App competitor analysis: read rivals' keywords and listing changes
App competitor analysis means choosing the few apps that compete with you for the same searches in the same storefront, reading their title, subtitle or short description, screenshots, release rhythm and ratings, inferring their keywords from where they rank, and logging every change they make by date, while keeping their brand names out of your own metadata.
Competitor analysis in ASO is not about copying. It is about knowing who takes the clicks on the searches you want, what they say to win them, and when they change it. Done well, it gives you two things: a list of keyword gaps, and an early warning when a rival moves.
How do you choose which rivals to follow?
Choose by search overlap first, then refine by category and size. The apps that matter are the ones that appear next to you for the same searches in the same storefront, not the biggest names in your field.
| Criterion | How to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Search overlap | For your 10 to 20 target keywords, count how often each app is in the top 10 | These apps take the taps you want |
| Category | Same primary category | Apple indexes the primary and optional secondary category in search |
| Rating count | Similar order of magnitude to yours | A rival with 100 times your ratings is a benchmark, not a peer |
| Storefront | Same country and language | Ranks and listings differ per storefront |
| Momentum | Climbing the category chart or new in it | Newcomers often test aggressive text |
Keep three groups: two or three direct peers, one or two leaders you learn from, and newcomers you watch. A short list you read every week beats a long one you never open.
What should you read on a rival's listing?
Read the fields that the store indexes first, then the ones that win the tap.
| What | App Store | Google Play | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Up to 30 characters | Up to 30 characters | Their top keyword bet |
| Second text field | Subtitle, up to 30 characters | Short description, up to 80 characters | Their second bet and their pitch |
| Hidden or long text | Keyword field, up to 100 bytes, not visible | Full description, up to 4,000 characters, visible | On Play, the terms they repeat; on the App Store, infer from ranks |
| First screenshots | Up to three screenshots or previews can show in search results | Screenshots and feature graphic | The promise that wins the tap in a results list |
| Release rhythm | Version history | "Updated on" date | How fast they ship and test |
| Ratings | Average and count per country | Average and count | Social proof against yours |
| Recent low reviews | Customer reviews | Reviews | Their weak points, which are your opportunity |
| Price and in-app purchases | Product page | Listing | How they monetise |
How can you see a rival's keywords?
On Google Play you read them: the title, short description and full description are public, so note the terms they repeat. On the App Store the keyword field is hidden, so you infer it from where the rival ranks. The wider method for finding and scoring terms is in app keyword research.
- List your candidate keywords for one storefront.
- Read the top 10 for each, daily, at a fixed time.
- Where the rival ranks well for a word that is not in its title or subtitle, that word is probably in its keyword field or comes from its category or behaviour signals.
- Mark keywords where the rival ranks and you do not: these are your gaps.
- Mark keywords where you both rank: these are where you go head to head, and where their changes hit you first.
Apple's search ranking also uses user behaviour such as downloads, ratings and reviews, so a strong rank is not proof that a word is in the rival's metadata.
How do you log rival changes?
Keep one row per change, with the date you first saw it.
| Date seen | Rival | Store and country | Field | Before | After | Likely aim | Shared keywords, rank before | After 2 to 4 weeks | Your action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | Rival A | App Store, US | Subtitle | Budget and expenses | Budget planner and bill tracker | Rank for "bill tracker" | bill tracker: you 9, they 15 | ||
| 2026-11-04 | Rival B | Google Play, US | Screenshots | Feature list | Results-first, big headline | Raise click-through |
What to log: title, subtitle or short description, icon, screenshots, price and in-app purchase changes, version and release notes, and any event or promotion. What to look for over time: whether their shared-keyword ranks rose after the change, and whether yours fell. Use the same reading window you use for your own changes; see how to measure the impact of an ASO change.
Can you put a rival's name in your metadata?
No. Both stores treat it as a metadata violation, and Apple is explicit.
Policy box. App Store Connect Help on the keyword field: "Names of other apps or companies aren't allowed." Guideline 2.3.7: "don't try to pack any of your metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information, or other irrelevant phrases just to game the system"; app subtitles "should not ... reference other apps". Apple's App Store search page lists "Competing app names" among keywords not to include, and says improper keyword use is a common reason for rejection. Google Play's metadata policy forbids misleading or irrelevant metadata, lists "data comparison of apps or brands" among common violations, and bans text that indicates store performance or ranking, such as "#1" or "App of the year".
Copying a rival's app is a separate risk: guideline 4.3(b) says Apple will not accept apps that are indistinguishable from what is already widely available, and names categories such as dating, flashlight and simple timers as well established.
What is the legitimate way to appear on rival searches?
Paid search. Apple Ads recommends four campaign types: brand, category, competitor and discovery. The competitor campaign "focuses on keywords for apps that are similar to yours, within the same or a related app category"; Apple advises exact match keywords with Search Match off for it, and adding those keywords as exact match negatives in the discovery campaign. Apple's keyword guide also suggests considering popular brand names that provide similar services, because people often try several apps for the same job. This puts your ad on a rival's search without touching your metadata.
Common mistakes
- Following the biggest apps in the category instead of the ones that share your searches.
- Reading a rival once, instead of keeping a dated log.
- Copying a rival's subtitle word for word: you inherit their keyword bet without their ratings.
- Treating a rival's strong rank as proof of what is in its keyword field.
- Reacting to a change before your own ranks show any effect.
How Uptika helps
Paste a rival's store link into the free Listing X-Ray to see its character use and rating against the category top 10, and run One-Star Reasons on it to sort its recent low reviews by reason. In the panel, Head to head (free) shows the keywords you share with a rival and who leads on each, the App dossier (free) gives any app's page, rating trend and keywords, and the Rival log (Starter) records rivals' title, screenshot and price changes by date. Create a free account. How ranks are read is in keyword rank tracking.
Questions
How do I do app store competitor analysis?
Pick rivals by search overlap first: the apps that rank in the top 10 for most of your target keywords in your storefront. For each, read the indexed text, the first three screenshots, release dates, ratings and recent low reviews, then log every change by date and compare it with your shared keyword ranks.
How can I see a competitor app's keywords?
On Google Play the indexed text is visible on the listing. On the App Store the keyword field is hidden, so you infer it: search the terms you care about in the rival's storefront and note where the rival ranks, especially for words that are not in its title or subtitle.
Can I use competitor names as keywords?
Not in your metadata. Apple says names of other apps or companies are not allowed in the keyword field, and guideline 2.3.7 forbids packing metadata with trademarked terms or popular app names. Apple Ads, by contrast, recommends a competitor campaign with exact match keywords for similar apps, which is the legitimate route.
How do I track competitor app updates?
Save a snapshot of each rival's title, subtitle or short description, screenshots, version and price every day, compare day to day, and write each difference into a change log with the date. Then check your shared keyword ranks over the following weeks.