Research an App Store market before you build.

When to use it

Useful when you are choosing between app ideas, researching a niche before launch, or deciding where an existing app could compete next. You can explore categories and public App Store data without connecting your own App Store Connect account.

How the workflow works

1. 01

   Start with the category, then narrow the job

   Open Categories to compare the demand, competition, subscription mix, and modeled download and revenue signals for relevant categories. A category gives you context. The next question is which specific problem within it you can solve, because a large category can contain both crowded searches and smaller openings.

2. 02

   Check the searches that describe the idea

   Explore relevant terms and inspect their ranking apps. Compare demand with difficulty and open the evidence behind the scores. Keep the storefront consistent while comparing terms. A popular search is only useful if it describes your product and the apps already ranking there leave room for it.

3. 03

   Study the competitors as products

   Use Your Space and the competitor view to see which apps rank alongside your tracked terms, how they charge, and how their public activity compares. Inspect whether they actually solve the same problem. Sharing a search result does not automatically make two apps substitutes.

4. 04

   Read the requests behind the opportunity

   Review mining surfaces complaints and feature requests from the sampled apps. Read the original wording before choosing a product direction. A repeated complaint can suggest a problem worth interviewing users about; it does not establish that those users will switch or pay.

Leave with a research decision

Choose a specific audience, a shortlist of relevant searches, the competitors to investigate, and the assumptions that still need testing. For a movie app, for example, compare the broad search for a streaming guide with the narrower job of choosing a film together. ASO Studio supplies the search and competitor evidence; interviews and a working product test whether that audience wants your solution.

What the evidence can tell you

ASO Studio uses its own algorithms to model keyword demand, competition, and market size from public App Store signals. The models draw on search results, autocomplete, ratings, review activity, and pricing to help you compare opportunities.

Other apps' download and revenue figures are modeled estimates covering the stated sample. They are not reported financial results, a total for the entire market, or a forecast of your own sales.

Search scores are relative indexes. Read confidence, sample coverage, storefront, and the measurement date when comparing results. Missing evidence is a reason to investigate further.

ASO Studio researches Apple's App Store. Cross-store enterprise reporting, competitor advertising creatives, and consumer surveys require other sources.