Comparison

isitback vs Up Next

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

Head to head
About

isitback

Instantly discover if your favorite TV shows have been renewed or canceled, and find out exactly when the next episode airs. Get notified when a show returns, and easily search for shows, actors, and networks.

Highlights
  • Renewal/cancellation status
  • Next episode air dates
  • Push notifications for returns
  • Extensive show/actor search
  • Cast and network information
  • Where to watch links
Features
Read full description

Is it back? Get a straight answer. isitback tells you instantly whether a TV show was renewed, cancelled, or is coming back, and exactly when the next episode airs. No spoilers, no digging through articles. Just the answer. THE ANSWER, UP FRONT Open any show and the first thing you see is a clear verdict: returning, ended, in development, or between seasons - with the next air date or premiere when there is one. NEVER MISS A RETURN Tap Notify and we'll send a push the moment a show comes back. Follow the shows you care about and keep them a tap away. SEARCH EVERYTHING Instantly search 80,000+ shows, actors, and networks. Find what an actor is in next, or browse everything on a given network or in a genre. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SHOW - Renewal / cancellation status and return dates - Upcoming and recent episodes with air dates - Seasons, episode counts, runtime, and rating - Cast, with a tap through to each actor's other shows - Where to watch, with a quick link to the streamer NEVER MISS A RETURN Unlock notifications with a single one-time purchase — no subscription, ever — and get a push when your shows come back. Choose what you're alerted about: new episodes, new seasons, and renewal announcements. One unlock covers every show you follow, on all your devices. Stop Googling "is [show] renewed." Just open isitback.

About

Up Next

Read full description

Up Next keeps track of the movies and TV shows you want to watch, the ones you're in the middle of, and the ones you've finished. Add a title and Up Next fills in the details: poster, cast, ratings, where it's streaming, and when the next season airs. YOUR WATCHLIST • Separate tabs for TV Shows and Movies, in the order you want to watch them. • Shows you're partway through sit in Watching, at the top. • Mark TV seasons watched one at a time. When you finish every aired season, the show moves to Watched, and it comes back on its own when a new season starts. • Returning Soon and Coming Soon show premieres and releases from your watchlist over the next two weeks. • Rate what you’ve watched: thumbs up, meh, or thumbs down. SHARE WITH ONE OTHER PERSON • Share your whole watchlist with one other Apple Account over iCloud. You both add, check off, and reorder the same titles. • Get a notification when the other person adds or finishes something, and see recent changes in Activity. • Your streaming services are shared too, so "on my services" means the same thing to both of you. WHERE TO WATCH • Pick the streaming services you have. Each title shows where it's streaming, with your services listed first. • Filter your watchlist or Discover to what you can watch right now. • Choose your region for accurate availability. TITLE DETAILS • Cast, with a page for each actor's other movies and shows. • Every episode in every season, plus ratings for each season and episode. • More Like This, trailers, and links to TMDB and IMDb. SEARCH THE WAY YOU THINK • Type a title, or describe what you want: "hulu hockey comedy", "90s heist movies", "korean dramas", "tom hanks christmas". • Ask for more of something you liked: "shows like Ted Lasso", "movies like Inception on Netflix". • Streaming services, genres, decades, countries and people are all understood, and results show what's on your services. • On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, Up Next also reads plot descriptions ("movie where a guy relives the same day") and ranks "shows like…" by feel, not just subject. It all happens on your device; nothing you type leaves it. DISCOVER • Trending, Airing This Week, In Theaters, Top Rated, New Releases, and Recommended For You based on your watchlist. • Search for any movie or show and add it in one tap. COLLECTIONS • Group titles however you like: Christmas movies, Studio Ghibli, date night. • Suggestions for what else fits each collection. • Each collection tracks what you've watched in it separately from your Up Next queue. ALSO • Built for iOS 26, with full layouts on iPad. • Dark, light, or system appearance. • Syncs across your devices with iCloud. • No account, no ads, no tracking. Data and images provided by The Movie Database (TMDB). This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Screenshots

isitback3 screens
Up Next4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Up Next at none against isitback's 1. isitback's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. isitback sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Up Next asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

isitback ships an update fortnightly, Up Next every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
isitback versus Up Next: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterisitbackUp Next
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIntelligent Sands LLCEric Hermanson

In-app purchases

1 purchases

isitback

One-time1
  • IsItBack: Notifications$4.99
None

Up Next

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is isitback free?
isitback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Up Next free?
Up Next is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do isitback or Up Next have ads?
Neither isitback nor Up Next shows ads.
Which is updated more often, isitback or Up Next?
isitback ships an update fortnightly, and Up Next every 8 days. Most recently, isitback was updated on October 29, 2026 and Up Next on October 25, 2026.

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