# Sonar review (2026): is the free plan enough? > ASO keyword data and rank tracking that AI agents can use over MCP Checked Oct 23, 2026 ยท graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA. Sonar is an app store optimization tool for the App Store and Google Play that is built to be used by AI agents as well as through its web dashboard. A hosted MCP server, a CLI and a REST API give agents such as Claude Code, Codex and ChatGPT keyword popularity, difficulty, rankings and competitor keywords. Plans add daily rank tracking, review replies, ad research and listing tools. - **Category:** App Store Optimization (ASO) - **Made by:** Sonar - **Website:** https://trysonar.app - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Watch out: the 7-day trial asks for a card and the plan starts on its own when it ends. - **Facts last checked:** Oct 23, 2026 ## Pricing As of Oct 23, 2026, Sonar has a free plan, and paid plans start at $24.17 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly). - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** 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 the paid plans; a card is required and the plan starts automatically. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://trysonar.app/ on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Sonar before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Save 17% with annual billing** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://trysonar.app/ ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Indie developers who run ASO through an AI coding agent - Small studios tracking up to 10 apps on both stores - Agencies sending white-label ranking reports to clients ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Oct 23, 2026. Sonar gives AI agents such as Claude Code, Codex and ChatGPT keyword, ranking and competitor data for both stores through an MCP server, a CLI and an API, with a web dashboard beside it. Indie is $24.17 a month on yearly billing ($29 monthly) for 10 apps and 1 seat. Rank tracking needs a paid plan, the trial needs a card, and team seats start at Agency, $149. - **Value for money: C.** Indie 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: C.** With 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: B.** Keyword 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: C.** No 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: B.** Web 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. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Sonar's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among app store optimization tools - Sonar's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 30 of the 42 other app store optimization tools we grade, and level with 6. - It stands best on features (B, above 30 of 42) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $24.17 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 21 of the 33 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/app-store-optimization ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Sonar you would be making keyword rankings and popularity scores from both app stores, gathered every day. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.4 is higher than 30 of the 42 other app store optimization tools we grade. It costs $290.04 a year. - You could not: Keyword rankings and popularity scores from both app stores, gathered every day. - You could not: Search volumes for millions of keywords, gathered and kept up to date. - You could not: Daily checks of where your pages rank in search results. - You could not: It plugs into other products, App Store Connect, Claude Code and Claude among them, and has an API. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with App Store Connect, Claude Code, Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor **Tags:** App store optimization, Keyword research, Rank tracking, AI features, Public API ## Alternatives - [Astro](https://toolgpa.com/tools/astro): Mac app for App Store keyword research and daily rank tracking. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/astro-vs-sonar) - [Appfigures](https://toolgpa.com/tools/appfigures): App analytics, review replies and ASO keyword tracking in one account. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/appfigures-vs-sonar) - [AppTweak](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apptweak): App store optimization and Apple Ads platform for apps and games. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apptweak-vs-sonar) - [ASO.dev](https://toolgpa.com/tools/aso-dev): App Store Connect manager with unlimited ASO keyword tracking. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aso-dev-vs-sonar) - [ASOTool](https://toolgpa.com/tools/asotool): Keyword research and rank tracking for App Store and Google Play. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/asotool-vs-sonar) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026: - https://trysonar.app/ - https://trysonar.app/aso-api - https://trysonar.app/terms Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/sonar Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).