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LetterBoxd is easily one of the best sites and apps to use to keep track of your cinema viewing history and share it with your friends or followers. It has a modern design, crisp UI, and just about every film you could think of, thanks to its integration with TMDb.com (The Move Database.)
While you could use the free version, a lot of movie buffs opt to purchase their Pro or Patron packages to up their LetterBoxd experience. That said, is it worth it to purchase one of their paid subscriptions? To some, it definitely is, especially if you enjoy using the platform and would like to support the devs that keep it running. To others, it might make sense to fork over the cash for the benefits they offer.
We’re here to finally answer the question about whether or not LetterBoxd Pro and Patron are worth it. We compared the benefits to the costs and think we have the answer for you.
LetterBoxd Pro
Let’s start by looking at LetterBoxd Pro, which is the first tier they offer and cheaper than Patron. Pro costs $19 per year, which breaks down to about $1.58 each month. Considering that Netflix can cost around $20 a month depending on your plan, Pro isn’t all that pricey. The question is, do the benefits of Pro outweigh the $19 cost? Let’s take a look at what’s included.
What Do You Get With LetterBoxd Pro
According to the actual LetterBoxd site, the Pro subscription comes with the following benefits:
- Removes third-party ads and associated tracking
- Personalized stats pages to show off your movie-watching history
- The option to set your favorite streaming services and filter by what’s available on any of those platforms in one go
- Filtering based on one or more lists of films you own
- Filtering of your activity feed by activity type
- The ability to pin reviews to your profile
- Create clones of your own or other members’ lists
- Change your username (once every 90 days)
Reading through the list, it doesn’t seem like much, but there are a few clutch benefits here. The first is the personalized stats pages. These pages look awesome and are a great way to visualize your movie-watching history. Just take a look at their example page and try to tell yourself you wouldn’t want something similar. You can easily feature your favorite movies of all time, custom lists, see your films by year, average ratings across each decade, most watched actors, and a ton more.
Besides that, the ability to clone other users’ lists is a great feature if you’re into making your own lists. The filter options are lackluster and aren’t used too often. The last notable benefit is the removal of ads, which is huge if you constantly use LetterBoxd to track your films and see what’s new.
Is LetterBoxd Pro Worth It
As a Pro subscriber myself, I think LetterBoxd Pro is definitely worth it if you’re an avid film watcher. It’s a great way to keep track of everything you watch, discover new movies, and interact with the community. The Stats page is a great visualization of your watch history and can point out things you didn’t realize about your own watching habits or some gaps in your palette.
Remember, this is a $19 upfront fee for the year that breaks down to less than $1.60 each month. Skip the candy bar at the gas station once a month, and you can easily cover a LetterBoxd Pro sub.
If you don’t find yourself using the app that much or don’t watch that many movies, you might want to skip out on Pro and stick to the free version. You can still review movies with the free version, but you’ll miss out on the features we listed above.
By the way!
Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.
LetterBoxd Patron
Patron is the only other LetterBoxd subscription currently available and it is definitely an increase in cost compared to Pro. Patron costs $49 a year, or about $4.08 a month. That’s about a 150% increase in cost compared to Pro, but is it worth it? Let’s take a look at the benefits of the Patron tier at LetterBoxd.
What Do You Get With LetterBoxd Patron
The benefits of Patron are a little lackluster compared to the price, but some users might find them valuable. Here’s everything LetterBoxd Patrons have access to—remember that it also includes the benefits of Pro:
- Your profile is listed in their Patrons directory
- Pick your favorite poster for each film
- You have the option to display a backdrop from your favorite film on your profile
- You can display backdrops on your diary entries, reviews, and lists
- Early access to select new features, including the following:
- Friends’ average rating for each film
- One click to add all visible films to a list
- More in the future
If you thought that Pro didn’t offer much, you might be disappointed with Patron, but you should remember that this is over the course of each month, so you get the above plus Pro for around $4 per month.
Arguably the best benefits here are the option to pick a different poster for each film you review or add to your diary and the backdrops. The backdrops are a classy way to upgrade your reviews and diary entries. Some users have comical movie posters, and the only way you can do something similar with your profile is by becoming a LetterBoxd Patron.
The beta features are nice too. If you have a lot of friends on LetterBoxd, it’s fun to see how they feel about different films on average. The mass import feature is definitely handy, too, as manually adding movies to a list can be kind of annoying if it’s a big list.
Is LetterBoxd Patron Worth It
If you’re an amateur movie critic or go see every new movie, then LetterBoxd Patron might be worth it. It is a great way to support the team behind the platform and keep it running for years to come. The benefits allow you to customize your profile more and personalize it to your tastes. Remember that you do get everything in Pro, too, so it’s not just the above benefits.
Should I Buy LetterBoxd Pro or LetterBoxd Patron?
If you’re considering buying a LetterBoxd subscription, but don’t know if you should get Pro or Patron, here’s a quick tip—start with Pro, and then, if you enjoy using LetterBoxd so much, switch to Patron at a later date.
This can save you some cash since there really isn’t too much more in Patron besides the gratification of the LetterBoxd Team and some customization. The custom posters and backdrops are definitely a nice way to spice up your profile, but the real benefits are in Pro, where you get access to the Stats page.
Whichever package you choose, we definitely suggest getting one of the LetterBoxd subscriptions. LetterBoxd is a great way to track your watching habits and see what other people think about movies. Compared to IMDb, LetterBoxd often has better discussions and isn’t as prone to review bombs or boosts like IMDb.
