows and Movies with Trakt and Simkl! "The Sofa Time iOS app is perfect for keeping track of everything you’ve watched." - iGeeksBlog.com "Everything you need in one gorgeous app." - iDownloadBlog.com "A Full-Featured Movie and TV Tracker." - appadvice.com Sofa Time (formerly TVSofa) is your go-to app for tracking what you’re watching, discovering new shows and movies, and staying up-to-date with the latest releases. ------------ Key Features: · DISCOVER: Find new TV shows and movies tailored to your taste by genre, popularity, and more. · TRACK: Effortlessly track the episodes and movies you’ve watched. · STREAMING GUIDE: Instantly see where to stream your favorite shows and movies across 500+ services worldwide, including Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO, and more. · WATCHLIST: Create and manage a personalized watchlist for all the shows and movies you plan to watch next. · REMINDERS: Set reminders so you never miss an episode or movie release. · SOCIAL: Join the conversation—see what others think about the shows and movies you’re interested in. · RECOMMENDATIONS: Get personalized recommendations based on your viewing history. · WIDGETS: Stay updated with exclusive Widgets for your iPhone or iPad. · SYNC: Seamlessly sync your watchlists and viewing history across all your devices with Trakt.tv or Simkl. Whether you’re a binge-watcher or a casual viewer, Sofa Time has everything you need to keep your TV and movie collection organized and up-to-date. Download Sofa Time today and start building your watchlist! PLEASE NOTE: Sofa Time does not stream or allow you to watch TV shows or movies within the app. Need help? Contact us at support@theclashsoft.com

Screenshots

Kernel4 screens
Sofa Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sofa Time at 4.7 against Kernel's 4.0. Sofa Time also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (88% vs 63%). Kernel's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Kernel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Sofa Time sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sofa Time holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sofa Time has 2.4K ratings behind it against 223, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Kernel's written reviews are positive against 88% of Sofa Time's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, Sofa Time every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kernel versus Sofa Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKernelSofa Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (223 ratings)4.7 (2.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews87.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2232.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB157 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperNikias MolinaThe Clash Soft

Customer experience

Kernel

All ratings223 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral8.1%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral14.6%
Negative22.5%

Sofa Time

All ratings2,353 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews865 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral5.5%
Negative6.7%

User reviews

Kernel

From 223 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Gorgeous, minimalist design
  • 🚀 Simple, clean, beautiful and intuitive design
  • 💡 Great app to keep track of movies
  • 💡 Fantastic UI, looks great and works smooth

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Missing key features like rating movies/shows
  • 🐛 Notifications don't work, app is unresponsive
  • 🐛 Inconsistent, buggy, and crashes often
  • 🐛 Annoying notifications prompt on every app launch

Sofa Time

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 🚀 Smooth and fast
  • 💡 Lots of customization options
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 👍 Excellent user interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🐛 Syncing issues with Trakt
  • 🐛 Slow loading times
  • 🐛 Discrepancies between data sources
  • 🐛 Missing some streaming service integrations

Bugs and requests

Kernel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Apple Watch app doesn't work, shows blank screen
  • Release dates are sometimes inaccurate
  • Can't remove movies from 'Upcoming' playlist after release

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to rate movies and shows
  • Implement a 'mark all as seen' feature for TV shows
  • Allow sorting playlists manually
  • Add support for more streaming services
  • Integrate Rotten Tomatoes ratings
Show 1 more
  • Develop an iPad version of the app

Sofa Time

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Watched shows disappearing from list
  • Unaired episodes showing as available
  • Issues with Trakt integration and syncing
  • Poster images not loading correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to rate individual episodes
  • Improve calendar view and navigation
  • Integrate with more streaming services
  • Add option to filter by new/returning shows
  • Allow sharing of personal watchlists

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Kernel

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Yearly$15.991 Year
2 purchases

Sofa Time

One-time2
  • Sofa Time Premium (lifetime)$7.99
  • Sofa Time Premium (Lifetime)$9.99

Questions

Is Kernel free?
Kernel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sofa Time free?
Sofa Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kernel or Sofa Time?
Sofa Time is rated higher. Kernel averages 4.0 out of 5 from 223 ratings, while Sofa Time averages 4.7 from 2.4K ratings.
Do Kernel or Sofa Time have ads?
Neither Kernel nor Sofa Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kernel or Sofa Time?
Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sofa Time every 4 days. Most recently, Kernel was updated on September 30, 2026 and Sofa Time on October 6, 2026.

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