You’re itching to build something. That’s great! The truth is, most apps flop because they skip the boring stuff. The App Store is crowded, attention is limited, and ASO is more important than ever.
Instead, imagine making money passively, just by being on the App Store. This is a practical, step-by-step guide on how I do keyword research in 2025.
Two tools and a few hours of focused work will get you a list of solid keywords and a launch plan.
By the end, you’ll know how to:
Astro is the main tool I use for keyword research. Built by an independent developer, it focuses on what app makers actually need, and it’s budget-friendly.
What it does
Keyword research, ranking history, competitor tracking.
Price
Only $108/year. Compared to other ASO tools, this is great value. You’ll make that back within weeks/months if you pick good keywords.
Appfigures is a bigger player in the ASO space, with more products metrics (estimated revenue, release history, screenshots, etc.). The data often differs from Astro, which is useful! If both tools agree a keyword looks good, that’s stronger evidence.
Price
It’s pricier than Astro, but you can get a 14-day free trial without a credit card. We’ll use it to validate whether the top apps are actually making money, check screenshots and rating counts.
If you’re already familiar with these tools, follow this short version. Step-by-step walkthrough and example below, which explains each step.