Get your productivity app ahead on the searches that matter.
ASO for productivity apps means reading the category line and the subscription rules together: on the App Store, Productivity is for apps that make a task more organized, while document and collaboration tools belong in Business, and cloud software and SaaS subscriptions are sold through each store's own billing.
What makes ASO different in this category?
- 01
Productivity or Business?
On the App Store, Productivity covers task and calendar management, translation, note taking, printing, password management, cloud storage and email clients; document tools such as PDFs, scanning, remote desktop and collaboration are Business. On Google Play, Productivity is notepads, to-do lists, keyboards, calendars, backup and calculators, while Business is document editors, remote desktop and email management.[1][2]
- 02
Subscriptions need ongoing value
Under Guideline 3.1.2(a), an auto-renewable subscription must provide ongoing value, last at least seven days and be available across all of the user's devices. Apple lists software as a service and cloud support among appropriate examples.[3]
- 03
Accounts bought elsewhere
Guideline 3.1.3(b) lets users access subscriptions they bought on other platforms or your website. Under 3.1.3(f), a free stand-alone companion to a paid web tool for VoIP, cloud storage, email or web hosting needs no in-app purchase if there is no purchasing or call to action inside the app. On Google Play, cloud software and business productivity software sold in the app go through Google Play's billing system.[3][4]
- 04
Disclose extensions in your copy
Guideline 4.4 asks you to clearly and accurately disclose the extensions your app offers in its marketing text; the extensions themselves may not include marketing, advertising or in-app purchases.[3]
- 05
A declaration for All files access
On Google Play, All files access is meant for core functions such as file managers, backup and restore, anti-virus and document management apps, and it requires the Permissions Declaration Form in Play Console and approval.[5]
Features that matter most
Keyword field builder
Fills the App Store's hidden 100-character keyword field with words not already in your name or subtitle, sorted by popularity.
MoreHead to head
Shows who leads across your tracked searches and the keywords your rivals rank for and you do not.
MoreAI echo
Asks an AI model questions like "What is the best … app?" every day and records whether your app is named.
MoreCopy workshop
Drafts your title, subtitle, keyword field and short description with live character limits and keyword coverage.
MoreThis category's charts
The free Chart Movers tool shows this category's top 10 today, the climbers, new entrants and launches of the last 90 days.
App Store · Productivity
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolGoogle Play · Productivity
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolKeyword Atlas
Measures one search term in up to 10 countries on both stores: popularity, difficulty and each market's top 3 apps in one table.
Open toolQuestions
Should a notes app be Productivity or Business?
Apple lists note taking among its Productivity examples, while document management and collaboration are Business examples. Choose the primary category by your app's main function and use the secondary one for the other.
Can users sign in to a subscription they bought on my website?
Apple's Guideline 3.1.3(b) allows access to subscriptions bought on other platforms or your website. If you sell inside the app to unlock features, Guideline 3.1.1 requires in-app purchase; check the full text for the exceptions that apply in some storefronts.
Read more
App Store subscription offers: introductory, promotional, offer codes and win-back
The four App Store subscription offers side by side: who gets them, where they show, limits and setup steps, plus a decision tree for which one to use when.
Read the guideGuideline 3.1.1 In-App Purchase rejections: what needs IAP and what doesn't
What needs in-app purchase under Guideline 3.1.1, what may use other payment, the 3.1.1(a) link rules and US storefront exception, and 3.1.2 subscriptions.
Read the guideChoosing an app category and reading top charts on both stores
How to choose a primary and secondary category on the App Store and a category plus 5 tags on Google Play, and how to read category top charts.
Read the guideGetting your app recommended by AI answer engines (GEO for apps)
GEO for apps: what Apple says about store text on the web, one consistent name and description, an answer-first site layout and a weekly prompt set.
Read the guide