Glossary
The app store glossary, in plain words
84 terms across ASO, the two stores, analytics, monetization and market data. Each one says what it is, how it works and why it matters.
A
ARPDAUMonetizationARPDAU, average revenue per daily active user, is a day's revenue divided by that day's active users, a standard metric in mobile games.ARPPUMonetizationARPPU, average revenue per paying user, is revenue for a period divided by the number of users who paid during that period.ARPUMonetizationARPU, average revenue per user, is total revenue for a period divided by the number of users in that period.Ad mediationMonetizationAd mediation is software that lets an app offer each ad slot to many ad networks at once and serve the best-paying ad.App categoryStoresThe app category is the store section an app is filed under, such as Finance or Puzzle games, which shapes its charts, browse placement and competition.App intelligenceMarket dataApp intelligence is market data on mobile apps, such as ranks, installs, revenue estimates, reviews and SDKs, used to study competitors and markets.App metadataASOApp metadata is all the information on a store listing, including the name, subtitle or short description, keywords, descriptions, icon and screenshots.App nameASOThe app name is the title shown on a store listing and in search results, limited to 30 characters on both the App Store and Google Play.App preview videoASOAn app preview is a short video on an App Store product page that shows the app in use and autoplays without sound in search results and on the page.App reviewStoresApp review is the process Apple and Google use to check new apps, updates and many listing changes against their policies before they go live.App store optimization (ASO)ASOApp store optimization (ASO) is the work of improving an app's store listing so it ranks for more searches and turns more visitors into installs.App subtitleASOThe app subtitle is a 30-character line under an App Store app's name that summarizes its value and is indexed for App Store search.Apple AdsASOApple Ads is Apple's advertising platform for promoting apps inside the App Store, known as Apple Search Ads until it was renamed in 2025.AttributionAnalyticsAttribution is the process of crediting an install or in-app action to the ad, campaign or channel that led to it.
B
Back-testMarket dataA back-test checks an estimation model against real figures it was not built on, to measure how far its estimates land from the truth.Bundle IDStoresA bundle ID is the unique reverse-domain identifier, such as com.example.app, that Apple uses to identify an app across its platforms and the App Store.
C
Category rankingStoresCategory ranking is an app's position in a store chart for its category, such as number 5 in Finance, for a given country and chart type.Churn rateAnalyticsChurn rate is the share of users or paying subscribers who stop using or paying for an app during a given period.Cohort analysisAnalyticsCohort analysis groups users by when they started, usually by install date, and tracks how each group behaves over the following days and months.Content ratingStoresA content rating is the age suitability label a store gives an app, based on the developer's answers to a questionnaire about its content.Conversion rateASOConversion rate in ASO is the share of people who see or visit an app's store listing and go on to install it.Cost per install (CPI)AnalyticsCost per install (CPI) is advertising spend divided by the number of installs that spend produced, the basic price of paid acquisition.Cross-store app familyMarket dataA cross-store app family links the App Store and Google Play versions of the same app so they can be analyzed as one product.Custom product pagesASOCustom product pages are extra versions of an App Store product page, each with its own screenshots, previews, promotional text and unique URL.Custom store listingsASOCustom store listings are alternative Google Play listings shown to chosen audiences, such as visitors from a country, a search term or an ad campaign.
D
Daily active users (DAU)AnalyticsDaily active users (DAU) is the number of unique users who open or use an app on a given day.Data freshnessMarket dataData freshness is how recently a data point was collected or updated, which decides how much a number can tell you about today.Developer directoryMarket dataA developer directory lists app publishers with their apps, store-listed contact details, location and portfolio data, searchable in one place.Developer responseStoresA developer response is a public reply from an app's developer to a user review, posted through App Store Connect or Google Play Console.DownloadsAnalyticsDownloads are the number of times an app is obtained from an app store, as counted by the store when the user gets it.
E
Editorial featuringASOEditorial featuring is when a store's editors hand-pick an app for a curated placement, such as a Today story, App of the Day or a themed collection.eCPMMonetizationeCPM, effective cost per mille, is ad revenue earned per 1,000 impressions, calculated as revenue divided by impressions times 1,000.
F
Feature graphicASOThe feature graphic is the 1024 x 500 pixel banner every Google Play listing needs, used in large-format placements and as the preview video's cover.FreemiumMonetizationFreemium is a business model in which an app is free to download and use, and money comes from optional upgrades, purchases, subscriptions or ads.Full descriptionASOThe full description is the long text on a store listing, up to 4,000 characters, which Google Play indexes for search and the App Store does not.
G
I
ImpressionsASOImpressions count how many times an app was shown to store users, for example in search results, charts or featured lists, whether or not they opened it.In-App EventsASOIn-App Events are timely events inside an app, such as a competition, premiere or major update, promoted with event cards on the App Store.In-app purchasesMonetizationIn-app purchases are digital goods or services bought inside an app through the store's billing system, such as coins, upgrades or subscriptions.In-app rating promptStoresAn in-app rating prompt is the system dialog from Apple or Google that lets users rate an app without leaving it, shown at times the store controls.Install bandsStoresInstall bands are the rounded thresholds, such as 10K+ or 100M+, that Google Play shows publicly in place of an app's exact install count.InstallsAnalyticsInstalls count how many times an app ends up on a device, which is not always the same as how many times it was downloaded.
K
Keyword difficultyASOKeyword difficulty is a score from ASO tools, not the stores, that estimates how hard it is to rank near the top of search results for a term.Keyword fieldASOThe keyword field is a hidden 100-character App Store Connect field where you list comma-separated search terms you want your app to rank for.Keyword popularityASOKeyword popularity is a relative measure of how often people search a term in a store and country, used because the stores do not publish search counts.Keyword rankingASOKeyword ranking is the position an app holds in store search results for a specific term, in a specific store and country.Keyword stuffingASOKeyword stuffing is cramming repeated or irrelevant search terms into an app's metadata to game store search, which both stores prohibit.
L
Lifetime value (LTV)AnalyticsLifetime value (LTV) is the total revenue, or profit, an app expects to earn from a user over the whole time that user stays.LocalizationASOLocalization is adapting an app's store listing, from keywords and text to screenshots, for each language and market rather than only translating it.Long-tail keywordsASOLong-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases with lower volume each, but clearer intent and usually less competition than broad terms.
M
Market shareMarket dataMarket share is one player's portion of a defined total, such as a publisher's share of category downloads or an SDK's share of apps in a category.Measured installsAnalyticsMeasured installs are the exact, global, lifetime Google Play install count that AppMetis collects for each app, rather than an estimate.Monthly active users (MAU)AnalyticsMonthly active users (MAU) is the number of unique users who use an app at least once in a 30-day window or calendar month.
O
P
Package nameStoresA package name is the unique ID of an Android app on Google Play, such as com.example.app, which appears in the listing URL and can never be changed.Paid user acquisitionAnalyticsPaid user acquisition is buying installs or new users through advertising, such as Apple Ads, Google App campaigns, social ads and ad networks.PaywallMonetizationA paywall is the screen that asks a user to start a trial, subscribe or buy before unlocking content or features in an app.Phased releaseStoresA phased release rolls an app update out gradually to a growing share of users, so problems surface before everyone has the new version.Pre-registration and pre-ordersStoresPre-registration on Google Play and pre-orders on the App Store let people sign up before launch so the app can install automatically on release day.Product Page OptimizationASOProduct Page Optimization is Apple's built-in A/B test for comparing up to three alternative App Store product page treatments against the original.Product page viewsASOProduct page views count how many times people opened an app's full store listing, the step between seeing an app and installing it.Promotional contentASOPromotional content is Google Play's tool, formerly called LiveOps, for showcasing time-limited events, offers and major updates on the store.Promotional textASOPromotional text is a 170-character App Store field shown above the description that you can change at any time without submitting a new app version.
R
Rank-to-download curveMarket dataA rank-to-download curve maps an app's chart position to the downloads, or for grossing charts the revenue, that position typically represents.Ratings and reviewsStoresRatings and reviews are the star scores and written feedback users leave on a store listing, shown per country and a major factor in whether visitors install.RedownloadsAnalyticsRedownloads are downloads by people who already got the app on the same account before, counted separately from first-time downloads.Release notesStoresRelease notes are the text explaining what changed in an app update, shown as What's New on the App Store and in the What's new section on Google Play.Removed appsStoresRemoved apps are apps no longer available on a store, either because the developer unpublished them or because the store took them down.Retention rateAnalyticsRetention rate is the share of users who come back to an app a set number of days after they first installed or opened it.
S
SDKMarket dataAn SDK, or software development kit, is a packaged library that developers add to an app to provide features such as ads, analytics, payments or login.SDK footprintMarket dataAn SDK footprint is the full set of third-party SDKs found in an app or, from the vendor side, the apps and installs an SDK reaches.SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKitAnalyticsSKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit are Apple's privacy-preserving frameworks that report ad-driven installs and conversions without identifying users.ScreenshotsASOScreenshots are the images on a store listing that show an app's screens and key benefits, and they do much of the work of persuading visitors to install.Short descriptionASOThe short description is Google Play's 80-character summary line, shown on the listing before the full description and indexed for Play search.Stickiness (DAU/MAU)AnalyticsStickiness is daily active users divided by monthly active users, a rough measure of how many days a month the typical user comes back.Store commissionMonetizationStore commission is the share of each paid download, in-app purchase or subscription that Apple or Google keeps as its service fee.Store listing experimentsASOStore listing experiments are Google Play Console A/B tests that compare versions of a listing's graphics or text on real traffic.Store revenueMonetizationStore revenue is what users spend through Apple's or Google's billing on paid downloads, in-app purchases and subscriptions, excluding ads and web sales.SubscriptionsMonetizationSubscriptions are recurring in-app payments that renew automatically each week, month or year until the user cancels.
T
Top chartsStoresTop charts are the stores' ranked lists of the most popular apps, by chart type such as free, paid or grossing, for each country and category.Top free chartStoresThe top free chart ranks free-to-download apps by recent download momentum in a country, either across the whole store or within a category.Top grossing chartStoresThe top grossing chart ranks apps by recent store revenue from paid downloads, in-app purchases and subscriptions, in a country or category.Top paid chartStoresThe top paid chart ranks apps that charge an upfront price to download, ordered by recent paid downloads in a country or category.
W
Put the terms to work
See measured installs, charts and keyword ranks for any app. Free plan, no card needed.