TodoMovies vs Kernel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TodoMovies
This app helps you discover, track, and organize your movie-watching experience. Manage your watchlist, build custom collections, and stay updated on new releases and celebrity news. It features rich movie information, powerful discovery tools, and a beautiful iOS design.
- Manage watchlist and watched lists
- Build custom movie collections
- Discover new releases and curated lists
- Browse cast and crew filmographies
- Watch HD trailers and view movie photos
- Receive release and celebrity news
- Backup and restore watchlists
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TodoMovies - Your Ultimate Movie Companion The most beautiful and comprehensive movie tracking app for iOS. Manage your watchlist, discover new films, and never miss a great movie again. Smart Movie Management • Create "To Watch" and "Watched" lists with ease • Build custom collections like "Best Action Movies" or "Movies to Download" • Rate movies and sort by your ratings • Add watched dates and personal comments to track your movie journey Rich Movie Information • Browse by genres, in-theaters, and upcoming releases • Explore curated lists by the TodoMovies team • Detailed cast profiles with actor/director filmographies • Bonus scene indicators for movies with post-credit content Powerful Discovery • Search-as-you-type through tens of thousands of movies and people • Browse stunning edge-to-edge movie posters • Watch HD trailers in fullscreen without leaving the app • Browse movie photos and fan artwork in full-screen Stay Updated • Movie news feed with the latest industry updates • Release notifications for when movies hit theaters • Celebrity news and entertainment updates Data Management • Backup and restore your watchlists as a single file • Restore from clipboard for easy data transfer • No accounts required - your data stays private Global Experience • Localized in 11 languages • Global release dates and localized trailers • iTunes Store integration for movie-related downloads Why TodoMovies? Featured by Apple, Empire Magazine, 9to5Mac, AppAdvice, and BeautifulPixels, TodoMovies puts movie artwork front and center with its stunning iOS design. Whether you're a casual moviegoer or a film enthusiast, our app helps you discover, track, and enjoy movies like never before. Perfect for: • Movie enthusiasts who want to track their viewing history • Film buffs looking to discover new releases and classics • Anyone who wants to organize their movie watching experience • Users who appreciate beautiful, intuitive iOS design Attribution: This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
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.
- 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
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Kernel is the movie and TV show tracker that counts down to every release and tells you where to watch it. Add what you want to see to your watchlist, get a countdown and a reminder on release day, find out where it's streaming in your country, and rate it once you've seen it. Can't remember the title? Describe it and Kernel AI finds it. RELEASE COUNTDOWNS Add upcoming movies and shows and Kernel counts down the days on your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch, then reminds you when they're out. WHERE TO WATCH See whether a movie or show is streaming, for rent or to buy on Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and more, for the country you're in. TOP 10 ON EVERY SERVICE What's most popular right now on Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+, Prime Video and HBO Max. KERNEL AI MOVIE FINDER Forgot the name? Describe the plot, a scene or an actor and Kernel AI finds the movie or show. RATE IT Half-star ratings for movies, shows and every episode, plus the Kernel Rating from everyone else. WATCHLIST AND PLAYLISTS Seen, Upcoming and a playlist for every mood, synced with iCloud. SHARE WITH FRIENDS Send a movie, show or episode. The link opens straight in Kernel and shows a rich preview in Messages. WIDGETS AND APPLE WATCH Countdown, Up Next and Kernel AI widgets, a Control Center button, and an Apple Watch app with complications. ON EVERY SCREEN iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, and made for iPhone Duo. Kernel is a tracker and a guide. It doesn't play movies itself; it shows you where you can watch them. Available in English and Spanish. KERNEL PREMIUM Kernel AI includes free searches every month. Kernel Premium unlocks unlimited Kernel AI searches and opens any title in its streaming app with one tap. Kernel Premium is a weekly, monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://kernelmovieapp.com/privacy-policy.html Movie and show information, posters and artwork belong to their respective owners. Studio logos and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: TodoMovies at free with in-app purchases against Kernel's subscription. TodoMovies also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 224). Kernel's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. TodoMovies sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Kernel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
TodoMovies holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TodoMovies has 2.1K ratings behind it against 224, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of TodoMovies's written reviews are positive against 65% of Kernel's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
TodoMovies ships an update every 6 weeks, Kernel every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.
| Parameter | TodoMovies | Kernel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.1K ratings) — better | 4.0 (224 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | 64.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 224 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Screenplay & Script Pte. Ltd. | Nikias Molina |
Customer experience
TodoMovies
Kernel
User reviews
TodoMovies
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent movie tracking app
- 👍 Beautiful and intuitive UI
- 💡 Useful features like custom lists and movie info
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
- 🐛 Lists and data being lost/deleted
- 🔍 Outdated movie information and release dates
- 💸 Expensive paid upgrade
Kernel
From 224 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Bugs and requests
TodoMovies
Reported bugs
4 issues- Search bar disappearing after use
- Crashes when accessing lists
- Inability to remove movies from lists
- Notifications not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to sort and filter lists
- Sync across devices via iCloud or account
- Option to add notes and set watched dates
- Integration with streaming services
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 moreShow fewer
- Develop an iPad version of the app
In-app purchases
TodoMovies
- Unlimited Custom Lists and remove Ads$4.99
Kernel
- Weekly$0.997 Days
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$15.991 Year
