The App Review Information section holds your demo account, contact info, and notes for Apple's reviewers — and it needs Account Holder, Admin, or App Manager, not the Marketing role that edits your keyword field. Stale demo credentials are also a routine, avoidable rejection cause.
AppTweak publishes three self-serve tiers from €79 to €499/month, each capped at a single seat, and covers the App Store and Google Play. Komori is a flat $19.99/month native macOS app with no keyword cap at all, App Store (iOS) only. Pricing checked directly on apptweak.com and komori.tech on 13 September 2026.
Apple's expedited review request only covers two documented scenarios — a critical bug fix or an event-related launch. It compresses your wait in the review queue, not the release itself, and it does nothing for a routine keyword or subtitle change.
AppFollow publishes five tiers from a genuine $0 free plan up to $599/month with unlimited seats on every tier; Komori is a single $19.99/month native macOS app with no keyword cap at all. Pricing and limits checked directly on appfollow.io and komori.tech on 12 September 2026.
TestFlight installs, feedback, and crash data live in their own tab in App Store Connect — separate from App Analytics, separate from your public rating. Here's exactly what does and doesn't cross over, verified against Apple's own documentation.
The level number you assign inside an App Store Connect subscription group — not the price — is what tells Apple whether a plan change is an upgrade, downgrade, or crossgrade. Get the order wrong and the billing timing and prompts change with it.
Selling an app or handing it off to a client's account? Ratings and reviews survive an App Store Connect transfer intact — but your keyword field, subtitle, and pricing get frozen for up to 60 days while the transfer is pending.
An independent comparison of Komori and MobileAction's ASO Intelligence for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword caps, platform coverage, and seats checked directly on both vendors' sites on 9 September 2026.
The App Store Search source in App Analytics isn't pure organic — Apple's own documentation confirms it blends in Apple Ads impressions and downloads with no native split. Here's what each source type actually counts, and how to isolate organic from paid without one.
Sensor Tower's /pricing URL still redirects to a demo-booking page with no figures; Appfigures publishes six tiers from a genuine $0 Free plan to $1,399.99/month — both checked directly on vendor sites on 9 September 2026. Here's what each actually does and which fits a solo iOS developer.
Creative Sets can't run on the App Store anymore — Apple Ads only supports ad variations built from Custom Product Pages. Here's how to check if you have dead Creative Sets sitting in your dashboard, and how the CPP-based replacement actually works.
App Radar publishes three self-serve pricing tiers from €69/month; Sensor Tower's /pricing URL redirects straight to a demo-booking page with no number anywhere — both checked directly on vendor sites on 7 September 2026. Here's what each actually does and which one fits a solo iOS developer.
Marteso's free Starter plan now covers 2 apps instead of 1, each still with 50 tracked keywords and 3 competitor apps, no credit card and no trial expiry.
The App Store Connect API can update your keyword field, subtitle, and description programmatically, but it splits them across two different resources and enforces the same version-state locks as the manual UI. Here's exactly how it works.
AppFollow publishes real self-serve pricing including a forever-free tier; Sensor Tower's /pricing page redirects straight to a demo-booking form with no number anywhere — both checked directly on vendor sites on 6 September 2026. Here's what each actually covers and which one makes sense for a solo iOS developer.
App Store Connect lets you wipe your app's star average on release of a new version — but it's global, permanent once live, leaves written reviews untouched, and needs Admin or App Manager, not Marketing. Verified against Apple's own help pages.
An independent comparison of MobileAction's ASO Intelligence and Appfigures for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, competitor caps, and history retention checked directly on both vendors' sites on 5 September 2026.
An independent comparison of AppFollow and App Radar (by SplitMetrics) for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, competitor caps, and seat limits checked directly on both vendors' sites on 4 September 2026.
Search Match is on by default in every Manage Bids search results campaign in Apple Ads, and mandatory for the automatic ad group in Maximize Conversions. Here's exactly what data it draws on, when to turn it off, and how to structure a campaign that isolates it.
App Store Connect has no per-version delete button on your current release, but it does let you strip a specific old build out of the Last-Compatible Version Settings list — the same screen used to offer old builds to users on old iOS versions. Here's the exact mechanic, verified against Apple's own App Store Connect Help.
An independent comparison of App Radar (by SplitMetrics) and AppTweak for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, seat caps, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 3 September 2026.
Apple's Guideline 2.3.7 bans trademarked terms, competitor names, and pricing info anywhere in your metadata — including the keyword field. Here's the exact text and a checklist to audit your listing before you submit.
Sensor Tower has no published pricing anywhere on its site; MobileAction publishes four ASO Intelligence tiers from $15/month — both checked directly on vendor sites on 2 September 2026. Here's what each actually covers and which one makes sense for a solo iOS developer.
Most ASO tools show you what to fix but stop at the data layer. Here is why the research-production gap costs indie iOS developers time, and what a connected workflow actually looks like.
App Store featuring isn't pure editorial luck — App Store Connect has a formal Featuring Nominations tool. Here's the required role, the three nomination types, and the lead time Apple actually asks for.
An independent comparison of AppFollow and MobileAction for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, seat caps, and review-management tooling checked directly on both vendors' sites on 1 September 2026.
An independent comparison of AppTweak and Appfigures for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, competitor tracking, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 9 September 2026.
Responding to App Store reviews requires a different App Store Connect role than editing your keywords — Marketing can't do it. Here's the exact role, the reply mechanics, and why the reviewer gets notified when you respond.
App Store Connect has no button to revert a live listing to a previous version. Here's what the Last-Compatible Version setting actually does instead, and the real damage-control sequence when a bad update ships: pause the phased release, then submit a corrected version.
An independent comparison of App Radar (by SplitMetrics) and Appfigures for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, competitor tracking, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 30 August 2026.
Apple's own list of App Store search ranking factors names your title, subtitle, keywords, and primary category — the 4,000-character description isn't on it. Here's what the field is actually for, and why keyword-stuffing it is wasted effort Apple explicitly warns against.
Sensor Tower is quote-only, AppTweak publishes real tiers from €79/month — checked directly on both vendors' sites on 29 August 2026. Here's what each actually covers and which one makes sense for a solo iOS developer.
Apple replaced the old 4+/9+/12+/17+ tiers with 4+/9+/13+/16+/18+, and starting September 2026 you must answer a new social-media-capability question to submit any update. Here's who can edit it, what it does to search visibility, and the version gotcha developers keep hitting.
An independent comparison of AppTweak and MobileAction for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, seat caps, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 28 August 2026.
An independent comparison of AppFollow and Appfigures for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 27 August 2026.
Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) shows a 1-5 Search Popularity score for any keyword you type into its campaign builder — real App Store search demand, sourced directly from Apple. You can see it without spending a dollar, and it's a better input for your 100-character keyword field than guessing.
Apple's App Privacy label (the privacy nutrition label) publishes straight to your product page with no new build and no App Review wait — but only Account Holder, Admin, or App Manager can answer the questionnaire, not Marketing. Here's how it actually works.
An independent comparison of AppFollow and AppTweak for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 26 August 2026.
Apple's Developer role sounds like it should cover ASO work — it doesn't. Here's exactly which App Store Connect roles can edit the keyword field, subtitle, and screenshots, and which can't touch them at all.
Asodesk publishes three self-serve tiers plus a free plan — checked directly on asodesk.com on 24 August 2026. Here's what each tier includes, why it covers more stores than most competitors, and how it stacks up against Marteso for an iOS-only indie developer.
Gummicube has no pricing page at all — every 'Get Started,' 'Contact Us,' and 'Learn More' link on gummicube.com routes to the same contact form. Here's what we found checking the site directly on 22 August 2026, what the engagement actually includes, and three self-serve tools with published tiers instead.
Pre-orders let you publish your product page up to 180 days before release and deliver every download at once on launch day. Here is exactly how the window, pricing, and release-day mechanics work in App Store Connect.
AppFollow's pricing page now shows real tiers directly — no contact form required, a change from what we found checking appfollow.io in August. Here's the current tier structure, checked on appfollow.io/pricing on 11 September 2026, and how it stacks up against four other ASO tools.
Searching for data.ai or App Annie pricing? The standalone product doesn't exist anymore — Sensor Tower acquired it in March 2024. Here's what we found checking data.ai and sensortower.com directly on 20 August 2026, and three tools with transparent pricing instead.
Appfigures runs five self-serve tiers from $9.99 to $1,399.99 a month, gated mainly by keyword count and premium-competitor slots — checked directly on appfigures.com on 19 August 2026. What each tier unlocks, and how the entry price compares to Marteso, AppTweak, and Sensor Tower.
Promotional text is 170 characters, sits at the top of your description, and updates live without a new build or App Review — but Apple is explicit that it does not affect search ranking. Here's what it's actually for and how to stop wasting it.
App Review approval and going live are two different events. If your version is set to manual or scheduled release, your new keyword field, subtitle, and screenshots sit invisible in Pending Developer Release until you or the clock trigger the release.
SplitMetrics isn't one product — it's three, each priced differently. What Acquire (free up to $25K ad spend), App Radar (€69–€299/month, organic ASO), and Optimize (quote-only) actually cost, checked directly on splitmetrics.com and appradar.com on 18 August 2026.
AppTweak publishes real tiers, unlike Sensor Tower — €79, €249, and €499 a month, checked directly on apptweak.com on 17 August 2026. Here's what each tier includes, how it covers Android alongside iOS, and how it stacks up against Marteso.
Primary and secondary category picks feed App Store search, charts, and Screen Time buckets, but unlike your subtitle or keyword field, category isn't editable without a new version and App Review approval. Here's what indie developers get wrong about it.
Phased release throttles automatic updates to existing users over 7 days. It does not delay your new keywords, subtitle, or screenshots from going live for search traffic and new installs, which happens the moment App Review approves the version.
Sensor Tower has no public pricing page — plans are quote-based. Here's what we found checking sensortower.com directly on 16 August 2026, what its product actually covers, and three ASO tools with transparent pricing instead.
Product Hunt drives cold, fast-moving traffic directly to your App Store listing. Here is a five-point check every indie dev should run before launch day.
An independent comparison of AppRadar and MobileAction for indie iOS developers — pricing, keyword limits, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 14 August 2026.
Promoted In-App Purchases can show up in App Store search results and on your product page, with no new build required. Here is exactly how the display name limits, promotion rules, and submission process work.
In-App Events give you a 30-character name and a 50-character description that show up in App Store search and on your product page. Here is exactly how the specs, limits, and submission process work.
A fair, independent comparison of Komori and Appfigures for indie iOS developers — pricing, features, and platform coverage checked directly on both vendors' sites on 12 August 2026.
Your App Store preview video auto-plays muted in search results before a single tap. Most indie iOS developers ship without one. Here is what you are leaving on the table and how to fix it in a weekend.
The developer name below your app title in search results is indexed by Apple and seen by every potential user. Here is how to use it strategically instead of wasting it on a generic company name.
App Store ratings affect more than your reputation. They are one of Apple's ranking signals. Here is how to build a system that generates more reviews and connects them to measurable ASO outcomes.
Most indie iOS developers treat the hidden keyword field as an afterthought. Here is why it is actually your most flexible ASO tool and how to stop wasting it.
App store optimization benchmarks for indie iOS developers: what conversion rates, keyword rank velocity, and ratings volumes look like for small apps, and how to know if your numbers are on track.
The App Store keyword field is not 100 characters. It is 100 characters times every language you support. Most indie iOS developers stop at English and leave most of their ranking surface unfilled.
Most indie developers discover seasonal keywords after the spike has already passed. Here is how to identify the window early, test in time, and rotate out before the rankings erode.
Your App Store release notes are indexed by Apple. Most indie developers write 'Bug fixes and performance improvements' on every update and wonder why their rankings stagnate. Here is what to write instead.
After Apple's WWDC26 guidelines update, stale metadata isn't just bad for rankings. It's a removal risk. Here is a six-point audit every indie dev should run before Apple runs it for you.
The keyword field, subtitle, and title carry different ranking weight and different conversion risk. Here is how to tell when a keyword has earned a move to a more visible slot.
The five ASO mistakes first-time indie iOS developers make that silently kill downloads - and the straightforward fixes that actually move the needle.
Comparing AppFollow and Marteso for indie iOS ASO. Honest feature table, real pricing, and a clear recommendation for solo developers who want to act on their keyword data, not just monitor it.
What keyword difficulty actually measures in App Store Optimization, how it relates to popularity, and how indie iOS developers should use difficulty scores to pick keywords they can realistically rank for.
The free ASO tools and free tiers worth using in 2026: what you can actually do without paying, where free hits its limits, and how to build a useful keyword and rank-tracking workflow on a zero budget.
A plain-English definition of ASO (App Store Optimization): what it means in marketing, the parts that actually move rankings and conversions, how it differs from SEO, and why it matters for indie iOS developers.
Most indie devs set their App Store screenshots once and move on. Here is a five-point audit that catches the mistakes costing you downloads and shows you how to fix them before your next update.
Most indie devs fill their App Store keyword field once and forget it. Here's how to use all 100 characters, avoid the five most common mistakes, and unlock more search coverage with the same slot.
The Marteso MCP server connects your live App Store keyword data, rankings, and ASO methodology directly to your AI assistant, so you stop context-switching and start making better keyword bets faster.
We built a free ASO Score Checker that grades any iOS app on 11 factors from live App Store data. Here is exactly how the scoring works and what to do with your results.
Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines at WWDC26 to remove existing apps that are stale, low-value, or fail to attract users. Here is what indie developers need to know and what to do right now.
Everything you need to know about the 100-character keyword field in App Store Connect: comma separation, no spaces, character counting rules, what to never put in it, and how to get maximum keyword coverage from your budget.
Keyword cannibalization in App Store Optimization happens when your title, subtitle, and keyword field compete with each other for the same terms. Here is how to detect it and the exact fix for indie iOS apps.
A side-by-side comparison of the ASO tools indie iOS developers actually consider in 2026: Marteso, AppFollow, AppTweak, Sensor Tower, Komori, and Appfigures. Pricing, feature coverage, and which tool fits which type of indie team. Pricing re-checked directly on every vendor's site on 10 September 2026, and corrected: Marteso's App Store Connect integration writes approved metadata changes back, not read-only as an earlier version of this page said.
App Store rankings drive impressions, not installs. Learn how to measure tap-through rate and product page conversion to find where downloads are actually being lost.
Every duplicated keyword between your iOS title, subtitle, and keyword field is a wasted character. Here's how Apple deduplicates your metadata and how to audit and fix it in one sitting.
A comprehensive app store optimization playbook for indie iOS developers: keyword research, screenshot strategy, ratings, localization, market intelligence, AI, and measuring results.
Not every keyword gap is an opportunity. Here is how to tell the difference and turn competitor blind spots into real rankings for your indie iOS app.
Testing a new keyword does not have to mean resetting everything you have built. Here is the exact sequence indie iOS developers should follow to run a clean ASO experiment and read the signal clearly at day 21.
Marteso auto-translates your App Store metadata to 20+ locales instantly. Add one language and your title, subtitle, and description are ready in every storefront. No translation agency needed.
A head-to-head comparison of Fastlane frameit and Marteso for iOS screenshot automation: setup time, localization support, AI copy, and what each tool is actually built for.
Apple's App Store now indexes the text in your screenshots as a keyword ranking signal. Here is a frame-by-frame guide to optimizing each screenshot position using keyword research, not guesswork.
Apple quietly changed how Custom Product Pages work in July 2025. They now appear in organic search results, giving indie developers a 156% conversion lift on traffic they were already getting.
Comparing Komori, Appfigures, and Marteso for indie iOS ASO. Honest feature table, real pricing, and a clear recommendation for solo developers who need to act on their keyword data.
A realistic guide to how long app store optimization actually takes -- keyword ranking, screenshots, ratings, and localization each move on different timescales.
The app store subtitle gives you exactly 30 characters. Here's how to use every one of them for keyword indexing without turning your product page into a keyword dump — with concrete subtitle examples for fitness, to-do, calorie, meditation, and photo apps.
Before you touch your title, subtitle, or keyword field, there is one research step most indie developers skip: checking what your top competitors changed since your last update.
Screenshot automation for iOS apps: the tools, workflows, and tradeoffs developers use to regenerate App Store screenshots at scale without doing it manually every release.
Localization doesn't start with translation. It starts with reading your keyword data across storefronts, then testing the one market where Apple is already showing organic signal.
App Store keyword rankings fluctuate constantly. Most indie developers either ignore the movement or overreact. Here is how to tell the difference between noise and a real signal that warrants a metadata update.
Marteso is the Vercel for iOS apps: a GitHub-triggered screenshot pipeline that's 50% faster than Fastlane frameit. One UI test generates device-framed, localized screenshots for every App Store language.
Most App Store keyword advice assumes you already have download velocity. Here's a keyword strategy built for apps with fewer than 500 ratings that need to rank first and build authority second.
After a metadata update, total downloads are the wrong number to lead with. Read impressions, page view conversion, rank movement, and ratings velocity in the right order.
App Store Optimization looks different when you're a team of one. This complete guide covers what actually moves the needle for indie iOS developers, what to ignore, and how to build a system that compounds over time without a dedicated ASO hire.
A practical guide to App Store product page testing for indie developers: what to test first, how long to run it, and how to protect your keyword learning loop.
A practical App Store ratings strategy for indie developers: when to ask, how Apple rules work, and why ratings velocity affects ranking durability.
Since mid-2025, the App Store has been indexing visible screenshot text as a keyword ranking signal. Most indie developers are still writing captions like it's 2023. Here's what changed, what it costs you, and a 3-step plan to fix it.
The terms with the biggest search volume are not the ones driving downloads for small apps. Here's the data from Pi Digits showing exactly why specific keywords win.
App Store screenshots affect ASO because conversion affects whether rankings are worth keeping. Learn how indie developers should align screenshots with keyword intent.
Most indie iOS developers lose App Store rankings to the same five avoidable mistakes. Here's how to spot each one and fix it before it compounds into a year of lost impressions.
A practical iOS title and subtitle strategy for indie apps: choose one keyword bet, use each metadata field deliberately, and avoid wasting your strongest ASO surfaces.
A practical guide for indie developers on how to improve App Store ranking by building a keyword ladder: proof terms first, bridge terms second, broad keywords later.
Since the June 2025 App Store algorithm update, Apple has been indexing the visible text in your screenshot captions as a ranking signal. One app doubled its downloads without touching a single metadata field, here's what happened and how to act on it.
The US App Store doesn't just index your English metadata; it indexes keywords from up to 10 localizations simultaneously. Here's how to use that to multiply your keyword footprint without touching your primary listing.
The App Store algorithm has changed significantly over the past 18 months. Here's the keyword selection framework we recommend for indie iOS developers.
A step-by-step roadmap for new apps: what to focus on in weeks 1–2, 3–6, and 7–12 to build momentum in the rankings.
Icon tests can reveal how small visual changes affect store listing performance. Here's what to test first and how to read the data correctly.
Your reviews are a goldmine of product intelligence. Here's how to systematically extract actionable insights from thousands of reviews each month.
Your 30-character title is the single most impactful ASO lever you have. Here's how to use every character strategically without keyword stuffing.
How to systematically analyze what your top competitors rank for, and identify the gaps you can fill in your next metadata update.