Appfigures vs Sensor Tower: published prices vs a sales call, and which one an indie iOS app needs

Sensor Tower has no price list: its pricing URL redirects to a demo request that says “We customize pricing plans for each customer - get in touch to find your perfect fit.” You can sign up for free, but its own FAQ says “Full access to App Performance Insights is available via paid plans. Pricing varies based on access level, markets covered, and features.” The best outside signal is Vendr's buyer data: “Median buyer pays $75,000 per year”, based on 40 purchases, last updated February 2026.

For most indie apps the useful line is at Monitor or Optimize: keyword tracking and research are what move ASO work, and both are priced for a single developer. Estimates are a different purchase — useful for sizing a niche or a competitor, not for running your own listing. Our Appfigures review and Sensor Tower review go deeper on each.

Both sell modelled estimates of other apps' downloads and revenue. Appfigures publishes its coverage — “download estimates in 99 countries” and “revenue estimates in 53 countries” — and an accuracy claim: an error rate “between 5% (best case) and 25% (worst case)”. Sensor Tower describes “estimated downloads, revenue, active users, engagement metrics, retention signals… by country, category, and platform” but publishes no error rate. Neither claim has an independent test we could find.

Their own market totals show how far estimates can drift. Both published 2025 year-in-review figures for the same two stores:

Definitions may explain part of the download gap, but not the opposite trends. For an indie developer the takeaway is practical: compare apps within one tool, never across tools, and treat any single estimate as a range.

• Keyword popularity. Appfigures defines its 0–100 popularity score as how often a term is searched, using “data from Apple Search Ads in combination with other information we collect.” Sensor Tower says it “supports ASO by tracking keyword rankings, app visibility, category trends, and competitor positioning” but doesn't publish how its current keyword scores are built.
• MCP servers. Appfigures runs a remote MCP server where “data for apps connected to your Appfigures account is available” — downloads, revenue, subscriptions, ratings and reviews. Data on apps you don't own needs its credit-based Public Data API add-on. Sensor Tower launched an MCP server on July 13, 2026 as “an additional product for qualifying Sensor Tower users”, noting its platform “is an enterprise-level offering.”
• Ad intelligence. Appfigures shows competitors' Apple Ads keywords from Boost. Sensor Tower's ad product covers networks, share of voice and creatives across channels — the main reason large advertisers pay for it.