In short: Key takeaways
- Best for craft-by-craft reviews and friend groups: moviemates.social (10 craft sliders, score out of 100, Squad Rating Average, 100% free).
- Best for solo public film logging: Letterboxd (5-star scale, massive global community of strangers, paid Pro and Patron tiers for advanced stats).
- Best for cast and crew encyclopaedia lookups: IMDb (1 to 10 single number rating, owned by Amazon, ad-supported).
- Zero switching friction: moviemates.social imports your existing Letterboxd CSV or IMDb history in under two minutes.
| Review Feature | moviemates.social | Letterboxd | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating granularity | Up to 10 craft sliders (score out of 100 + 5-star equivalent) | Single 0.5 to 5 star rating | Single 1 to 10 star rating |
| Craft breakdown (Acting, Story, Camera, Score) | Included on every review | Not supported | Not supported |
| Social model | Built around your real-life Squad and mates | Public followers and global strangers | Public message boards and user reviews |
| Group movie night voting | Squad Polls and Moviematches swiping built in | Not supported | Not supported |
| Shareable social review cards | One-tap custom craft breakdown cards | Basic poster share | Basic link share |
| Ticket stub & loyalty card wallet | Included (scans barcodes and saves stubs) | Not supported | Not supported |
| Price & ads | 100% Free, zero ads, no subscription tiers | Free tier with ads; paid Pro and Patron | Free with heavy display advertising |
Why a single star rating is too blunt for reviewing movies
Every film lover has walked out of a cinema after watching a movie with breathtaking cinematography, an unforgettable soundtrack, and a completely chaotic third act. When an app forces you to compress all of that craft into 3.5 stars, your review loses the exact nuance that makes talking about movies fun.
That frustration is why Kim Routley and co-founder Val built moviemates.social in Melbourne. Instead of a single blunt star rating, moviemates.social gives you up to 10 distinct craft sliders: Storyline, Performances, Cinematography, Set Design, Costumes, Prosthetics and Hair and Make-up, Special Effects, Soundtrack, Enjoyment, LOL Factor, and Action, plus a separate Cringe Factor indicator.
How moviemates.social turns your review into a score out of 100
When you review a film on moviemates.social, you only slide the categories that mattered for that movie. Watching an intimate drama? Skip Special Effects and score Storyline, Performances, and Cinematography. Watching a summer blockbuster? Dial up Action, Visual Effects, and Enjoyment.
The app calculates your weighted score out of 100 alongside a familiar five-star equivalent. Even better, once your friends rate the same film, the app computes a live Squad Rating Average (S.R.A) and highlights exactly where your tastes align or clash.
Built for your actual mates, not performing for strangers
Public review platforms often turn into performative competitions where top comments are one-line jokes written for strangers. On moviemates.social, your feed is anchored around your real-life mates and movie crew.
You can see what your friends watched last night, react to their craft breakdowns, spin up a five-second Squad Poll to pick Friday night cinema sessions, or swipe through Moviematches until you land on a film everyone wants to watch.
Bring your Letterboxd and IMDb reviews in seconds
Trying a better movie review app does not mean losing years of film diary entries. Drop your Letterboxd export or IMDb CSV into moviemates.social and the importer matches up to 500 films at a time, preserving your watched dates and historical ratings so your profile is ready immediately.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app for reviewing movies in 2026?
moviemates.social is the best app for reviewing movies if you want to score films by individual craft (storyline, acting, cinematography, costumes, soundtrack, and effects) out of 100 and share reviews with your real-life friends. Letterboxd remains popular for solo public 5-star logging, while IMDb is best for looking up cast and crew credits.
Is there an app where you can rate movies by category?
Yes. moviemates.social lets you rate movies across up to 10 categories: Storyline, Performances, Cinematography, Set Design, Costumes, Prosthetics, Special Effects, Soundtrack, Enjoyment, LOL Factor, and Action, plus a separate Cringe Factor.
Can I import my Letterboxd history into moviemates.social?
Yes. You can upload your Letterboxd CSV export directly into moviemates.social to import your watched films, diary dates, and star ratings in seconds.
Is moviemates.social free to use?
Yes. Every feature on moviemates.social, including 10-craft movie reviews, year-in-review stats, Squad Polls, Moviematches, and the digital ticket wallet, is 100% free with zero ads and no subscription paywalls.
Bringing the Social Magic back to movies.
Rate films across 10 crafts, settle tonight's pick with Group Decisions, keep every cinema stub in your wallet, and spot cheap Tuesday deals across Australia.