5 Best IMDb Alternatives for Free Movie and TV Series Databases (2024)

The Internet Movie Database, or IMDb, is the world's most popular website and app to look up information about any film or TV show. But it has a few issues. There have been complaints about its rating system not being transparent. The site is owned by Amazon and aggressively promotes Prime Video content. And its famous discussion boards have now been reduced to just another place with unreliable reviews.

But there are free alternative movie databases that give you similar information. Some even let you choose ratings from different places to sort their databases. And fans of the old discussion boards have created better sites for you to chat about what you're watching.

1. TMDB (Web): Ad-Free, Community-Powered, Best IMDb Alternative

5 Best IMDb Alternatives for Free Movie and TV Series Databases (1)

TMDB has been around since 2008 and is entirely written and edited by its users, much like Wikipedia. And you won't find any ads or promotions if you register for a free account.

TMDB covers both films and TV series, with a detailed database for alternative titles, cast, crew, descriptions of each episode, runtime, and where it's currently streaming (works in certain countries). You'll also find user reviews and discussions for each entry, but be careful because you might easily come across spoilers. And finally, you can browse any publicly available media about the title, like trailers, posters, set images, and logos.

Registered users can also create personal watchlists to track what to watch or create public lists for others to see and contribute to. In select countries, you can also filter by streaming services to find what's available for you.

You'll find a lot of non-English and regional content on TMDb that you might not easily come across on IMDb, especially for older releases. It's so comprehensive that popular movie trackers like Trakt.TV and Letterboxd use this database. After all, there's a reason we've previously said The Movie Database is the best IMDb alternative out there.

2. All Movie (Web): Old-School & Simple Movie Database

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Launched in 1990, IMDb is almost as old as the world wide web. The next oldest movie database is AllMovie, which started in 1998 and still going strong. But while IMDb sports a modern look, AllMovie retains a sense of old-school simplicity and minimalism that is refreshing to browse. And it's only movies on this site, as you won't find TV series.

The main page shows a marquee banner of currently popular films, and you can then browse new and upcoming releases in a box. Two other sections show what's available to stream or buy digital, and current box office earnings. The rest of the site is about browsing by genre, mood, or theme, or using powerful search features to find what you want from its vast Hollywood and foreign films database.

Each title's page furthers the simplicity that AllMovie is known for. The first tab only gives you a synopsis, and then you can read an original review from the site's writers or user reviews. Finally, you'll find cast and crew information or awards it won. AllMovie isn't as comprehensive as IMDb or TMDB in the cast and crew details. Still, it usually covers the more famous or essential aspects of film-making.

3. TV Maze (Web): Comprehensive and Detailed TV Show Database

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While AllMovie is for films, TV Maze is for TV series and shows. This site focuses on what's playing on TV channels. And, of course, streaming services count as "channels."

The main page shows today's TV schedule in the sidebar and popular shows airing that day or upcoming season premieres. There's a detailed episode calendar to keep up with TV schedules, and registered users can also include their favorite streaming services. Plus, you can track your favorite series and get reminders whenever an episode is coming out.

TV Maze includes a comprehensive episode and season database for any TV show. You'll find cast and crew information, descriptions of each episode, guest stars, character biographies and appearances, a media gallery, and news.

The website mainly caters to channels or shows in the U.S. or U.K. While there are listings for other countries and shows at times, don't rely on TV Maze for those; instead, find local sites similar to this.

4. MovieChat (Web): Internet's Largest Discussion Boards for Film and TV

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In 2017, IMDb announced it was closing its discussion boards, a beloved part of the website for movie fans. After all, each film had its own forum, with multiple sub-topics for fans to talk about different aspects of the movie. One of these fans was Jim Smith. And that's how MovieChat was born.

Like the original IMDb discussion boards, MovieChat gives a sub-forum for every film and TV show. So, if it's on IMDb, you'll find it on MovieChat. And within that sub-forum, you can create and participate in as many threads as possible. But you do have to abide by the community guidelines. And in a frustrating UI experience, you can only sort the threads by latest post, not by popularity.

Nonetheless, these are small sacrifices for the chance to participate in the internet's largest community of film fans talking about what they watched. So it's doubly great when you find out that Smith backed up posts for IMDb's top 10,000 movies and TV shows before the discussion boards were discontinued.

MovieChat is an excellent example of how the internet serves its users even when corporations can't. It's also worth reading Wired's excellent article about Smith's crusade.

5. Big Cartoon Database (Web): Database of All Cartoons Ever Made

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What IMDb does for movies, Big Cartoon Database (BCDB) does for cartoons. The website hosts a meticulous record of all cartoons ever made, along with all the information you'd want to know about it.

Whether it's Flintstones or Bugs Bunny, BCDB has the details about any toon. You'll get information about episodes or standalone cartoons, complete with a synopsis of what it's about, the cast and crew who worked on it, production notes, and media if available. You'll also often find links to download the cartoon through Amazon or iTunes.

BCDB also helps you discover cartoons with sections such as top 25 toons, most popular cartoons, or the monthly "hot 100". Or you can browse by studios such as Disney, Pixar, MGM, Warner Bros, etc. Finally, you can also chat with fellow cartoon lovers on the BCDB forums.

Ignore the Ratings

Whether you use IMDb or one of these alternatives, it's probably best if you ignore the rating system. Movie studios, fans, and other biases have crept into the movie-rating methodology. As a result, these ratings are not necessarily a reliable metric of whether a film is good or bad.

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5 Best IMDb Alternatives for Free Movie and TV Series Databases (2024)

FAQs

5 Best IMDb Alternatives for Free Movie and TV Series Databases? ›

The closest competitor to imdb.com are rottentomatoes.com, fandom.com and screenrant.com. To understand more about imdb.com and its competitors, sign up for a free account to explore Semrush's Traffic Analytics and Market Explorer tools.

Is there a better site than IMDb? ›

The closest competitor to imdb.com are rottentomatoes.com, fandom.com and screenrant.com. To understand more about imdb.com and its competitors, sign up for a free account to explore Semrush's Traffic Analytics and Market Explorer tools.

What is the best movie database? ›

IMDb: Ratings, Reviews, and Where to Watch the Best Movies & TV Shows.

Is IMDb database free? ›

IMDb.com. IMDb.com is free for non-commercial use.

Who is the direct competitor to IMDb app? ›

The best alternatives to IMDb are Reelgood, Letterboxd, and JustWatch.

What is IMDb called now? ›

IMDb TV Rebrands to Amazon Freevee - IMDb. Moving forward, IMDb TV will be known as Amazon Freevee. IMDb, which is owned by Amazon, launched the free, ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service in January 2019 under the name IMDb Freedive, before rebranding to IMDb TV in June of that year.

Do people still use IMDb? ›

As of 2019, IMDb was the 52nd most visited website on the Internet, as ranked by Alexa. As of March 2022, the database contained some 10.1 million titles (including television episodes), 11.5 million person records, and 83 million registered users.

What is the best site for movie info? ›

Websites
  • AllMovie - Movies and Films Database. - Database of movies, actors/actresses, producers, directors and cast members. ...
  • IMDb - The Internet Movie Database. ...
  • Rotten Tomatoes. ...
  • MRQE - Movie Review Query Engine. ...
  • Film Studies Research Guide [Yale University]
Jun 16, 2023

What is the most reliable movie rating site? ›

Rotten Tomatoes and the Tomatometer score are the world's most trusted recommendation resources for quality entertainment. As the leading online aggregator of movie and TV show reviews from critics, we provide fans with a comprehensive guide to what's Fresh – and what's Rotten – in theaters and at home.

What is the difference between IMDb and TMDb? ›

Both IMDB and TMDb are dedicated to providing movie and series data. Both also get their data with the contribution of users. IMDB, being older, has a larger amount of data. There is no association, or anything like that, between the two.

What is the difference between IMDb and IMDbPro? ›

IMDbPro includes all the data from IMDb plus features specifically designed for entertainment industry professionals, including the world's biggest stars, the most influential decision-makers, and the leading entertainment companies and brands.

How much is IMDb per month? ›

For IMDbPro Premium Subscription: $19.99/month ($12.50/month when billed annually) Note: due to local regulations, not all members will be eligible for annual memberships based on current address.

Is it legal to scrape IMDb data? ›

The data can only be used for personal and non-commercial use and must not be altered/republished/resold/repurposed to create any kind of online/offline database of movie information (except for individual personal use).

What took the place of IMDb TV? ›

IMDb TV, Amazon's free, ad-supported video on demand streaming service, is rebranding to Amazon Freevee, beginning April 27. The rebranding had been in the works for awhile, with the idea for the new moniker to share the Amazon branding of its parent company.

What did they change IMDb to? ›

Amazon has announced a shake-up for its free streaming service, IMDb TV, which will be rebranded to Amazon Freevee, beginning April 27, with new originals to be added to its growing content slate.

Is IMDb the most reliable? ›

Why should I trust the IMDb rating to be accurate? IMDb ratings are “accurate” in the sense that they are calculated using a consistent, unbiased formula, but we don't claim that IMDb ratings are “accurate” in an absolute qualitative sense.

Is IMDb considered a reliable source? ›

This page in a nutshell: Anecdotes, trivia, and unreleased film information from IMDb do not meet the reliable sources guideline. The IMDb should be used only as a tertiary source for hard data on released films.

How reputable is IMDb? ›

While we actively gather information from and verify items with studios and filmmakers, the bulk of our information is submitted by people in the industry and visitors like you! In addition to using as many sources as we can, our data goes through consistency checks to ensure it's as accurate and reliable as possible.

Why IMDb is the best? ›

IMDb is great for seeing what general audiences think of a movie. If you don't care what the critics say and want to see what people like yourself thought of a film, then you should use IMDb. Just be aware that fans often skew the vote with 10-star ratings, which may inflate scores somewhat.

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