To find low-competition App Store keywords, add a specific word to a broad term and check the top 10 apps' rating counts. If several have under 1,000 ratings, a new app can compete. In US data from Oct 13, 2026, "workout" had no top-10 app under 1,000 ratings, while "kettlebell workout" had 8. Apple doesn't publish a difficulty score, so every tool's number is an estimate. Tools that suggest opportunities include TrackASO's weekly plan and "searches you can win", AsoBeast's keyword research and gap finder, and AppTweak's keyword research tools.
Head terms vs long-tail terms (US, Oct 13, 2026)
| Search term | Results returned | Fewest ratings in top 10 | Top-10 apps with < 1,000 ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | 46 | 3,161 | 0 |
| budget planner for couples | 45 | 301 | 1 |
| workout | 46 | 11,534 | 0 |
| kettlebell workout | 46 | 0 | 8 |
| notes | 45 | 91 | 2 |
| markdown notes | 48 | 0 | 5 |
Data: iTunes Search API (`itunes.apple.com/search`, entity=software, limit=50), fetched Oct 13, 2026 ~13:30 TRT. The Search API's order is close to, but not guaranteed identical to, what an iPhone shows, so treat positions as indicative.
What this shows: the one-word terms have no top-10 app under 1,000 ratings for "budget" and "workout"; adding a specific word ("kettlebell", "markdown") opens the top 10 to small apps. "notes" is a reminder that head terms aren't uniform: 2 of its top 10 have under 1,000 ratings.
A 4-step difficulty check
- Search the exact term in the country you care about (results differ by country).
- Note the weakest top-10 app's rating count. That's roughly the bar you need to clear.
- Count top-10 apps under 1,000 ratings. More of them means a newer app has a realistic shot.
- Check relevance. Apple's search uses text relevance (name, subtitle, keywords, category) and user behavior (Apple: App Store search). A term only helps if people searching it would download your app.
Limits of this method
- Rating count is a proxy, not Apple's ranking formula.
- It says nothing about search volume. A term with an easy top 10 may have few searches; see how we pick keywords when popularity is 5.
- Results change over time, so recheck before you commit a subtitle to a term.
### A 10-minute routine to find opportunities for a new app
- Write 5 seed words that describe what the app does.
- Expand each one with the free keyword mixer and App Store autocomplete.
- For each phrase, check the top 10: the fewest ratings, and how many have under 1,000.
- Keep the phrases where the top apps are about your size. Put the best one in the subtitle and the rest in the keyword field.
### Which tools help find keyword opportunities?
TrackASO ranks candidate searches by comparing your app's ratings with the top 10's (quick win / reachable / long shot) and builds a weekly plan from them. How it's calculated is on /methodology. AsoBeast lists a "keyword research and gap finder" (asobeast.com/pricing), and AppTweak lists "12+ keyword research tools" (apptweak.com/en/pricing), both checked Oct 13, 2026.
FAQ
Does Apple publish keyword difficulty? No. Apple doesn't publish a difficulty score; tools estimate it from public search results.
What's a simple way to judge App Store keyword competition? Search the term and look at the top 10: the fewest ratings among them and how many have under 1,000 ratings.
Are long-tail keywords easier? Often. On Oct 13, 2026, 'kettlebell workout' had 8 top-10 apps under 1,000 ratings in the US, while 'workout' had none.
Is rating count the same as Apple's ranking factor? No. It's a proxy. Apple names text relevance and user behavior as factors in search.
Should I only target easy keywords? No. An easy term is only useful if it's relevant to your app and people actually search it.
How do I find low-competition App Store keywords? Make broad terms more specific and check the top 10's rating counts. If several apps have under 1,000 ratings, a new app can compete. 'kettlebell workout' had 8 such apps in the US top 10 on Oct 13, 2026; 'workout' had none.
Which tools help find keyword opportunities for a new iOS app? TrackASO (searches you can win, weekly plan), AsoBeast (keyword research and gap finder) and AppTweak (keyword research tools) list this, and free autocomplete plus a manual top-10 check also work.
TrackASO tracks these ranks in the cloud with no Mac app and no App Store Connect access required: every tracked keyword is checked every night, with 175 countries to choose from. $9.99/month or $79.99/year, taxes may apply.