// ALTERNATIVE

AppFollow alternative for indie developers

AppFollow runs your review inbox and keyword tracking. AppHitlist answers the question before you build: which apps earn, what their users complain about and which ads keep running.

// SUMMARY

The short version, before you read the details

AppFollow is a review and ASO platform for the App Store and Google Play. Its website says teams use it to reply to reviews, track keywords and rankings and watch competitors, with a free plan and a $29 ASO tier. Its own comparison page says it carries no modeled competitor revenue. AppHitlist is the research side: revenue and download figures, charts, ads and complaint themes. Many developers end up using both.

Best known for: Reviews, ratings and ASO
Stores: App Store and Google Play
Price list: Listed on its site

Checked October 2026

// WHO IT FITS

Match the tool to the job, not the job to the tool

Choose AppFollow if

You need to answer reviews. AppFollow has a review inbox with replies, spam reporting, tags, AI summaries and helpdesk integrations such as Slack and Zendesk.
You ship on Google Play too. App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot are on every plan, with more sources on higher plans.
You want ASO depth: keyword popularity and difficulty, rank tracking, keyword spy and recommendations from its ASO plan up.
You want your own store data. Search downloads and an organic dashboard appear once you connect App Store Connect or Google Play Console.
You need an API or a hosted MCP connector. Both are listed. It also keeps a free plan after the trial ends.

Choose AppHitlist if

You are choosing what to build and want to see which apps earn and which new ones are already climbing the charts.
You want complaint themes for any app on the store, grouped from 1- and 2-star reviews, without connecting an account.
You want Meta ads with the longest-running first. AppFollow describes no ad library or creative spy.
You want to filter the whole store by genre, release date, rating, price and ads, then share the list as a link.
You want one paid plan with everything in it, not five tiers plus add-ons.

// COMPARISON

AppFollow and AppHitlist, side by side

AppFollow and AppHitlist, side by side
Feature	AppFollow	AppHitlist
01Main job	Review management and reputation, with ASO attached: inbox, replies, tags, AI summaries, keyword tracking.	Market research on other apps: charts, revenue and download figures, ads, complaint themes.
02Stores covered	App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot on every plan. Microsoft Store, Xbox and Amazon from Team; Samsung and Huawei on Enterprise.	Apple App Store only
03Price	As listed on their site in October 2026, excluding VAT: Free $0, ASO $29/month ($19/month billed yearly), Essential $179 ($129), Team $599 ($425), Enterprise custom.	One paid plan with everything, billed monthly or yearly. The current price is on the AppHitlist pricing page.
04Free access	Free plan with no card: 2 apps, 2 sources, AI summary, entry-level replies, 7-day history. A 10-day trial of premium features is in its FAQ. Free keywords: 500 in the table, 1,000 in the FAQ.	Free account with app profile, rating, price and rank history
05Competitor revenue and downloads	Its comparison with Appfigures says modeled competitor figures are not included. One of its blogs mentions download estimates, which conflicts with that.	Revenue and download estimates from AppHitlist's own algorithm over Apple's public chart lists, updated daily. They can be wrong.
06Ads	No Meta ad library or creative spy described.	Meta ad creatives sorted by days live. Meta Ad Library data for EU/UK, not a spend tracker.
07Reviews	The core product: AI summary on every plan, sentiment tags from Essential, semantic tags from Team. The semantic dashboard is a paid add-on on Essential and Team.	1- and 2-star reviews grouped into complaint themes, plus feature requests for your own apps, competitors and watchlist
08Keywords	Popularity, difficulty, rank tracking and keyword spy from the ASO plan. On Free, tracking, difficulty and spy are marked not available.	Keyword popularity and difficulty, plus rank tracking in App Store search for your own apps, updated once a day
09Alerts and API	Slack and email alerts for ranks, ratings, reviews and featuring on every plan. REST API (500 to 1,000 credits) and a hosted MCP connector.	Email when a followed app's rank, ads or revenue change, daily or weekly digest. No API.

// DETAILS

The parts a table cannot show

Two tools, two jobs

AppFollow starts from your own apps. You connect stores, read and answer reviews, track the keywords you rank for and get alerted when something moves. Its pricing page also lists competitor monitoring, from 10 competitors on Free. It is built for teams that run an app day to day.

AppHitlist starts from the market. You look at what other apps earn, which ones just entered the charts, what their users complain about and which ads they run. AppFollow's own comparison page says it does not model competitor revenue or downloads, so it is not a substitute for that part.

Free plan, $29 tier and conflicting limits

AppFollow's Free plan costs $0, needs no card and stays after a trial ends. The ASO plan is listed at $29 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly. Essential is $179, Team $599 and Enterprise is custom, with add-ons for automation, export, Google Play countries and the semantic dashboard that are not priced on the page.

Its pages disagree in places. The comparison table gives Free 500 keywords, the FAQ says 1,000. The table marks users as unlimited on every plan, the FAQ says Free invites up to five. A plan guide puts Team at 15 apps, the live page says 10. We quote the pricing page and flag the rest. AppHitlist is one plan with everything in it, and a free account to look first.

Using both

A workable order: research the market in AppHitlist, build, then move day-to-day work to AppFollow. Before launch you want revenue and download figures, complaint themes and long-running ads. After launch you want replies, tags and keyword rank alerts.

AppHitlist also tracks your own apps' keyword rank in App Store search and fetches your reviews, so a solo developer on one store may not need more. Teams that answer many reviews or work on Google Play will still want AppFollow.

// SOURCES AND DATE

Where this comparison comes from

Information about AppFollow comes from its public website (appfollow.io), checked October 2026. Features and prices change, so check AppFollow for current details.

Checked: October 2026
Source: appfollow.io

// PUT IT TO WORK

Put this to work in AppHitlist

Review complaintsTurn 1- and 2-star App Store reviews into complaint themes. See what users of successful apps hate, then build the fix they want.

Keyword researchPick App Store keywords you can actually rank for. See popularity, difficulty, the top apps and related terms before you write your listing.

Track your appAdd your app and follow its App Store search rank for every keyword you choose. Ranks refresh daily, so you see whether each listing change worked.

// KEEP COMPARING

Three more comparisons worth reading

ASO and Apple Ads

AppTweak vs AppHitlist

AppTweak is ASO-first; AppHitlist is iOS market research. See where they overlap, what each costs to start and when indie developers use both.

See comparison

Analytics, ASO and market data

Appfigures vs AppHitlist

Compare Appfigures and AppHitlist: own-app analytics versus iOS market research, a free Starter plan, and two pricing pages that disagree.

See comparison

ASO and Apple Ads

MobileAction vs AppHitlist

MobileAction sells ASO plans with public prices plus Apple Ads and ad tools. See where AppHitlist fits when you research iOS app ideas.

See comparison

// FAQ

Questions people ask before they start

Is AppFollow free?

Yes, there is a Free plan at $0 with no card, and it stays if a trial ends without a subscription. It covers 2 apps, AI summaries, entry-level replies, limited ASO tools and 7 days of history. Its FAQ also describes a 10-day trial of premium features. AppHitlist has a free account too, with app profile, rating, price and rank history; revenue figures, ads, complaint themes and keywords are paid.

How much does AppFollow cost?

As listed on its pricing page in October 2026, excluding VAT: ASO $29 a month ($19 billed yearly), Essential $179 ($129 yearly), Team $599 ($425 yearly), Enterprise custom, plus a free plan. Yearly is labeled up to 29% off. Add-ons are not priced on the page. AppHitlist does not quote a price here because plans change; see its pricing page.

Does AppFollow show competitor revenue?

According to its own comparison page with Appfigures, no: it does not include modeled competitor download and revenue figures, and one of its blogs says it is not a market-intelligence tool. Another blog mentions competitor download estimates, so its pages conflict. AppHitlist shows revenue and download figures per app, from its own algorithm over Apple's public charts. They are estimates and can be wrong.

Is AppHitlist an alternative to AppFollow?

Only partly, because the jobs differ. AppFollow manages your reviews and ASO on the App Store and Google Play. AppHitlist researches other apps: revenue and download figures, charts, ads and complaint themes. It has no reply inbox, no Google Play data and no API. If you answer reviews every day, keep AppFollow. If you are picking what to build, start with AppHitlist.

// START

See the data for yourself

A free account shows app profiles, ratings, prices and rank history. Revenue estimates, ads and complaint themes are on the paid plan.