Comparison

ShowFlow vs Stacks

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

Head to head
About

ShowFlow

This app helps you track your favorite TV shows, organize your watchlist, and get notified when new episodes air. It offers one-tap streaming to your preferred services and provides detailed viewing statistics. Designed for privacy, your data stays on your device.

Highlights
  • Smart watchlist with filters
  • One-tap streaming to services
  • Episode air date notifications
  • Customizable show tags
  • Detailed viewing statistics
  • Private, no account required
  • Add shows in seconds
Features
Read full description

Every show you watch, finally in order. ShowFlow is a fast, private, native iPhone app that tracks your TV in episode-perfect detail — so you always know what to watch next, when new episodes air, and exactly where to stream them. Most trackers were built for collectors. ShowFlow was built for people who actually want to watch the next episode tonight. A SMARTER WATCHLIST Not a wall of posters — a short, ranked list of what's actually ready for you. Five practical filters (Ready to Watch, New Tonight, Caught Up, Behind, All), with the next unwatched episode pre-expanded. Stop scrolling, start watching. CAN'T DECIDE? ROLL THE DICE Tap the die and let fate pick tonight's show — always your next unwatched episode, never a spoiler, never something that hasn't aired. Disagree with destiny? Roll again. SYNCED ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Your library, progress, and tags stay in step on every device — through your own private iCloud. No ShowFlow account, no ShowFlow servers. Your data syncs through infrastructure only your Apple ID can read. ONE-TAP STREAMING Every show knows where it lives. Tap the colored pill and the streaming app opens — Netflix, Hulu, Max, Apple TV+, and more. No app installed? ShowFlow opens the service's search page with the title pre-filled. No third-party redirects, no trackers. EPISODE NOTIFICATIONS A reminder with the show's poster at 9 AM on each episode's air day. Per-show toggles and custom times, with zero servers — every alert is scheduled and delivered by your phone. Never accidentally read a spoiler again. EVERY EPISODE, IN DETAIL Tap any episode for its description, air date, and runtime — and mark it watched right from the card. Placeholder "TBD" titles fix themselves the moment networks announce. Open any show to see its full cast with photos. ORGANIZE WITH TAGS A show can be a comedy and a comfort rewatch and something you watch with your partner. Unlimited custom tags — each with its own symbol or emoji — let you organize the way you actually think, then filter your library to any combination. YOUR STATS See how much TV you've really watched — Viewer Rank, real per-episode watch time, completion rate, top genres and networks, and your longest binge. Library Spread shows how your whole collection breaks down by genre, not just the part you've finished. Every Fun Fact opens up to show what's behind the number, genres carry their own colour and emoji, and you can pick any week on the activity chart to see exactly what you watched. Share a clean stats card with a friend. ADD ANYTHING IN SECONDS Search any series and tap it for a preview — poster, summary, network, when it airs — then add it with one tap. Results appear as you type, typos still find the right show, and every season, episode, and air date populates automatically. No account, no sign-in, no waiting. ASK SIRI "What's next in ShowFlow?" Your next episodes, by voice, without opening the app. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No servers. No analytics. No third-party trackers. Your watchlist lives on your device and syncs through your own private iCloud — readable only by your Apple ID. Your backup is a single file in your iCloud Drive you can read, copy, or delete. We never see what you watch — because there's no "we" that could. PAY ONCE, OWN IT FOREVER One quiet, focused TV tracker. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads. Buy it once and it's yours. TV data provided by TVMaze.

About

Stacks

Features
Read full description

Keep track of everything you watch and read. Stacks brings your shows, films and books together in one place – simple and clear. Features: - Track shows episode by episode - Manage films and books by status (Watchlist, Active, Finished, Paused, Dropped) - Rate titles and add notes - Smart lists that surface what matters (top rated, unfinished, recently added) - Barcode scanner to add books by ISBN - Notifications for new episodes of your shows – even while you wait for the next season - Statistics about your library - Organise with tags - Back up and restore your library - Dark mode - German and English - Cloud sync (optional) Film and TV data is provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Screenshots

ShowFlow4 screens
Stacks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Stacks at Free against ShowFlow's $1.99. Stacks also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Stacks is free to download; ShowFlow costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShowFlow ships an update every 6 weeks, Stacks every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ShowFlow versus Stacks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShowFlowStacks
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPerry KlosBobby Luong

In-app purchases

None

ShowFlow

No in-app purchases

None

Stacks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShowFlow free?
ShowFlow costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stacks free?
Stacks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShowFlow or Stacks have ads?
Neither ShowFlow nor Stacks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShowFlow or Stacks?
ShowFlow ships an update every 6 weeks, and Stacks every 3 days. Most recently, ShowFlow was updated on October 13, 2026 and Stacks on October 13, 2026.

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