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How to Evaluate ASO Tools
Evaluate an ASO tool by running the same app, phrases and countries through every candidate, then compare what the numbers mean, how local the data is and what the limits cost over time. This site makes Wow Keywords, which the examples below use.
What to decide before you compare ASO tools
Pick the job first: keyword research, rank tracking, listing audits or competitor tracking. A tool that is strong at one can be thin at another. For the audit job, see ASO audit tools.
Then fix three numbers: which store you need (App Store only, or Google Play too), how many apps you manage, and how many phrases and countries you really track. Every comparison below is measured against that set.
Run the same test in every ASO tool
A fair comparison needs identical input. Use one of your own public apps, 10 phrases (5 broad, 5 narrow) and 2 or 3 countries you ship in. Include one country whose language you do not speak.
In Wow Keywords the test takes a few minutes:
- Add your public App Store app. No App Store Connect key is needed.
- Add the 10 phrases to the app's keywords.
- Run Localize, then edit the local wording for each country.
- Read Volume and Difficulty for each phrase in each country.
- Open a phrase's cell to see the top apps for that search, with their names, subtitles and ratings.
Write the results down, then repeat the same steps in each other tool. For a no-cost first pass on a single phrase across countries, use the free keyword checker.
Check what the scores mean
A tool should tell you what its Volume or popularity number is. If it does not, you cannot judge it.
In Wow Keywords, Volume and Difficulty are 0 to 100 estimates built from public App Store results. They compare phrases with each other. They are not monthly search counts and not Apple Search Ads popularity.
Apply one rule to every tool: a score you cannot explain should not drive a listing change. App Store keyword search volume and app keyword difficulty show how to read both.
Check local data, not translations
Some tools show the same English phrase in every market. Searchers in Germany or Japan do not type a translation of it.
Look at your test country whose language you do not speak. Does the tool give local phrasing for each phrase, and do the results look like apps for the same task? Wow Keywords localizes phrases by market and lets you edit them.
Store coverage matters here too. Wow Keywords researches both the App Store and Google Play. If you need both stores, rule out tools that cover one.
Compare the results with the App Store
Pick 3 phrases and search them by hand in the store for one country. Compare the top apps with the tool's list.
Discard any phrase whose top apps solve a different task from yours, whatever its score. A tool whose top apps differ from what the store shows is not worth paying for. How to find competitor app keywords covers reading those results.
Compare limits and cost over time
Count the tool's limits against your set: apps, keywords, countries, history and users. A cheap plan that caps you at one country is not cheap if you ship in five.
Then price it over 12 and 24 months. A subscription repeats; a one-time license does not. Free vs paid ASO tools shows what free plans, trials and one-time licenses cover. For Wow Keywords, see pricing.
ASO tool checklist
| Check | What to do | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Job fit | Name the one job you hire the tool for | It does that job without a workaround |
| Store coverage | Check App Store and Google Play support | Covers the stores you ship on |
| Score definitions | Find where the tool defines Volume and Difficulty | A plain definition, with limits stated |
| Local phrases | Test a country whose language you do not speak | Local wording per country, editable |
| Top-app transparency | Open a phrase and look at the apps behind its score | Names, subtitles and ratings of the top apps |
| Rank history | Track the test phrases for a few days | Positions saved per phrase and country, as in an App Store rank tracker |
| Limits against your set | Count apps, keywords, countries and users | Your full set fits with room to grow |
| Cost over time | Add up 12 and 24 months | A total you can accept at both points |
FAQ
How long should I trial an ASO tool?
Long enough to run the full test once and check one rank change. A few days is enough to compare scores and top apps. Rank history needs more time, so start tracking your test phrases on day one.
What is the most important thing to check in an ASO tool?
Whether the top apps it shows for a phrase match the App Store and solve the same task as your app. Scores built on the wrong apps are wrong whatever they are called. Check this before anything else.
Do I need Google Play support?
Only if you publish on Google Play. Wow Keywords covers both: add an Android app by link or from your Play Console account. Decide your store before you compare tools.
Can I evaluate ASO tools for free?
Yes. Searching the App Store by hand and using the free keyword checker cover single phrases. Many tools also offer a free plan or trial. Wow Keywords is a one-time license for Mac, with a Windows beta, so run the same test in it and in your other candidates before you decide.