Reference library · ASO by category
App Store Optimization by app category
Each category page samples the apps Apple returns for the category's main search term, records what they do with their 60 characters of title and subtitle, how many languages they ship, and how they price — then turns the patterns into a playbook for a new or struggling app in that category.
- Pages
- 2
- Last checked
- Sep 30, 2026
Generic ASO advice treats every app the same. In practice, the calorie tracker market rewards different words, prices and localization choices than the habit tracker market, and the fastest way to see that is to look at what the top listings actually do.
Every page is built on a dated snapshot pulled from Apple's public data, shown in full so you can check our reading of it. Start with calorie tracking or habit trackers.
If you want keyword-level opportunities rather than category patterns, The Niche List is 36 App Store keywords with real demand and no strong incumbent.
In this library
More added weekly
- 12 apps sampled"calorie tracker"ASO for calorie tracker apps: what the 12 top listings do with 60 charactersEvery leader in this category says "calorie" and "tracker". The openings are in the words, languages and prices they don't use.7 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
- 13 apps sampled"habit tracker"ASO for habit tracker apps: why two small indie apps outrank the giantsThe second and third results for "habit tracker" have about 2,500 ratings each. A 757,000-rating app sits below them. Here's what that tells you.6 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
How to use this library
Read the snapshot
The data table is the evidence. The patterns section is our reading of it — disagree with the reading if the data says otherwise.
Steal the pattern, not the words
Copying a leader's title puts you in a fight you'll lose. Use the pattern to find the gap the leaders leave.
Check freshness
Snapshots are dated. Rankings move; the structural patterns (names, languages, pricing) move slowly.
Questions
How are apps chosen for each snapshot?
They're the top results Apple's iTunes Search API returns for the category's main term in the US storefront on the sample date. We don't add or remove apps by hand.
Why the US storefront?
It's the largest English storefront and the one most indie founders launch in first. Localization data in each snapshot shows how far each app reaches beyond it.
Can you run this for my category?
Yes — a category read is part of the $99 audit, focused on the keywords your app can realistically own.