Astro: turn keyword guesses into a shortlist
Knowing your rank answers one question. Deciding which words deserve your next release is another. Astro is a Mac app for App Store keyword research and tracking.
Reach for it when: you have a working app, but you’re still choosing the search terms to focus on.
What it does
Astro provides keyword suggestions, competitor keyword discovery, popularity data, difficulty scores, and rank history. Its site says popularity comes from Apple Search Ads and describes daily rank updates. It requires macOS 14 or later.
Turn the signals into a decision
A popularity score can help compare terms; it doesn’t tell you whether your app solves the searcher’s problem. Difficulty is another input, not a promise of results. Start with relevance, then use the tool’s signals to decide where to investigate.
Try a focused research session
- Write down the job. Describe what a person opens your app to do. Start with plain language rather than a competitor’s brand.
- Explore related terms. Use keyword suggestions and competitor discovery to expand that initial list.
- Inspect the results. Look at the apps ranking for a candidate. Would a person searching that phrase expect something like yours?
- Choose a small shortlist. Prefer a few terms with a clear connection to your app over a large list chosen only for popularity.
- Keep the context. Record the storefront, date, and listing version when checking progress.
When it might be more than you need
If you already know your keywords and only want a quick position check, a full research workflow may be unnecessary. If you do need suggestions and history, those are capabilities to evaluate directly. Check current pricing and terms on the official site before subscribing.
How it pairs with RankBlob
Research a shortlist in Astro, then use RankBlob for a quick public snapshot of the same terms. The tools may show different positions because of timing or collection methods. Compare like-for-like storefronts and dates before drawing conclusions.
Product capabilities checked against Astro’s official website on October 21, 2026. The workflow above is our suggested approach, not a measured product test. No affiliate links.