About Cinelect
Cinelect is a free app to help your group decide what to watch. Add films to a shared watchlist, nominate a few favorites on movie night, rank them, and let a scoring algorithm pick a winner everyone is happy with.
Who's behind it
Hi, I'm David Gee. I'm a teacher, father, husband, designer, cinephile, and tinkerer. I love creating things that make people happy.
In the buffet of endless content, it's easy to get stuck in analysis paralysis trying to decide what to watch. Once you get a group trying to reach an agreement, it can feel impossible. I built Cinelect to help groups quickly find a film to watch that will make everyone happy.
How it's funded
Cinelect is a passion project, built and run in my spare time. It is operated at a loss: there is no revenue to cover its development or hosting costs. There is no advertising, no tracking for ad or marketing purposes, no paid tiers, and no upgrades to buy. Every feature is free for everyone.
If you enjoy using Cinelect, you're welcome to support its development with a tip. It's appreciated but never required, and it doesn't unlock anything in the app.
Privacy, in short
Cinelect collects only what it needs to run rooms and sync your watchlist: an email address if you create an account, the display name and avatar you choose, and the films, nominations, and rankings you add. You can also use Cinelect without an account. We don't run ad trackers, and we don't sell or share your information. See the full Privacy Policy for details.
Movie data
Film details, posters, and ratings come from The Movie Database (TMDB) and OMDb. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pick a movie with a group of friends?
Create a room in Cinelect and share the room code. Everyone suggests films and approves each other's suggestions into a shared watchlist. On movie night, each person nominates up to three films and ranks the nominees, and a fair scoring algorithm picks the winner. No more endless scrolling or one person always deciding.
Is Cinelect free?
Yes, completely. There are no ads, no paid tiers, and nothing to unlock. It is a passion project supported only by optional tips.
Does everyone need an account?
No. You can join a room and take part without creating an account. Signing in (Google or email) is optional and adds cross-device sync: your rooms, watchlist, and profile follow you to any phone or computer.
How does the voting work?
Each member nominates up to three films from the shared watchlist, then ranks all the nominees privately. Films earn points based on everyone's rankings, with a tie-breaker the room chooses: "Safe" favors the least divisive film, "Crowd" favors the highest typical ranking. The winner is revealed to everyone at once.
Does Cinelect show where a movie is streaming?
Yes. Film pages show streaming availability for your country, and you can list which services each member has so the group can see what is watchable tonight.
How many people can use one room?
Rooms work for any group size: couples, families, roommates, or a whole friend circle. Everyone joins with a simple room code.
Questions
Got feedback, a bug report, or just want to say hello? Email info@cinelect.com.
See also our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.