SickChill (hosted/managed offerings)

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to SickChill (hosted/managed offerings)

A curated collection of the 1 best self hosted alternatives to SickChill (hosted/managed offerings).

SickChill is an open-source TV show PVR that automates monitoring, searching and downloading episodes from Usenet and BitTorrent. Hosted/managed offerings provide cloud-hosted instances and maintenance so users don’t need to self-host.

Alternatives List

#1
Radarr

Radarr

Automates movie downloads via Usenet and BitTorrent with quality profiles, RSS monitoring, and integrations with indexers, download clients, and media servers.

Radarr screenshot

Radarr is an automated movie collection manager that monitors your wanted movies and coordinates searching, downloading, importing, and upgrading files. It integrates with Usenet and BitTorrent indexers plus download clients, then organizes your library and can notify or trigger media-server updates.

Key Features

  • Adds movies manually, via lists, or by monitoring recommendations; tracks availability and release status
  • Automatic searching and RSS monitoring of indexers for new releases
  • Quality profiles and upgrade logic (e.g., grab better releases when they appear)
  • Supports both Usenet and BitTorrent workflows through indexers and download clients
  • Post-processing: imports, renames, and organizes files into a consistent library structure
  • Metadata management (movie info, posters/fanart) and integration with movie databases
  • Custom formats and release restrictions (preferred/required keywords, repacks/proper handling)
  • Notifications and integrations (webhooks and common notification providers)
  • Multi-platform support and a web UI with API access

Use Cases

  • Automatically acquire and maintain a curated movie library with consistent naming and folders
  • Continuously upgrade existing movies to preferred qualities as new releases arrive
  • Coordinate a home media stack alongside tools like Sonarr (TV) and a media server

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires compatible indexers and a download client; effectiveness depends on indexer coverage and release naming
  • Focused on movies (not TV, music, or books); other *Arr tools are needed for broader media automation

Radarr is widely used in home media automation stacks to reduce manual searching and sorting while keeping a movie library up to date. Its strength is the combination of quality-aware upgrading, automation via RSS/search, and deep integration with common download and notification ecosystems.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running