The best ASO tools in 2026, compared

Quick comparison

Prices come from each tool's website or public pricing as of October 2026 and change often. Check before you buy.

What to look for in an ASO tool

• Where popularity comes from. Apple publishes a 5–100 popularity score through Apple Search Ads. Tools that use it are more reliable than tools that estimate traffic from scratch.
• A difficulty score. Popularity alone points you to keywords dominated by apps with hundreds of thousands of ratings. Difficulty tells you what's winnable.
• Daily rank tracking with history. You need to see what changed after each metadata update.
• The stores you ship on. If you're on Google Play too, choose a tool that covers both.
• Price that matches your stage. A solo developer doesn't need a team platform. Start small and upgrade when the numbers justify it.

1. Ascope

Best for: Indie iOS and Mac developers. Price: $29.99/month or $99.99/year, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Our own tool, so take this entry with that in mind. Ascope is a native Mac app focused on the core of App Store keyword work: Apple's popularity score, a difficulty score, keyword suggestions and daily rank tracking with history. Pro includes a local MCP server for Cursor and Claude.

Pros: Popularity straight from Apple Search Ads · Monthly billing and a low yearly price · MCP server for AI assistants

Cons: App Store only, no Google Play · Mac only · No ratings or reviews tracking

Visit Ascope

2. Astro

Best for: Indie developers who want more research features. Price: $108/year, annual only, with a free trial.

A native Mac ASO app with Apple Search Ads popularity, difficulty, daily rankings, competitor keyword discovery from its keyword database, ratings tracking and DeepL translations. It's one of the most popular tools among indie iOS developers.

Pros: Competitor keyword discovery · Ratings tracking and translations · Unlimited apps and keywords

Cons: Annual billing only · App Store only, Mac only

Visit Astro

3. Appfigures

Best for: Developers who want ASO plus sales and analytics. Price: Free Starter plan; paid plans from $9.99/month, with ASO-focused plans priced higher.

A web platform that combines app analytics, revenue reporting, reviews and ASO tools for both the App Store and Google Play. Good if you want one dashboard for your whole business, though the ASO features sit in the more expensive tiers.

Pros: App Store and Google Play · Analytics, revenue and reviews in one place · Free plan available

Cons: Costs add up as you unlock ASO features · More than you need for keywords alone

Visit Appfigures

4. AppTweak

Best for: ASO teams and agencies. Price: Paid plans for teams; see their pricing page.

A full ASO and app intelligence platform with keyword research, competitor analysis, creative and review insights, and Apple Search Ads tools across many markets. Built for teams managing several apps.

Pros: Deep competitor and market data · Both stores, many markets · Strong reporting

Cons: Priced for teams, not solo developers · Steeper learning curve

Visit AppTweak

5. Sensor Tower

Best for: Larger publishers and market research. Price: Enterprise pricing on request.

Best known for download and revenue estimates and market intelligence, with keyword and ASO data on top. Most useful when you need to understand a whole category or market, not just your own keywords.

Pros: Market-wide download and revenue estimates · Broad historical data

Cons: Enterprise pricing · Overkill for a single app

Visit Sensor Tower

6. AppFollow

Best for: Teams focused on reviews and user feedback. Price: Custom pricing after a demo.

A feedback and review management platform covering app stores and other channels, with ASO and competitor tracking included. A good fit when replying to reviews at scale matters as much as keywords.

Pros: Review management and automation · Covers many feedback channels

Cons: ASO is a secondary feature · Pricing isn't public

Visit AppFollow

7. Apple Search Ads

Best for: Checking popularity for free. Price: Free to look up keywords; you pay only for ads you run.

Not an ASO tool, but the original source of App Store keyword popularity. When you add keywords to a Search Ads campaign, Apple shows a popularity score for each one. It's free, but slow for research and has no rank tracking.

Pros: Free · First-party popularity data

Cons: Requires an ads account and campaign setup · No rankings, difficulty or history

Visit Apple Search Ads

Which ASO tool should you choose?

• Indie iOS or Mac developer on a budget: Ascope at $99.99/year or $29.99/month, or compare it with Astro on our Ascope vs Astro page.
• On both the App Store and Google Play: a web platform such as Appfigures or AppTweak.
• Team or agency with many apps: AppTweak or Sensor Tower.
• Review management first: AppFollow.
• Just checking a few keywords: Apple Search Ads shows popularity for free.

New to keyword research? Read our guide to ASO keyword research, then track the results with an app ranking tracker.

All product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Ascope is not affiliated with any of the other tools listed.