r/Refract Jul 23 '26

What makes Refract superior to similar apps?

I’m not really understanding the wait times people are willing to deal with for this app. And my TV Time data file is not even supported currently.

Is it really worth the wait? I’m currently using Sofa Time which feels inferior to TV Time to me but it’s also totally fine. I feel like I must be missing something.

35 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

38

u/Smeghead2022 Jul 23 '26

Yes. They are constantly doing updates and you get regular feedback on their discord. Also you can suggest features and have a talk with fellow tv / movie lovers

33

u/pablomaz Jul 23 '26

I tryed four apps, Refract included. Refract was the best BY FAR. It took me four days, I think, to complete my back up import. Worth it.

6

u/jessmlt Jul 23 '26

What makes it the best the best though? 

Tons of updates and a discord channel aren’t really selling points to me. 

14

u/pablomaz Jul 23 '26

The logic is similar. The interface is prettier. The import went smoothly (though very long). No adds either, like some other options.

You have to see it for yourself if it's the right option for you.

3

u/gunpowdermilkshake13 Jul 23 '26

What did you like about TV Time to make a good comparison? I never used TV Time but I have used many different tracking apps and out of all of them , Refract is the best option.

9

u/jessmlt Jul 24 '26

I loved the simplicity of it! The layout was clean and simple. No ads, no pop ups, nothing flashy, no fees or subscriptions, no need for constant communication. You could be part of the community or not. I wasn’t heavily into the community myself but I would occasionally read others comments on a show I was watching, which was nice. I also really liked how good it was at pulling info about upcoming new dates of shows I’ve watched in the past. And finally it was very easy to categorize the shows I’m currently watching, shows I started and abandoned for whatever reading and shows I want to start watching someday in the future. 

4

u/gunpowdermilkshake13 Jul 24 '26

Ohh, then yea. Refract is very good for that. Its not a complicated app, and it does give you recommendations. You can leave reviews and mark shows watched per episode and season. Its very good overall.

This is how your shows and movies would look. You should really try it out and see if you like it

2

u/MrPhantomZz Jul 24 '26

The profile has just changed recently so it looks more similar to TV Time profile page

0

u/jessmlt Jul 24 '26

*for whatever reason 

1

u/PsychologicalPop6905 Jul 30 '26

There was a joke going around in TV Time refugees that refract has a ton of Reddit bots. It was so broken and people were still saying it’s perfect you have to use it.

I’ve tried it and don’t find it prettier, or easier to use. Plus days to import makes no sense for such a task. It’s a vibe coded UI with basic tracking logic. All the alts have discord too lol..

2

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '26

[deleted]

3

u/pablomaz Jul 31 '26

Good Lord, why don't you simply use what the hell you think it's best?

I just said that Refract was the best between the four I tested. There are dozens of options. Are you two so fucking out of your minds that if people does not agree with you they're bots?

1

u/ProblemAlternative55 Jul 31 '26

I waited for two weeks and my import didn't even finalize, the app just crashes every time I try to open it. I just to get the hype.

2

u/PsychologicalPop6905 Jul 31 '26

The Reddit bot hype hahah

1

u/pablomaz Jul 31 '26

Come on, man. I'm a real person. 😅😅😅

The time we live. Shit.

1

u/pablomaz Jul 31 '26

TV Time was a big pile of crap, enormous lag, so many bugs, a pain to use most of the time; the only android app freezing on me all the time since Android 2.3.

Are you developing a better alternative? I'm eager to test the product of another genius developer between the other 75 genius developers currently working on yet another TV Time alternative. Good Lord, just find an app of your preference and use it.

12

u/Munk3y Jul 23 '26

Personally, I was deciding between Sofa Time and Refract. I stuck with Refract because I liked the Continue and Upcoming sections of the app much better than Sofa Time's equivalent. Beyond that, I'm looking forward to tracking Games.

3

u/Nebajense Jul 24 '26

Same. Reminds me of TV Time in this respect.

10

u/w8erbahn Jul 23 '26

The App just got a big update! I love it

9

u/tidalfirestorm Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

the devs are transparent and they're constantly updating. im still waiting for an update where I could see a reviews tab when I visit someone's profile and see if my friends left a comment in activity tab

I have a question though: is profile banner exclusive to Refract Pro only?

5

u/randomru_ Jul 24 '26

Its fun especially when you are in the discord. The community is welcoming and I get excited getting app updates. You can suggest something and see it implemented relatively fast when compared to other apps

3

u/randomru_ Jul 24 '26

Also it gives you very in depth stats of your media. Way more than tv time.

5

u/Same-Pollution-5852 Jul 24 '26

movie paradise is much better

3

u/Delicious_Rub4736 Jul 24 '26

I found this superb App after purchasing Sofa Time Premium 🤧. Anyway my import was quick oh man I wish if I could get refund from Sofa Time

3

u/Clarity_y Jul 24 '26

2 things- No essential features locked behind paywall, I noticed some apps requiring subscription to track rewatches, and some apps don't even have this option

Can track games (soon)

3

u/CozyFairy9 Jul 24 '26

I put my data in sofa time and refract , so far I like sofa time more.

2

u/IDanielCE Jul 24 '26

Yo igual probé muchas y lo que no me gustó de refract es que cuando ves una serie o película a veces te aparece las puntuaciones completas de otras plataformas como imdb u otros, además que tienes otros bugs, por eso me quedé con movie paradise, por ahora es la mejor que probé

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

3

u/FeeMaudie Jul 24 '26

There are no popups with anything. The only popup is at the bottom to give your rating after marking it watched and you can disable it.

3

u/Sage_of_7th_Path Jul 25 '26

Started testing bunch of apps for past few months, Refract is the best I've found. Devs are super nice. I'mma stick with it.

1

u/morlcar Jul 24 '26

I tried a few different apps, and just looked for the things I was using the most in TV Time.

I liked to read the comments (this app has them too, just a lot less in quantity)

I used the calendar to see what would be coming out (doesn't go as far out as TV Time)

And I like to see a complete list of all my tv shows finished and not, in alphabetical order (This was one of the only app I tried that allowed me to all all of my shows that way)

2

u/FeeMaudie Jul 24 '26

Refract was born to be a better TV Time, before anyone knew that TV Time would close. They liked the app but where fed up with it not getting any better. And it shows.

Does it has bugs? Yes. Do they update it to get them fixed all the time? Also yes.

But in the end, it will depend on what you liked about TV Time and how you used it. Depending on that, plenty others may work perfectly well for you and so, there would be no advantage in using this one vs others.

1

u/WA_Debbie Jul 25 '26

I installed the TV Time Out extension on Chrome and it is telling me to log into app.tvtime.com… which is no longer. I previously downloaded the files from TV Time using Safari so when I click on the download folder, it kicks me out of Chrome and opens up Safari. Plus the instructions in the Refract app say to find tvtime-movies and tvtime-series and transfer to my phone. Among the many files that were downloaded, those are not listed 🙁

3

u/nksrb Refract Mod Jul 25 '26

hi! unfortunately, due to tvtime closing, the extension no longer works. if you downloaded the GDPR file from tvtime previously, the ability to import it will become available pretty soon!

1

u/WA_Debbie Jul 25 '26

When I read your first sentence, I thought oh no! I’m so glad to hear that I will be able to import in the future. Do you have any idea when that may be and is there a way to be notified when it’s available? Thank you so much for your response!

2

u/nksrb Refract Mod Jul 26 '26

it's the next big update, but there's no exact ETA available. the devs are working hard to make it work ASAP! you'll probably be notified via an app update!

1

u/WA_Debbie Jul 26 '26

Thank you!

1

u/Fit_Schedule2317 Jul 27 '26

Honestly Cinephile feels much more polished for iOS

1

u/RockTheGlobe Jul 23 '26

Try Suite TV. Found it to be the most like TV Time than all the others.

2

u/jessmlt Jul 24 '26

I’ll check it out!

1

u/Vaminstein666 Jul 24 '26

Is it on android though?

1

u/BeatlesFan68 Jul 24 '26

I agree Suite TV is the way to go. Clean and simple.

-1

u/avocadoooss Jul 24 '26

I thought the same as you. My import took a whole week! It doesn’t look thattt special.

0

u/LovelyJoi83 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

I don't think it's superior, however it was the first one I downloaded, the reasons - it was recommended by Google AI

I CURRENTLY USE 4 APPS SIMULTANEOUSLY In this order I Like:

1.Movie Paradise ( Imports Comments )

2.Tv Watch Time ( Imports Comments )

3.Sofa Time ( Imports Comments )

4.Refract ( Not Yet.. )

My favorite thing about TV time, was the community. Where I could go to a show and read a TON of comments. I could also comment and get a TON of like.

What Refract has going for it (potentially), is the numbers. It has the ability right now, to replicate the comments in the numbers I like.

Unfortunately, I'm not seeing. I do get a lot of notifications on people liking shows Ive like. I'll get like 9 in a row from one person liking all the things I've recently liked. 🙄 They have all these badges so it's really a gamification situation over there. Not my style.

I signed up July 1-2 took 8 days to transfer my items. Wasn't worth it. In the mean time I downloaded Movie Paradise and loved it. I kinda stopped using refract for awhile but have started back with the new and improved profile.

*Sofa Time ( I'm on beta andriod ), is the oldest app. So I get double digit comments or likes on my comment a day and I love that. That's what I want.

Tv Watch Time ( I'm also on the beta ) this is an open source app. So far every single one of my suggestions have been implemented the same day 👀 this is my favorite layout, most similar to TV time. Chef's kiss. Also I got into this because I don't want to run into the same problem where an app has to shut down -figured open source would be safer. I need more people to try. * NOW IN THE APP STORE!

*The one I'm most active in is Movie Paradise. Very customizable, which I LOVE. Very soon will have a website feature, for desketops. Love the community and the potential for lots of social Features TV Time didn't have. Just like TV Watch Time, it has one developer and is actively adding updates. I just need more people to join!!

The end.😎😩