ASOTool vs Sonar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Sonar grades higher than ASOTool: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sonar grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ASOTool
Keyword research and rank tracking for App Store and Google Play
Sonar
ASO keyword data and rank tracking that AI agents can use over MCP
Which one is for you
Pick ASOTool if
- Fits if you're an indie developer researching keywords for both stores on a small budget
- Works for agencies keeping one shared workspace per client app on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want reviews, ad monitoring or download estimates, as it covers keywords and metadata only
- Watch out: Google Play popularity is always an estimate, since Google publishes no search volume
- Tight if you're staying free, as Free allows 10 searches a day, 1 app and 10 saved keywords, with no Optimize
- Not for you if you want yearly billing, as Pro is sold monthly only
- Watch out: the 7-day trial takes a card at checkout, and there are no integrations or API on record
Pick Sonar if
- Fits if you run your ASO through an AI coding agent such as Claude Code or Codex
- Works for small studios tracking up to 10 apps on both stores
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the 7-day trial asks for a card and the plan starts on its own when it ends
- Tight if you stay free, as rank tracking and the dashboard need a paid plan
- Pricey if a team shares it, as more seats, white-label reports and priority refresh start at Agency, $149 a month
- Watch out: API credits outside a plan are $10 per 1,000, and full keyword research uses 10 credits a call
- Watch out: refunds are decided case by case under Sonar's terms
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAASOToolFair | 2.4GPASonarFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $12.99 a month including VAT for unlimited apps, keywords, competitors and searches, just above the $12 where this category's cheaper quarter starts. It's sold monthly only, with no yearly price on the pages read. | CIndie is $24.17 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 10 apps, 1 seat and 2,500 keywords, between this category's cheaper quarter ($10) and dearer quarter ($49). Credits outside a plan are $10 per 1,000. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with 10 searches a day, 1 app, 10 saved keywords and 2 competitors on both stores, with a daily rank email and full history. You'll hit 10 keywords fast. The 7-day Pro trial takes a card at checkout. | CWith no account, 7 API and MCP endpoints work at 30 requests a day per IP and 5 keywords a day for metrics. Tracking and the dashboard need a plan, and the 7-day trial takes a card. |
| Features | CKeyword discovery from store autocomplete, popularity and difficulty scores with estimates marked, rank tracking in 175 storefronts and an Optimize tool for metadata. It does keyword work fully, but that's a smaller job, with no reviews, ad monitoring or download estimates. | BKeyword research with Apple's own Search Popularity, daily rank tracking in all countries, rival keyword gaps, ad spy, AI review replies, a listing manager and a screenshot studio. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You can search a keyword straight away, but tracking means adding your app, saving a keyword list and picking storefronts first. | CNo rating on record. Through an agent you add the MCP server or CLI first; in the dashboard you still set up apps, keywords and rivals. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no desktop or phone app, no integrations named and no API on record. Data leaves as CSV, or a whole workspace as JSON. | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. A hosted MCP server with 63 tools, a CLI and a REST API reach Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT, and it links to App Store Connect. |
| Best for | keyword research on a small budget | ASO data for AI coding agents over MCP |
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: ASOTool and Sonar. How we grade
Price against what you get
ASOTool starts at $12.99 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sonar starts at $24.17 a month and scores 2.7.
Sonar scores higher, and starts $11.18 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other app store optimization tools on the chart, 7 score higher than ASOTool for less, and none scores higher than Sonar 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
| ASOTool | Sonar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.99 per month, including VAT, billed monthly | $24.17 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 10 searches a day, 1 app, 10 saved keywords and 2 competitors, with a daily rank email and full history on both stores. No Optimize or team workspaces. | No account needed: 7 API and MCP endpoints, such as keyword suggestions and top charts, at 30 requests a day per IP and 5 keywords a day for keyword metrics. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Pro; a card is taken at checkout | 7-day free trial of the paid plans; a card is required and the plan starts automatically |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ASOTool | Sonar |
| Price read from | asotool.dev | trysonar.app |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ASOTool
- It covers keyword research, rank tracking and metadata only, with no review management, ad monitoring or download estimates.
- Google Play popularity is always an estimate, since Google publishes no search volume.
- The free plan stops at 10 searches a day, 1 app and 10 saved keywords; Optimize and team workspaces need Pro.
- Pro is sold only monthly; the pages read show no yearly price.
Sonar
- Rank tracking and the dashboard need a paid plan; the 7-day trial asks for a card and the plan starts when it ends.
- Indie has 1 seat and 2,500 keywords; team seats, white-label reports and priority refresh need Agency at $149 a month.
- API credits outside a plan cost $10 per 1,000, and full keyword research uses 10 credits a call.
- Refunds are decided case by case under Sonar's terms.
Key features
ASOTool
- Keyword discovery
- Start from a keyword, an app name or a store link and expand through store autocomplete into related terms, each scored for popularity and difficulty.
- Marked estimates
- App Store popularity comes from Apple Search Ads where Apple publishes a figure; modelled values, including every Google Play term, are marked with a ~.
- Rank tracking
- Ranks are read from live search results in the storefront you pick, with 7, 30 and 90-day change and a history that shows gaps on unmeasured days.
- Optimize
- Reads the live listing and proposes a title, subtitle and keyword field within each store's character limits, scored against your keyword list. Pro only.
- Team workspaces and export
- Pro adds shared workspaces with email invites; keywords, scores and rank history export to CSV, and a workspace downloads as JSON.
Sonar
- Keyword research
- Uses Apple's own Search Popularity where Apple reports it and Sonar's estimates elsewhere, with difficulty scores and AI suggestions checked against store autocomplete.
- Daily rank tracking
- Positions for every tracked keyword on both stores, updated daily in all countries, with unlimited history and App Store Connect downloads alongside.
- MCP server, CLI and API
- 63 tools that Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients can call; an agent can draft listings, but publishing stays with you.
- Competitor gaps and Ad Spy
- See every keyword a competitor ranks for and the ones you miss, plus the ads competitors run on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
- Review insights and responder
- AI summaries of praise and complaints, and AI-drafted replies to App Store reviews in the reviewer's language, with an optional auto mode.
- Listing Manager and Screenshot Studio
- Draft titles, subtitles and keyword fields with live data, design and localize screenshots in the browser, and export them for App Store Connect.
Plans
ASOTool
Free$0
10 searches a day, 1 app, 10 saved keywords and 2 competitors on both stores and all 175 storefronts.
Pro$12.99
per month, including VAT, billed monthly
Unlimited apps, keywords, competitors and searches, Optimize, competitor watchlists, team workspaces and CSV export.
Sonar
Free tier$0
7 stateless API and MCP endpoints with daily limits per IP, plus free browser tools for ASO scores and keyword ideas.
API Credits$10
one-time top-up for 1,000 credits, used as you go
Prepaid credits that never expire: most calls cost 1 credit, full keyword research 10. Packs up to $100 for 15,000 credits.
Indie$24.17
per month for 10 apps, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
1 seat, 2,500 tracked keywords, unlimited competitors, all countries, 300 AI review replies a month and 1,000 API requests a day.
Agency$149
per month for 50 apps, billed monthly ($1,490 a year billed annually)
5 seats, 10,000 keywords, 5,000 API requests a day, portfolio rollup, white-label client reports and priority rank refresh.
Ways to pay less
ASOTool
No public discounts listed.
Sonar
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
Sonar's pricing lists annual billing at 17% off: Indie is $290 a year instead of $29 a month, and Agency $1,490 a year instead of $149.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ASOTool or Sonar?
As of Oct 23, 2026, ASOTool is cheaper to start with: $12.99 a month, against $24.17 a month for Sonar. ASOTool starts at $12.99 per month, including VAT, billed monthly, and Sonar starts at $24.17 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ASOTool or Sonar?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both ASOTool and Sonar have a free plan.
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.