RespectASO vs Sonar (2026): which should you pick?

Pick RespectASO if

• Fits if you're an indie iOS developer who wants keyword research without a subscription
• Makes sense if you'd rather keep your research data on your own Mac

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you ship on Google Play, as it researches the iOS App Store only
• Not for you if you want Pro on an Intel Mac, Windows or Linux, as it needs Apple Silicon and macOS 12 or later
• Watch out: Pro's AI tools need your own paid LLM key or a local model, whose speed depends on your Mac
• Watch out: Pro is one payment that doesn't renew, business purchases are final, and the price shows in local currency

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

RespectASO

• It covers the iOS App Store only, using Apple's public data; its pages describe no Google Play research.
• Pro needs the macOS app on Apple Silicon with macOS 12 or later; the Docker edition for Linux and Windows has only the free features.
• Pro's AI features need your own paid LLM API key or a local model, whose speed depends on your Mac.
• Pro is one payment that does not renew; business purchases are final, and private buyers get only the refund rights their country's law gives.

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.

RespectASO

Keyword research in 175 storefronts

Popularity scores and a 1 to 100 difficulty score built from seven factors such as rating volume and dominant apps, for many keywords at once.

Country Opportunity Finder

Shows the App Store storefronts where a keyword has the least competition for your app.

Competitor and rank tracking

See the top 10 apps for any keyword and follow your own app's rank over time, with rankings that refresh every day.

Pro AI workflows

AI Niche Researcher, AI Competitor Analyzer and ASO Score Simulator; drafted metadata is checked against 9 App Store rules for up to 5 rounds.

Your own AI keys or a local model

Pro uses OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter or any compatible endpoint with your own key, or a model on your Mac through Ollama or LM Studio.

Rival Tracker and MCP

Pro follows your app against up to 10 rivals daily and offers 32 ASO tools to Claude Desktop, Cursor and other MCP assistants.

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.

RespectASO

• Free$0

  The open-source (AGPL-3.0) Mac app: keyword research, difficulty, competitor tracking, daily rank updates and CSV export.

• Pro, 3 months₹1,800

  for 3 months, paid once, with no renewal, plus tax

  AI niche research, competitor analysis, ASO score simulator, bulk research of 1,000 keywords, Rival Tracker and the MCP server.

• Pro, 12 months₹3,700

  for 12 months, paid once, with no renewal, plus tax

  The same Pro features for a year. Price shown to a reader in India; the vendor prices in the buyer's local currency.

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.

RespectASO

• Annual discount

  Lower price for the 12-month licence

  A 12-month Pro licence costs less than four 3-month ones; the pricing page shown in India puts the saving at ₹3,500.

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.