Faro

Decide what to watch tonight

In about a minute, from the films you've rated.

Join the free beta

Free. No ads, no tracking, no feed. iPhone.

Coming to the App Store on 8 October.

The Help me choose result: a list of suggested films, each with its poster, year, genres, runtime, director, leading cast and the streaming services it is on. The Help me choose result: a list of suggested films, each with its poster, year, genres, runtime, director, leading cast and the streaming services it is on.

How it works

  1. Say what tonight allows. Only what's on the services you already have, under two hours, something funny — or no filters at all. Match all of your choices or any of them: filters hold.
  2. Get a handful of films. Drawn from what you've rated and loved, not from what's trending. When the evidence is thin the list is shorter, never padded.
  3. Lock one in. Shortlist tonight's candidates, pick the winner and press play.
Shortlist for tonight: a No extra cost filter above the saved films, each with its poster, year, genres, runtime, director and leading cast, a Watching tonight button and buttons to keep the film in the watchlist or remove it from the shortlist. Shortlist for tonight: a No extra cost filter above the saved films, each with its poster, year, genres, runtime, director and leading cast, a Watching tonight button and buttons to keep the film in the watchlist or remove it from the shortlist.

Why it feels different

Faro reads exactly one thing about you: the films you've rated and how you felt about them. No engagement tricks, no "users also watched", no invented percentages. Rate films in two taps — from "Not for me" to "Loved" — and it sharpens with every one. And it answers from your very first minute, before you've rated anything at all.

Faro's home screen: the Faro wordmark, a card offering to create an account or log in, and the three ways in — Help me choose, Watch together and a Watch Party list. Faro's home screen: the Faro wordmark, a card offering to create an account or log in, and the three ways in — Help me choose, Watch together and a Watch Party list.

Two looks

Golden Hour by day, Midnight at night. Faro follows whatever your phone is set to, and you can pick one outright. Both are built to the same contrast standards.

A film page in Golden Hour, on a warm cream ground: poster, year, genres and runtime, the IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores, a director and cast panel, the synopsis and a Watch trailer button.
Golden Hour
The same film page in Midnight, on a deep brown ground: poster, year, genres and runtime, the IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores, a director and cast panel, the synopsis and a Watch trailer button.
Midnight

For film lovers

Bring a decade of taste in one step. Export your Letterboxd ratings CSV and import it on your phone — the file is read on the phone itself, and you choose where your star thresholds sit. Rewatches get their own respect: a rewatch list and a "Rewatches okay" switch, so comfort viewing never hijacks discovery. Award winners, curated collections and era lists are there when you'd rather wander. (Faro is not affiliated with or endorsed by Letterboxd.)

Choose together

Add friends by @username and pick films with them — everyone's taste counts and one person's veto is a veto. Watch Together runs one search across everyone's taste at the same time. A Watch Party gives the group a shared list for deciding what to watch together: everyone adds, everyone reacts and the pick gets easier.

A Watch Party list called Friday Film Club: two films under Ready to watch, each with a reaction, a response count and two buttons — We're watching this and We watched this — with the Still deciding section starting below. A Watch Party list called Friday Film Club: two films under Ready to watch, each with a reaction, a response count and two buttons — We're watching this and We watched this — with the Still deciding section starting below.

Privacy, plainly

No ads. No tracking SDKs. No feed, followers or leaderboards. You don't need an account to try Faro; with one, your ratings sync so you can't lose them, are shown only by @username to people you connect with and are never sold. Your Letterboxd file is read on your phone and never uploaded. Privacy policy

Accessibility

I'm a neurologist and neurorehabilitation physician. A lot of my patients rely on accessibility features and assistive technology. It mattered to me that Faro was something as many of them as possible could use.

It launches supporting eight of the nine measures on Apple's accessibility label. Both looks are built to the same contrast bars, and the app follows whatever your phone is set to for text size and motion.

If something doesn't work for you, tell me. I'm one person and I'll fix what I can.

What Faro supports, and what it doesn't

Made by one person

I'm Phil. I built Faro because choosing what to watch was eating the best hour of my evening, and I wanted an app that worked from my taste and nothing else. I use it every night. If something's broken or brilliant, tell me — support goes straight to me.

FAQ

Is it free?
Yes. No subscription, no ads.
Do I need an account?
Not to try it. An account keeps your ratings safe and unlocks the shortlist, friends and choosing together.
I haven't rated anything — will it work?
Yes, from the first minute. It gets sharper as you rate.
Does it know what I can stream?
It shows where films are available for your services, including free-with-ads and cinemas.
Does it have a dark mode?
Two looks, actually — Golden Hour and Midnight. It follows your phone unless you choose one.
Is my Letterboxd data uploaded?
No. The CSV import runs entirely on your phone.
Android?
iPhone only for now.

Enjoy your film night.

Join the free beta

Coming to the App Store on 8 October.