AppDrift vs Astro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, AppDrift and Astro share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan, and Astro starts cheaper, at $9 a month against $14.99 a month.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
AppDrift grades higher on platforms. Astro grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AppDrift
ASO workspace for keywords, screenshots, translation and publishing
Astro
Mac app for App Store keyword research and daily rank tracking
Which one is for you
Pick AppDrift if
- Fits if you're an indie developer who wants keyword tracking, listing text and screenshots in one tool
- Works for people localizing a store listing into many languages for both stores
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, as Free has 1 app and 5 keywords, with no publishing, API or assistant
- Watch out: popularity and difficulty are AppDrift's own estimates, and Google Play ranks stop at the top 30
- Watch out: AI work runs on tokens, and extra packs cost from $1.99 for 100 to $14.99 for 2,000
- Not for you if you want to try Basic or Studio first, as only Indie has a trial and it needs a card
Pick Astro if
- Fits if you're an indie iOS or Mac developer doing your own keyword work
- Works for people tracking thousands of App Store keywords who want one flat yearly price
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your app is on Google Play too, as the pages read only cover Apple's App Store
- Not for you if you work on Windows or in a browser, as it runs only on Macs with macOS 14 or later
- Watch out: ranks only update while the app is open on your Mac, and a license covers one Mac at a time
- Tight if you stay free, since the free version tracks 10 keywords without popularity or difficulty
- Watch out: billing is yearly only at $108, and suggestions come from Astro users' searches, so niche apps may get few
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAppDriftFair | 2.2GPAAstroFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $14.99 a month for 5 apps and 50 keywords, billed monthly, between this category's cheaper quarter and its middle. Indie at $29 lifts that to 10 apps and 2,500 keywords. AI work uses tokens, with extra packs from $1.99 for 100. | B$108 a year, about $9 a month, for unlimited apps and keywords, inside this category's cheaper quarter, which runs to $10. Billing is annual only, and the license works on one Mac at a time. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan that doesn't expire: 1 app, 5 keywords, 1 competitor, the screenshot editor with unlimited exports and 50 AI tokens once. Five keywords is a cap you'll hit on day one. The Indie trial needs a card. | CThe free version tracks up to 10 keywords with daily updates, but leaves out the popularity and difficulty scores, which is most of the point. No trial is on record. |
| Features | CDaily rank tracking, popularity and difficulty scores, AI listing text and translation, a screenshot studio, store publishing and the Ari assistant. The listing's own gaps keep it here: the scores are its own estimates, and Google Play ranks stop at the top 30. | CPopularity and difficulty scores, daily rank tracking, keyword suggestions, competitors' keywords, ratings across every country's store and a local MCP server. It does App Store keyword work fully, but that's a smaller job, and Google Play isn't mentioned. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Publishing needs your App Store Connect or Google Play account connected, and you keep an eye on a token allowance for the AI work. | BNo rating on record. It's a Mac app you install, then you search a keyword or paste an App Store link and add your app, with no store account to connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It connects to App Store Connect and Google Play Console, and paid plans add a REST API and an MCP package for Claude Desktop or Cursor. | DMac only, on macOS 14 or later, one Mac per license. It links to Apple Ads and DeepL, and its MCP server works with Claude, Cursor and VS Code. |
| Best for | ASO copy, screenshots and publishing in one place | App Store keyword research on a Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AppDrift and Astro. How we grade
Price against what you get
AppDrift starts at $14.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Astro starts at $9 a month and scores 2.0.
AppDrift scores higher, and starts $5.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other app store optimization tools on the chart, 3 score higher than AppDrift for less, and 4 score higher than Astro for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| AppDrift | Astro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 per month for 5 apps and 50 keywords, billed monthly | $9 per month, billed annually ($108 a year) |
| Free plan | 1 app, 5 keywords tracked daily, 1 competitor, the screenshot editor with unlimited exports and no watermark, and 50 AI tokens once. It does not expire. | The free version tracks up to 10 keywords, without the popularity and difficulty scores. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Indie for eligible accounts; a card is required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Made by | AppDrift LLC | 28 bit S.R.L. |
| Price read from | appdrift.co | tryastro.app |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AppDrift
- Popularity and difficulty are AppDrift's own estimates, and Android ranks stop at the top 30 results Google Play returns.
- Store publishing, monitoring, the API and the Ari assistant all need a paid plan; Free has 1 app and 5 keywords.
- AI work runs on tokens; extra packs cost $1.99 for 100, $4.99 for 500 or $14.99 for 2,000.
- Only Indie has a free trial; paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first charge.
Astro
- It runs only on Macs with macOS 14 or later, and each license is active on one Mac at a time.
- It covers Apple's App Store (iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS apps); the pages read make no mention of Google Play.
- Billing is annual only, at $108 a year; refunds can be requested within 14 days.
- Rankings update only while the app is open on the Mac.
Key features
AppDrift
- Daily keyword tracking
- Ranks for tracked keywords update daily with full history and CSV export. Google Play ranks are read only down to the top 30.
- Popularity and difficulty scores
- Every keyword gets popularity and difficulty out of 100; AppDrift says both are its own computed estimates, not store search volume.
- Listing text and translation
- Generates titles, subtitles and descriptions with AI and translates them into 60+ languages, using AI tokens from the plan's allowance.
- Screenshot studio
- A screenshot editor with templates and unlimited exports on every plan; AI screenshot campaigns cost 5 tokens each.
- Store publishing
- Paid plans send reviewed listing text to App Store Connect or Google Play after the store account is connected. App binaries are not sent.
- Ari, action plan and API
- Paid plans add the Ari assistant, a weekly action plan, review management, a REST API and an MCP package for Claude Desktop or Cursor.
Astro
- Popularity and difficulty scores
- Popularity comes from Apple Ads; difficulty is Astro's own estimate of how hard it is to reach the top 10. Both need the paid license.
- Daily keyword rank tracking
- Keywords are re-checked every 24 hours while the app is running, with position changes and a day-by-day ranking chart.
- Keyword suggestions
- Lists keywords an app ranks or has ranked for, drawn from searches made by all Astro users, so new or niche apps may get few suggestions.
- Competitor keywords
- Paste a competitor's App Store link to see the keywords it ranks for in a chosen store, sorted by popularity and difficulty.
- Ratings across stores
- A ratings view sums ratings from every country's App Store, with daily changes, per-store counts and a chart over time.
- MCP server (beta)
- A local MCP server, switched on in Settings, lets AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor and VS Code Copilot query Astro's data.
Plans
AppDrift
Free$0
1 app, 5 tracked keywords, 1 competitor ranked daily, full rank history, screenshot editor and 50 AI tokens once.
Basic$14.99
per month for 5 apps and 50 keywords, billed monthly
3 competitors per app, 100 Ari messages and 500 AI tokens a month, store publishing, monitoring and the weekly action plan.
Indie$29
per month for 10 apps and 2,500 keywords, billed monthly
10 competitors per app, 300 Ari messages and 3,000 AI tokens a month, AI review replies and Pro screenshot collections. $290 a year.
Studio$59
per month for 50 apps and 10,000 keywords, billed monthly
Everything in Indie, with 25 competitors per app, 750 Ari messages and 8,000 AI tokens a month. No free trial.
EnterpriseCustom
More than 50 apps, with limits, AI capacity and your own AI keys agreed with AppDrift.
Astro
Free version$0
Up to 10 keywords with daily rank updates; popularity and difficulty scores are left out.
Single Mac License$9
per month, billed annually ($108 a year)
Unlimited apps and keywords, popularity and difficulty data, suggestions, competitor keywords, ratings analysis and translations.
Ways to pay less
AppDrift
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
AppDrift's pricing page labels annual billing as 2 months free; Indie is $290 a year instead of $29 a month.
Astro
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AppDrift or Astro?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Astro is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $14.99 a month for AppDrift. AppDrift starts at $14.99 per month for 5 apps and 50 keywords, billed monthly, and Astro starts at $9 per month, billed annually ($108 a year).
Which has a free plan, AppDrift or Astro?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both AppDrift and Astro have a free plan.
Which platforms do AppDrift and Astro run on?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only AppDrift lists a web app and only Astro lists a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.