Comparison · Checked
Sextant vs Astro
Both are Mac apps for App Store keyword research, each for one Mac. Astro tracks popularity, difficulty and your rank for the keywords you add. Sextant judges every search around your app for fit, then writes your keyword field from the ones you can win.
macOS 14 and later · Version 1.3.0 · 11.8 MB
The short version
Pick Sextant if
- You want every search judged for your app, not only by popularity and difficulty.
- You want the 100-character keyword field written for you.
- You want every storefront: all 175, against Astro's 91.
- You would rather pay US$89 a year than US$108.
Pick Astro if
- You want to try it free first: its free version tracks up to 10 keywords.
- You also research keywords for iPad, Mac or Vision Pro apps.
Sextant and Astro, side by side
Astro's side comes from its own website, read on 23 October 2026. The numbers link to each source.
| Sextant | Astro | |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Runs on | A native Mac app, built in SwiftUI, for macOS 14 and later | A Mac app for macOS 14 and up1 |
| Stores | The iOS App Store | The App Store, for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS apps4 |
| Storefronts | All 175 App Store storefronts | 91 of the 175, the ones where Apple Ads is available2 |
| Price | US$9/month or US$89/year. Founders get 50% off their first year on the annual plan: US$44.50, then US$89/year. | US$108/year, shown as US$9/month billed annually1 |
| Limits | Unlimited apps and searches, for one Mac | Unlimited apps and keywords, for one Mac at a time16 |
| Trying it | No free trial. A full refund within 14 days, no questions asked | A free version with up to 10 keywords, without popularity or difficulty. A refund within 14 days123 |
| Keywords | ||
| Where keywords come from | Mined from competitor listings and App Store autocomplete | The ones you add, the ones apps rank for in searches other Astro users have tracked, and words from the titles and subtitles of ranking apps2 |
| How a keyword is judged | A Fit from 0 to 100 from four questions: do searchers want an app like yours, does Apple show apps like yours, do people really type it, and what kind of search is it | By popularity and difficulty. Its docs suggest keywords with popularity above 25 and difficulty below 753 |
| Popularity | Estimated from Apple's own App Store search, on Apple's 5 to 100 scale | From Apple Ads13 |
| Difficulty | How hard it is to rank against the apps already there, and your chance of reaching the top results | Astro's own score for how hard it is to rank among the top 10 apps13 |
| Keyword field | Written for you: 100 characters from the searches you tick, with no word your title or subtitle already has | Not among the features on its site or in its docs12 |
| Tracking | ||
| Ranks | Daily, in the first 200 results, for every judged search and any you add, each kept until you remove it | Every 24 hours while the app is running, with a chart for each keyword3 |
| Competitors | Confirmed from what Apple shows for your searches, with their ranks, ratings and chart momentum. For any app, it checks up to 80 searches around it and lists the ones where it is in the first 200 | The apps ranking for each keyword, and the keywords any of them rank for3 |
| Before you have an app | Explore scores a niche's searches from a few words, an idea or a competitor's App Store link | Temporary apps hold keywords for research, without rank updates4 |
| AI assistants | A local MCP server on your Mac, for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and Codex | An MCP server on your Mac, in beta5 |
Sextant asks whether a search is yours.
Popularity says how often a phrase is typed, and difficulty says how crowded it is. Neither says whether the people typing it want an app like yours. Sextant asks four questions about every search, gives it a Fit from 0 to 100, and files it under one of four verdicts: Title or subtitle, Keyword field, Worth considering or Weak fit.
gift wish list
Title or subtitle
Fit71
- Do searchers want an app like yours?
- 73%
- Does Apple show apps like yours?
- 72%
- Do people really type it?
- Yes, people type it
- What kind of search is it?
- Category
couples app
Weak fit
Fit40
- Do searchers want an app like yours?
- 42%
- Does Apple show apps like yours?
- 19%
- Do people really type it?
- Yes, people type it
- What kind of search is it?
- Category
A real run for Lovit, a wishlist app for couples, on the US storefront, 6 October 2026. The searches come from the App Store. The odds come from Jev, a decision model that answers with probabilities instead of writing text, so it can't make up a keyword.
Your keyword field, written.
Apple gives you 100 characters. Sextant writes them from the searches you tick, topped up from other good ones, with no word already in your title or subtitle, no repeats or plurals, and no filler.
Keyword field · Sextant's plan
98 of 100 characters
Every app and every search, by the month or the year.
Sextant
Everything included, for every app you make.
One Mac per subscription
Annual
Regular price US$89/year
Founder price US$44.50/first year
50% off your first year, then US$89/year. Billed once a year.
Founder offer
Applied automatically at checkout on the annual plan.
Monthly
US$9/month
Billed every month.
- Unlimited apps and searchesEvery app you make, as many analyses as you like.
- All 175 storefrontsEach with its own searches, results and competitors.
- Competitor intelligenceFacts, chart momentum and where they rank against you.
- Watch competitorsWhat they change, day by day: versions, names, screenshots, charts and reviews.
- Popularity and difficultyHow often people search each one, from Apple's own App Store search, and how hard it is to rank for.
- Daily ranksYour place in the first 200 results for every search.
- Explore before you buildA niche's searches, scored, from a few words or a competitor's link.
- App Store Connect integrationLive listings, search reports and publishing to your next version. Key kept in your Keychain.
- Your AI, connectedA local MCP server for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and Codex.
- Before and afterWhat every listing change did to search traffic and ranks.
macOS 14 and later · Version 1.3.0 · 11.8 MB
Download for MacBoth plans renew automatically, Monthly at US$9/month and Annual at US$89/year, unless canceled; cancel anytime in the customer portal. Founders pay US$44.50 for their first year of Annual, then US$89/year. A full refund within 14 days, no questions asked.
Or read our guide to the best ASO tools for Mac.
Sources
Each product's own site and docs, read on . Prices are in US dollars, as each site lists them.
- 1.tryastro.app: features, pricing and FAQ tryastro.app/
- 2.Astro docs: How to add keywords tryastro.app/docs/how-to-add-keywords
- 3.Astro docs: Data Overview (Keywords) tryastro.app/docs/data-overview-keywords
- 4.Astro docs: Temporary Apps tryastro.app/docs/temporary-apps
- 5.Astro docs: MCP Server tryastro.app/docs/mcp
- 6.Astro docs: License Transfer tryastro.app/docs/license-transfer
Astro is made by 28 bit S.R.L. Sextant is made by Moby Solutions and is not affiliated with or endorsed by 28 bit S.R.L. Product names belong to their owners and are used here only to say which product we mean.
Something here out of date? Write to hello@trysextant.app and we'll fix it.
Find your place in App Store search.
Add your app, see who you're up against, and start climbing the searches that fit you.
macOS 14 and later · Version 1.3.0 · 11.8 MB