TrackWatch Review, Pricing & Features

TrackWatch is a free, open-source, self-hosted app that auto-syncs new music releases from followed Spotify artists into a playlist.

Category
Media & Audio/Video Tools
Pricing
open-source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Web AppOpen SourceSelf-Hosted

What Is TrackWatch

TrackWatch is a self-hosted, open-source application that automatically tracks new releases from the Spotify artists a user follows and adds them to a dedicated playlist. It is built and maintained by a solo developer known as emlopezr (Eduardo Lopez) and published as a public GitHub project under the MIT License.

Rather than running as a hosted third-party service, TrackWatch is designed to be deployed by the user themselves, most commonly via Docker, which keeps Spotify OAuth tokens and listening history entirely on the user's own infrastructure instead of a company-run backend.

The project targets music fans who want automated, always-up-to-date release tracking without depending on Spotify's own release radar features or a third-party app that stores their account data externally.

Key Features

Once set up, TrackWatch checks for new releases from followed artists three times per day and automatically syncs any new songs, albums, or EPs into a user-specified playlist, removing the need to manually check for new music.

Two additional utilities set TrackWatch apart from a basic release tracker: a discography generator that builds a complete playlist of an artist's full catalog on demand, and a ghost track cleaner that automatically detects and removes tracks that have since been pulled from Spotify, keeping playlists free of dead links.

The application is built with a modern, fully open-source stack: a React, TypeScript, and Vite frontend using React Router, and a Django REST Framework backend with APScheduler for scheduled release checks and PostgreSQL for data storage, all packaged for Docker-based deployment.

Pricing

TrackWatch is entirely free and open source under the MIT License. There is no subscription, account fee, or paid tier; users deploy and run their own instance at whatever hosting cost they incur themselves, such as a small VPS or home server running Docker.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Completely free and open source with no subscription required
  • Keeps Spotify tokens and listening data private on the user's own server
  • Actively maintained by its creator with regular commits
  • Includes useful power-user utilities beyond basic release tracking, like the discography generator
  • Simple Docker-based deployment for users comfortable with self-hosting

Cons

  • Requires self-hosting and basic Docker or server administration knowledge
  • No official managed or hosted version is available
  • Small solo-developer project with limited support channels
  • Feature set is narrowly focused on Spotify release tracking only

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is TrackWatch

TrackWatch is a free, open-source, self-hosted tool that automatically tracks new releases from your followed Spotify artists and adds them to a playlist.

Is TrackWatch free

Yes, TrackWatch is completely free and open source under the MIT License, with no subscription or account fees.

Do I need to self-host TrackWatch

Yes, TrackWatch does not offer a hosted third-party service; it must be deployed on your own infrastructure, typically via Docker.

Is TrackWatch safe for my Spotify account

TrackWatch connects to Spotify via its official OAuth flow and, since it is self-hosted, keeps your tokens and listening data on your own infrastructure rather than sending them to a third party.

What is the ghost track cleaner

The ghost track cleaner is a TrackWatch utility that detects and removes tracks from your playlists that have since become unavailable on Spotify.

Can TrackWatch generate a full artist discography playlist

Yes, TrackWatch includes a discography generator that can build a complete playlist of an artist's entire catalog.

What tech stack does TrackWatch use

TrackWatch uses a React, TypeScript, and Vite frontend with a Django REST Framework backend, APScheduler for scheduling, and PostgreSQL for its database.

Who maintains TrackWatch

TrackWatch is maintained by a solo developer known as emlopezr (Eduardo Lopez) through a public open-source GitHub repository.

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