The best ASO tools for Mac in 2026, picked for indie developers
TLDR: For most solo iOS developers on a Mac, a native ASO app at about $90 to $110 a year covers everything you need: keyword research, difficulty, daily ranks and competitor tracking. Pick Kōmori, Ascope or Astro if you also ship Mac App Store apps, Sextant if you want to know which searches fit your app and get the keyword field written for you, and a web suite like AppTweak or Appfigures only when you need Google Play, teams or download estimates.
This is a 2026 comparison of App Store optimization (ASO) tools for keyword research, rank tracking and competitor work, with a focus on macOS native apps. We put Mac desktop apps like Sextant, Astro, Kōmori and Aurora next to the big web platforms (AppTweak, Sensor Tower, MobileAction, ASOdesk) so you can see what you give up, and what you save, by going small.
Quick picks
- Best for Mac App Store apps: Kōmori or Ascope. Both track Mac apps as well as iPhone apps.
- Cheapest serious native Mac app: Ascope ($89.99/year) or Sextant ($89/year).
- Best known Mac-native pick: Astro ($108/year, unlimited keywords).
- Best if you don't know which keywords are yours yet: Sextant. It scores every search for fit, not only popularity.
- Best one-time purchase: AsoPilot ($29.99 on the Mac App Store), RankDeck ($39) or VisualASO ($99 for up to 3 Macs).
- Lowest yearly price for a native Mac app: Aurora Pro ($49.99/year).
- Best for ASO plus revenue analytics: Appfigures.
- Best for teams, agencies and Apple Ads: AppTweak or MobileAction.
- Best for AI agent workflows across both stores: Sonar.
- Best for market intelligence: Sensor Tower, if you have the budget for a custom quote.
"ASO tool for Mac" means two different things
People who search for an ASO tool for Mac usually want one of two things, and most lists mix them up.
- 1.A tool that runs on your Mac. A native app instead of a browser dashboard. It opens fast, keeps your keyword data on your machine, and often costs less because there is no big cloud bill behind it. Sextant, Astro, Ascope, AppSprint, Aurora, RankDeck, ASOWay and AsoPilot are in this group.
- 2.A tool that covers Mac App Store apps. If you sell a macOS app, you need rankings from the Mac App Store, which is a separate store with its own search results. Not every Mac app covers it.
Here is the part that matters for your shortlist: running on a Mac does not mean covering Mac apps. Sextant, for example, runs on macOS but researches the iOS App Store only. Kōmori and Ascope say on their sites that they track Mac App Store apps, and Astro supports macOS apps too.
How we picked
- Who this is for: indie developers and small studios shipping iOS (and sometimes macOS) apps, ready to spend roughly $9 to $50 a month on ASO.
- What we checked: price, trial or refund terms, platform, which stores and countries each tool covers, how it gets keyword popularity, rank tracking, competitor features and AI/MCP support.
- Where the numbers come from: each vendor's own website, read on 1 November 2026. Where a site blocked us or didn't show a number, we say so. Prices are in US dollars unless the vendor lists euros.
- What we didn't do: we didn't run a paid trial of every tool.
The best ASO tools for indie iOS developers
If you just want an answer by budget:
- Under $60 a year: Aurora Pro ($49.99/year).
- About $9 a month (or $90 to $110 a year): one native Mac app. Ascope, Sextant, Astro, AppSprint Pro, or ASO Mochi Indie.
- Pay once: AsoPilot ($29.99), RankDeck ($39) or VisualASO ($99).
- $15 to $50 a month: MobileAction Lite ($15), Sonar ($29), Appfigures Monitor ($44.99) when you need Google Play, more seats or analytics.
- $79 a month and up: AppTweak, ASOdesk, larger MobileAction and Appfigures plans, Sensor Tower. Worth it when ASO is someone's full-time job.
Most solo developers don't need more than one paid tool. One focused app covers research and tracking.
Comparison table
| Tool | Runs as | App Store coverage | Google Play | Trial / refund | Entry price (checked 1 Nov 2026) | AI / MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sextant (ours) | Native Mac app, macOS 14+ | iOS App Store, 175 storefronts | No | No trial; 14-day refund | $9/mo or $89/yr | Local MCP server |
| Astro | Mac app, macOS 14+ | iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS apps; 60+ countries | No | 14-day refund | $108/yr | MCP server (beta)* |
| Kōmori | Native Mac app | iPhone/iPad and Mac App Store | No | Not confirmed** | $19.99/mo or $199.99/yr** | AI keyword planner** |
| Ascope | Mac app, macOS 14+ | iPhone and Mac App Store apps; 50+ countries | No | 14-day refund | $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr | MCP server |
| AppSprint | Native Mac app, macOS 14.6+ | App Store | No | Trial when offered | Pro $108/yr | MCP |
| AsoPilot | Mac App Store app | App Store | No | No | $29.99 once | Claude integration |
| Aurora | Mac App Store app | App Store | No | Not stated | Pro $5.99/mo or $49.99/yr | Not stated |
| RankDeck | Native Mac app, Apple silicon, macOS 14+ | App Store, several markets | No | 14-day refund | $39 once (2 Macs) | Not stated |
| ASOWay (early access) | Native Mac app (SwiftUI) | App Store, any country | No | Not stated | From $9/mo ($7/mo yearly) | AI-written metadata |
| ASO Mochi | Hosted service | iOS App Store | No | Not stated | $9/mo Indie; $149 lifetime founder seat | AI metadata drafts |
| Sonar | Web, CLI, MCP | App Store | Yes | 7-day trial, card required | $29/mo or $290/yr | Hosted MCP, CLI, API |
| MobileAction | Web | App Store | Yes | 7-day trial | $15/mo ($12.50/mo yearly) | AI keyword suggestions |
| Appfigures | Web | App Store | Yes | Trial on Optimize, no card | Keywords from $44.99/mo (Monitor) | AI keyword suggestions |
| AppTweak | Web | App Store | Yes | Trial, card required | Essential $79/mo, $949/yr | ASO Agent (Enterprise) |
| ASOdesk | Web | App Store | Yes | 7-day trial, no card | Paid plans from about $159/mo*** | Keyword auto-suggestions |
| Sensor Tower | Web | App Store | Yes | No | Custom quote | MCP server |
* MCP status from Astro's docs as cited on our Sextant vs Astro page. Astro's homepage confirms the price, unlimited keywords, 60+ countries and the 14-day refund.
** Kōmori's site blocked our fetch; these figures come from its pages as shown in search results. Check komori.tech before buying.
*** ASOdesk's pricing page renders its plans with JavaScript and welcome discounts; the lowest paid figure we could read was $159/month, but we couldn't tie each price to a plan. Check asodesk.com/pricing.
What it costs per year for one indie developer
| Tool | Cheapest way to pay for a year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASO Mochi | $108 (Indie, 12 x $9) | Indie: 3 apps, 100 keywords per app |
| AsoPilot | $29.99 once | Mac App Store purchase |
| RankDeck | $39 once | Up to 2 Apple silicon Macs |
| Aurora Pro | $49.99 | $5.99 if you pay monthly |
| ASOWay Start | $84 (12 x $7) | 1 app, 100 keywords; early access |
| Sextant | $89 | Founders pay $44.50 the first year with FOUNDER50 |
| Ascope | $89.99 | $9.99 if you pay monthly |
| VisualASO | $99 once | Licence for 3 Macs |
| Astro | $108 | Annual only |
| AppSprint Pro | $108 | Single computer license |
| MobileAction Lite | $150 (12 x $12.50) | 100 keywords, 5 apps |
| Kōmori | $199.99 | Unverified, see note above |
| Sonar Indie | $290 | 10 apps, 2,500 keywords, both stores |
| Appfigures Monitor | about $432 (12 x $35.99 billed annually) | 100 keywords |
| AppTweak Essential | $949 | 500 keywords, 5 apps |
| ASOdesk | about $1,900+ | Unconfirmed, see note above |
| Sensor Tower | Quote only | No public pricing |
Sextant vs Astro, and how Mac apps compare with Sensor Tower, AppTweak and MobileAction
Sextant vs Astro
Both are macOS native apps for App Store keyword research at a similar price ($89/year vs $108/year). The difference is the job each one does best:
- Astro is a tracker. You bring keywords, it gives you popularity, difficulty and daily ranks for as many as you like, and it covers iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS apps.
- Sextant is a picker. It scores each search for how well it fits your app, then writes the 100-character keyword field from the ones you choose. It covers the iOS App Store only, in all 175 storefronts.
If you already know your keywords, Astro is the safer bet. If you're not sure which searches you can win, Sextant does more of the thinking. Our full Sextant vs Astro comparison goes deeper.
Mac desktop apps vs Sensor Tower, AppTweak and MobileAction
Sensor Tower, AppTweak, MobileAction and ASOdesk are web platforms built for teams. They give you Google Play coverage, download and revenue estimates, Apple Ads intelligence, more seats and years of history. You pay for that: AppTweak starts at $79/month, MobileAction's useful tiers start at $69/month, and Sensor Tower is quote only.
A Mac desktop app like Sextant or Astro gives one developer keyword research, rank tracking and competitor watching for about $9 a month. For a solo iOS developer, that covers most of the App Store optimization work that actually moves downloads. Move to a web platform when you need Google Play, a team, or market-wide data.
The tools, one by one
Native Mac apps
1. Sextant
Sextant is a native SwiftUI app for macOS 14 and later. You add your app, or start Explore from a few words, an idea or a link, and it gathers the searches around it. Then it gives each search a Fit score from 0 to 100, built from four questions about the search and your app, with a verdict: title or subtitle, keyword field, worth considering, or weak fit. Popularity (on Apple's 5 to 100 scale) and difficulty sit next to it. From the searches you pick, it writes your 100-character keyword field, and Review and Publish sends it to the version you're preparing in App Store Connect without submitting it.
Pros
- Tells you whether a search fits your app, not only how popular it is.
- Writes the keyword field for you.
- All 175 App Store storefronts, unlimited apps and searches.
- Daily ranks in the first 200 results, plus a before-and-after view of each listing change.
- Watch competitors: rating, charts, listing changes and up to 500 reviews per country.
- Local MCP server for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and Codex.
- $9/month or $89/year.
Cons
- iOS App Store only. No Mac App Store apps and no Google Play.
- No trial. You get a 14-day full refund instead.
- One Mac per subscription.
- Your app's public listing and candidate searches go to Sextant's judging service. Your App Store Connect key and data stay on your Mac.
- A young product. Fewer reviews and less history than Astro or AppTweak.
Best for: indie iOS developers who have a list of possible keywords and don't know which ones they can actually win.
2. Astro
Astro is the name most indie iOS developers know. It's a Mac app for macOS 14 and up with unlimited keyword tracking, popularity and difficulty data, keyword suggestions, competitor keyword extraction, keyword translations and more than 60 countries, for $108 a year (shown as $9 a month, billed annually). It covers apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS.
Pros: unlimited keywords at a flat price, a native interface, widely recommended in indie circles, Mac app support, a 14-day refund window.
Cons: annual billing only, App Store only, and its docs say ranks update every 24 hours while the app is running, so history can have gaps if your Mac is off. Popularity comes from Apple Ads, which has shown a floor of 5 for much of the long tail since late 2025.
Best for: iOS and Mac developers who want a proven tracker and already know their keywords.
3. Kōmori
Kōmori is a native macOS app built around the Mac App Store. According to its site (as shown in search results; the site blocked our direct fetch), it covers Mac App Store keyword research, daily rank tracking with 30 days of history, download and revenue estimates and Mac top charts, and it also handles iPhone and iPad apps while keeping the two stores separate.
Pros: the strongest Mac App Store focus we found, plus revenue and download estimates.
Cons: the priciest of the native apps at a listed $19.99/month or $199.99/year; 30 days of rank history. We couldn't verify details directly.
Best for: developers whose main product is a Mac app.
4. Ascope
Ascope is a Mac app (macOS 14+) that tracks your App Store search ranks in 50+ countries, with Apple's popularity score next to each term. It works with both iPhone and Mac App Store apps and includes an MCP server for Cursor, Claude, Codex and Gemini.
Pros: $89.99/year ($9.99 monthly), tracks Mac apps, 14-day money-back guarantee.
Cons: no trial, only a refund window; fewer countries than tools that cover all 175 storefronts; focused on tracking rather than deciding which keywords to pick.
Best for: developers who want a fast, private daily rank tracker for iPhone and Mac apps.
5. AppSprint
AppSprint is a native macOS app (14.6+) that combines keyword research, rank tracking, competitor revenue and download estimates, App Store Connect metadata editing, price localization and Apple Search Ads management. The Pro plan is $9/month billed $108/year with unlimited apps and keywords on a single computer.
Pros: a lot of features for the price, including competitor revenue estimates and Apple Ads management.
Cons: some features need its SDK and a revenue provider connected; single computer license; we didn't confirm the price of its one-app Solo plan.
Best for: founders who run Apple Ads and want ASO and paid search in one Mac app.
6. AsoPilot
AsoPilot is a native macOS app sold on the Mac App Store for $29.99, one time. It's built as much for deciding which app to build next as for ASO: it scores ideas on demand, competition, feasibility and fit, and also does keyword research, competitor tracking and keyword tracking per storefront, all stored locally.
Pros: cheap, one-time, local-first, good for validating an idea before you build.
Cons: popularity comes from App Store autocomplete signals rather than Apple Ads; lighter rank tracking than dedicated trackers.
Best for: indie developers choosing their next app.
7. Aurora
Aurora is a macOS native ASO app sold through the Mac App Store. It tracks rankings, finds keyword opportunities, watches competitors and ties App Store performance to revenue with App Store Connect analytics and subscription dashboards. Pro costs $5.99/month or $49.99/year and adds unlimited apps and tracked keywords, unlimited Keyword Explorer searches, unlimited ranking history, CSV export, and ranking and competitor alerts.
Pros: the lowest yearly price of any Mac desktop app here; revenue dashboards next to keyword data; no sales call or contract.
Cons: its site doesn't say which countries it covers, its minimum macOS version, or whether it has AI or MCP support.
Best for: indie developers who want ASO and revenue in one cheap Mac app.
8. RankDeck
RankDeck, from Notchbird, is a Mac app for keyword research and rank tracking across markets, with saved checks, rank history and local listing drafts per locale. It's a one-time $39 license for up to two Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later, with updates included and refunds within 14 days.
Pros: cheap, pay once, two Macs, keeps research and metadata drafts together.
Cons: Apple silicon only; its own site says demand and difficulty are estimates from public App Store data, not Apple's numbers.
Best for: developers who want a small, one-time keyword board.
9. ASOWay
ASOWay is a native SwiftUI Mac app (no Electron) for keyword research, competitor analysis and AI-written metadata, with one-click upload to App Store Connect. It's in early access. Start is $9/month ($7 billed yearly) for 1 app and 100 keywords, Indie $14 ($11 yearly) for 5 apps and 1,000 keywords, and Pro $19 ($15 yearly) for 10 apps and 2,500 keywords, which adds daily rank tracking.
Pros: writes title, subtitle, description and promo text from your keyword plan; lets you approve every change before upload; per-locale plans.
Cons: early access, so expect rough edges; daily rank tracking needs the Pro plan.
Best for: developers who want metadata writing and localization in the same Mac app.
Also worth a look (native Mac)
- ASO Atlas: web app plus a native Mac app, $9/month flat, 60+ storefronts.
- okto: native Mac app for keyword research (macOS 15+). We didn't confirm a price.
- VisualASO: Mac app (macOS 14+) covering 52 countries. $99 once for up to 3 Macs.
Web tools
10. ASO Mochi
ASO Mochi is a hosted rank tracker made by a solo iOS developer. Its pitch is showing which app update moved your ranks. Indie is $9/month for 3 apps and 100 keywords per app; Studio is $19/month; and there was a $149 lifetime Indie founder seat when we checked.
Pros: release markers on the rank chart, cheap, a lifetime option.
Cons: keyword limits per app; iOS only.
Best for: developers who ship often and want to see what each release did.
11. Sonar
Sonar is a web dashboard plus a hosted MCP server, CLI and REST API for the App Store and Google Play. Indie is $29/month or $290/year for 10 apps and 2,500 tracked keywords, with a 7-day trial (card required).
Pros: both stores, built for AI agents and scripts.
Cons: more expensive than the native Mac apps; card needed for the trial.
Best for: developers on both stores, or anyone who runs ASO from an AI agent.
12. MobileAction
MobileAction is a full ASO and Apple Ads intelligence platform. Lite is $15/month ($12.50/month billed yearly) for 100 keywords, 5 apps and 3 competitors per app, with a 7-day trial. Basic is $69/month and Pro $239/month.
Pros: deep Apple Ads data, both stores, an entry plan cheap enough for indies.
Cons: the useful features sit on higher tiers; Lite caps you at 100 keywords.
Best for: developers who also run Apple Ads.
13. Appfigures
Appfigures is an analytics platform with ASO on top. Its entry plans don't include keyword tracking; keywords start with Monitor at $44.99/month (100 keywords, daily updates) and Optimize at $149.99/month (500 keywords, hourly). Annual billing saves about 20%.
Pros: downloads, revenue, reviews and ASO in one place; both stores; a no-card trial on Optimize.
Cons: expensive for keyword work alone.
Best for: developers who want sales analytics first and ASO second.
14. AppTweak
AppTweak is one of the most complete ASO platforms. Essential starts at $79/month ($949 billed annually) for 5 apps, 500 keywords and 1 seat. Its ASO Agent, which audits metadata and proposes new titles and keyword fields, is available on the Enterprise plan.
Pros: deep keyword data, volume estimates for keywords Apple reports as 5, Apple Ads tools, both stores.
Cons: priced for teams; the trial requires a card and the refund window is 48 hours.
Best for: growth teams, agencies and studios where ASO is a core job.
Also worth a look (web)
- Marteso: Pro is €18 per app per month (unlimited apps, 500 keywords), with an AI metadata optimizer and an MCP server.
- ASOdesk: a web ASO platform for the App Store and Google Play with keyword research, rank tracking, competitor analysis and review replies. Paid plans start around $159/month by our reading of its pricing page (see the note under the comparison table), with a 7-day trial.
- Keyword Tool (keywordtool.io): not an ASO tool as such but a keyword research tool across 17 platforms, the App Store included, built on autocomplete suggestions. Keyword Tool Pro Starter is $88/month ($68/month billed annually), with MCP and API access. Useful if you also do web SEO; for App Store work alone it's expensive.
- ASO.dev: an App Store Connect client with ASO features. Indie is $29/month billed yearly ($348/year). We couldn't confirm which operating systems its desktop app supports.
Enterprise
15. Sensor Tower
Sensor Tower sells app, ad and market intelligence through custom quotes only. It's the standard source for download and revenue estimates.
Pros: the deepest market data on this list.
Cons: no public pricing; far beyond an indie budget.
Best for: publishers, investors and analysts.
What a keyword plan did for a small app
Prompter is a teleprompter app. Its developer followed Sextant's keyword plan for it and measured the result in App Store Connect over the next 28 days:
- App Store search visibility went up 214%.
- 5,194 search impressions.
- 134 downloads from search, which was 80% of all its downloads in that period.
One app is not a study. But it shows the pattern we see most: a small app gains more by picking searches it fits and can win than by chasing the most popular words in its category.
Which ASO tool should you pick?
| If you are... | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A solo iOS developer who doesn't know which keywords to target | Sextant | Fit score per search and a written keyword field |
| A solo iOS developer who already has a keyword list | Astro or Ascope | Flat-price, unlimited daily tracking |
| Shipping a Mac App Store app | Kōmori or Ascope | Both track Mac apps |
| Against subscriptions | AsoPilot, RankDeck or VisualASO | Pay once |
| On the tightest paid budget | Aurora | $49.99 a year for unlimited apps and keywords |
| Wanting AI-written metadata in a Mac app | ASOWay | Writes and uploads localized metadata |
| Also running Apple Ads | AppSprint or MobileAction | Ads management or ads intelligence |
| On both App Store and Google Play | Sonar or Appfigures | Both stores in one tool |
| A team or agency | AppTweak, MobileAction or ASOdesk | Depth, reporting, seats |
| An investor or publisher | Sensor Tower | Market-wide estimates |
FAQ
What is the best ASO tool for Mac in 2026?
It depends on which store you sell in. For iOS apps, a native Mac app at about $90 to $110 a year (Sextant, Ascope, Astro or AppSprint) covers most indie needs. For Mac App Store apps, Kōmori and Ascope list Mac App Store tracking on their sites.
What is the best ASO tool for indie iOS developers?
One focused, low-cost tool. Pick by job: Sextant to decide which searches to target, Astro or Ascope for flat-price tracking, AsoPilot if you'd rather pay once, Sonar if you also ship on Google Play.
What is the cheapest alternative to Sensor Tower?
For download and revenue estimates on a budget, AppSprint ($108/year) and Kōmori list competitor estimates. For keyword work only, any $9-a-month native Mac app replaces it for an indie.
Is there an App Store keyword research tool that runs natively on Mac?
Yes, several: Sextant, Astro, Kōmori, Ascope, AppSprint, AsoPilot, Aurora, RankDeck, ASOWay, ASO Atlas, okto and VisualASO.
Do I need an ASO tool at all?
Not on day one. Once search drives a real share of your downloads, or you're about to change your title, subtitle and keyword field, a tool saves you guesswork about which searches to chase.
Sources
All read on 1 November 2026. Prices as each site lists them.
- Sextant: trysextant.app, Sextant vs Astro, Sextant vs Sonar
- Astro: tryastro.app
- Kōmori: komori.tech (via search results; direct fetch blocked)
- Ascope: ascope.app
- AppSprint: appsprint.app/mac, appsprint.app/terms
- Aurora: aurora-aso.app, aurora-aso.app/pricing
- RankDeck: notchbird.com/rankdeck
- ASOWay: asoway.com
- ASOdesk: asodesk.com/pricing
- Keyword Tool: keywordtool.io/pro, keywordtool.io/app-store
- AsoPilot: Mac App Store listing (id 6761378006), asopilot.pentarab.com
- ASO Atlas: asoatlas.com, asoatlas.com/mac
- okto: tryokto.com
- VisualASO: visualaso.com
- ASO Mochi: asomochi.com
- Sonar: trysonar.app
- MobileAction: mobileaction.co/pricing
- Appfigures: appfigures.com/pricing
- AppTweak: apptweak.com/en/pricing, help.apptweak.com (ASO Agent)
- Marteso: marteso.com/pricing
- ASO.dev: aso.dev
- Sensor Tower: sensortower.com/pricing
Sextant is made by Moby Solutions. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to say which product we mean. None of these companies endorsed this article.
