# Kernel vs Sofa Time

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 (5 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

Kernel ships an update every 3 weeks, Sofa Time every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kernel | Sofa Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (223 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kernel/id1452608085/reviews) | **[4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sofa-time-tv-show-tracker/id1491037404/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 223 | **2.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | **88.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 35 MB | 157 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Nikias Molina](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684791845) | [The Clash Soft](https://appshunter.io/developer/341434103) |

## What reviewers say

### Kernel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kernel/id1452608085)

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:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $15.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Sofa Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sofa-time-tv-show-tracker/id1491037404)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sofa Time Premium (lifetime) | $7.99 | one-time |
| Sofa Time Premium (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 3 weeks, and Sofa Time every 4 days. Most recently, Kernel was updated on October 9, 2026 and Sofa Time on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*