The useful free ASO stack
For most indie developers, the strongest free setup is not one enormous platform. It is a small stack: public App Store research for relevance and competition, first-party App Store Connect data for actual performance, and a consistent place to record keyword decisions.
1. Aurora Free
Aurora's free tier tracks one app and up to ten keywords, includes one Keyword Explorer run each month and keeps 30 days of ranking history. It also connects owned-app analytics and revenue data. That makes it useful for a live app with a focused keyword shortlist.
The trade-off is scale. Ten keywords are enough to validate a workflow, not to manage a large catalogue or dozens of localisations. Aurora is also Apple-only and does not estimate competitor downloads or revenue.
2. App Store Connect
Apple's own tools remain the source of truth for your app's impressions, product page views, downloads, conversion, engagement and proceeds. They are free with an Apple Developer account and should be the foundation of performance analysis.
App Store Connect does not replace keyword rank tracking or competitor research. It tells you what happened to your app, but not consistently which organic search positions changed around it.
3. Manual App Store research
Searching the target storefront yourself is still valuable. It reveals which apps Apple considers relevant, how competitors position their titles and subtitles, and whether a phrase produces a coherent result set. Record the top results on a schedule rather than checking repeatedly and reacting to normal movement.
4. Appfigures Starter
Appfigures publishes a free entry plan for connecting owned apps and reviewing core performance data. Its broader platform becomes more compelling when you need cross-platform analytics, reviews or paid ASO intelligence. Confirm current limits on its official pricing page because plans change.
What free tools cannot reliably provide
- Exact App Store search volume. Third-party demand scores are models, not Apple's private query counts.
- Complete competitor revenue and download data. Those figures are estimates.
- Unlimited historical tracking across many apps and storefronts.
- Large-team workflows, APIs and automated reporting.
A practical starting workflow
- Choose five to ten phrases that accurately describe the app.
- Inspect the result set in the target country.
- Track rankings weekly and note metadata or release changes.
- Compare visibility changes with App Store Connect impressions, page views and downloads.
- Pay for a larger tool only when free limits prevent a specific decision.
Verdict
Aurora Free is the most integrated native Mac starting point for an Apple-only developer. App Store Connect is essential for first-party measurement, while manual research remains useful for context. Developers needing Google Play, large keyword sets or market estimates should expect to move to a paid cross-platform platform.
Next: read the practical keyword research guide or compare seven free and paid ASO tools.