2026 research report
App keyword difficulty benchmarks.
A reproducible view of how modeled keyword competition varies across the Apple App Store and Google Play, broken down by difficulty band, keyword intent, and phrase length.
Keywords analyzed
50,000
Stores covered
2
Methodology
v1
Store-level benchmarks
Averages across the current indexable research cohort. Scores run from 0 to 100.
| Store | Sample | Difficulty | Popularity | Search volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | 47,166 | 30 | 24 | 12,013 |
| Google Play | 2,834 | 30 | 24 | 12,050 |
Distribution by difficulty band
Sample size and mean estimated search volume for each 20-point competition band.
| Store | Difficulty band | Sample | Average search volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | 0-19 | 26 | 12,011 |
| Apple App Store | 20-39 | 47,140 | 12,013 |
| Google Play | 20-39 | 2,833 | 12,028 |
| Google Play | 40-59 | 1 | 74,100 |
Benchmarks by keyword type
Modeled competition and popularity grouped by ASOTrendHQ keyword classification.
| Store | Keyword type | Sample | Difficulty | Popularity |
|---|
Benchmarks by phrase length
How competition changes from one-word head terms to longer keyword phrases.
| Store | Phrase length | Sample | Difficulty | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | 3 words | 44,902 | 30 | 24 |
| Apple App Store | 4 words | 935 | 30 | 24 |
| Apple App Store | 5 words | 641 | 30 | 24 |
| Apple App Store | 6 words | 371 | 30 | 24 |
| Apple App Store | 7 words | 198 | 30 | 24 |
| Apple App Store | 8 words | 107 | 30 | 24 |
| Google Play | 1 word | 1 | 40 | 26 |
| Google Play | 3 words | 2,797 | 30 | 24 |
| Google Play | 4 words | 24 | 30 | 24 |
| Google Play | 5 words | 9 | 30 | 24 |
| Google Play | 6 words | 2 | 30 | 24 |
| Google Play | 7 words | 1 | 30 | 24 |
Methodology and limitations
This report aggregates active, indexable keyword records with numeric difficulty scores from 0 to 100. Difficulty, popularity, and search volume are independent ASOTrendHQ estimates derived from public store data, not official Apple or Google metrics.
The cohort is refreshed daily before this report is materialized. Store averages are descriptive, not guarantees of rankability for a particular app. Keyword type and phrase-length rows include only records with the relevant classification available.
Report generated: 8/3/2026, 12:15:01 PM UTC · Data fresh through: 8/3/2026, 3:17:08 AM UTC · Cohort evaluated: 8/3/2026, 11:30:00 AM UTC