Astro alternatives

An Astro alternative built for agentic ASO.

Sonar tracks every keyword on its servers every day, laptop open or not, with a REST API, CLI and hosted MCP server.

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Choose Sonar if…

You ship on both iOS and Google Play
You need rank tracking that runs every day whether your Mac is on or off
You want a REST API and CLI, or an MCP server that works without a desktop app running

Choose Astro if…

You only ship on iOS and only use a Mac
You want unlimited keywords at the lowest price — $108/year
You want your keyword data stored locally on your Mac

We build Sonar (trysonar.app), so weigh this accordingly. Astro's plans and features were checked against its public pages on Oct 19, 2026, and this page says plainly when Astro is the better pick.

Switching

Moving from Astro to Sonar

Astro is a well-loved native Mac ASO app — but it's Apple-only twice over: it covers only the iOS App Store, and it runs only on macOS. If you ship to Google Play too, work from a Windows or Linux machine, or want rank tracking that doesn't depend on a desktop app being open, you'll need an alternative. Here's what switching to Sonar looks like — what you gain, what you give up, and how to migrate your keyword list in an afternoon.

Why developers switch from Astro

You ship on Google Play: Astro has no Android coverage at all, so half your portfolio is invisible to it. Sonar tracks keywords and rankings on both stores.
You don't live on a Mac: Astro requires macOS. Sonar runs in any browser, plus CLI and API from any machine.
Tracking that runs without you: Astro collects ranks once a day, and only while its Mac app is open — when the Mac is off or the app is closed, that day is missing from your history. Sonar tracks every keyword on its servers every day, whether you open the dashboard or not.
Automation beyond one Mac: Astro's official MCP server (beta) only answers on the Mac running the app, and there's no public API or CLI. Sonar includes a REST API, CLI, and an MCP server you can run hosted or locally — script keyword research across your whole portfolio or let an AI agent do it from anywhere.
Keyword ideas for niche apps: Astro's suggestions come from keywords other Astro users track, so niche apps and smaller markets get few. Sonar generates ideas from store autocomplete, AI, and the keywords your competitors actually rank for.
Evaluate with real data: Sonar's 7-day trial is full-access (every feature, 10 apps, 2,500 keywords), versus Astro's free version, which tracks up to 10 keywords.

Switching from Astro to Sonar

Start the 7-day trial and add your apps — search by name or paste App Store IDs. Sonar auto-discovers the keywords each app already ranks for, so you start with data even before importing anything.
Export your keywords from Astro as a CSV (Import/Export Keywords) and bulk-paste the keyword column into Sonar (keywords can be added in bulk per app). Popularity, difficulty, and your current rank are fetched immediately.
Add your competitors to a competitor group to unlock gap analysis — the keywords they rank for that you don't.
If you have an Android version, link it to the same product to track both stores side by side.
Optionally set up rank-drop alerts and connect the CLI or MCP server. Daily tracking starts the day you add each keyword — no waiting period.

Feature by feature

How Sonar and Astro compare

Checked against Astro's public pages on Oct 19, 2026.

Feature	Sonar	Astro
Platform and access
Web app (any browser, any OS)	Yes	No: macOS only
Native macOS app	No	Yes
Same data on every device	Yes: Cloud-native — same login everywhere	No: Stored on one Mac; moving Macs means copying the database file
Month-to-month billing	Yes: Monthly or annual	No: Annual only — $108/yr
Free trial (full access)	Yes: 7-day trial	Limited: Free version: 10 keywords, no popularity, difficulty or suggestions
Store coverage
iOS App Store	Yes	Yes
Google Play	Yes	No
All countries included	Yes	Yes
ASO core
Keyword research (volume + difficulty)	Yes	Yes: Paid license only
Keyword suggestions	Yes: Store autocomplete, AI ideas, and competitor rankings	Yes: From keywords Astro users track — few for niche apps and markets
Daily rank tracking	Yes	Yes: Once a day at a time you set, inside the Mac app
Tracking runs when your computer is off	Yes: Server-side — every keyword, every day	No: Only while the Mac app is open; closed days leave gaps in history
Tracked keywords	Yes: 2,500 (Indie) / 10,000 (Agency)	Yes: Unlimited on the paid license; 10 on the free version
Tracked apps	Yes: 10 (Indie) / 50 (Agency); competitors uncapped	Yes: Unlimited on the paid license
Competitor keyword gap analysis	Yes	Yes
API, CLI and agents
REST API	Yes	No
Native CLI	Yes	No
MCP server for AI agents	Yes: Hosted or local — works with your laptop closed	Yes: Official, in beta — localhost only, needs the Mac app open

The other side

When to choose Astro instead

Astro is gorgeous and, at $108/year, cheaper than Sonar — but it's iOS-only and Mac-only, and in our October 2026 test it recorded ranks only on days its app was open. Its official MCP server (beta) runs locally inside that app, with no public API or CLI behind it. Sonar covers both stores, tracks every keyword daily on its servers, and ships a REST API, CLI and hosted MCP server for automation.

Where Astro is stronger

Built for: iOS-only indie developers who work on one Mac, want a native desktop app with unlimited keywords at a low annual price, and don't need Google Play, web access, or a public API.

Beautiful native macOS app with a fast local UI — your data stays on your Mac
Unlimited keywords and apps on one $108/year plan
Official MCP server (beta) with 12 read and write tools for Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and other local MCP clients
Keyword housekeeping built in: colored tags with filters, notes, CSV import/export, DeepL translation (bring your own key)
Temporary apps for pre-launch research and per-country ratings history

What Sonar doesn't do

Costs more: Indie is $290/year against Astro's $108/year.
Not unlimited: Indie tracks 10 apps and 2,500 keywords; Astro has no keyword cap.
No native Mac app and no local copy of your data: Sonar runs in the browser and through its API, CLI and MCP server, and your data lives on Sonar's servers.
Apple reports a popularity of 5 for most long-tail iOS searches, so Sonar's number below that floor (and every Google Play popularity) is its own calibrated estimate, not an Apple figure.
Sonar is young and founder-led: keyword history starts when Sonar began tracking a term (2026 at the earliest), and there are no account managers or managed services.

The shortlist

Other Astro alternatives

Sonar isn't the right switch for everyone. Depending on the job, one of these may fit better.

AppSprint
Best for staying Mac-native: an iOS ASO app that also manages Apple Ads and App Store Connect metadata, with a local MCP server.
ASO.dev
Best for iOS keyword tracking in desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux, plus App Store Connect and Google Play metadata management.
Appfigures
Best for both stores plus sales, download and revenue analytics in one dashboard. Sonar vs Appfigures
AppTweak
Best for agencies and larger teams that need market intelligence, reporting and consulting. Sonar vs AppTweak

Pricing

What each one costs

Sonar

Self-serve

Indie
10 apps, 2,500 keywords, MCP, CLI and API · $290/yr billed annually
$29/mo
Agency
50 apps, 10,000 keywords, 5 seats · $1,490/yr billed annually
$149/mo
API credits
Pay per call, no subscription · 50 free credits to start
From $10

Indie and Agency start with a 7-day free trial. Full pricing

Astro

Self-serve

Free version
Up to 10 keywords
Free
Single Mac license
Shown as $9/mo, billed annually; unlimited keywords, 60+ countries, iOS only; 14-day refund on request
$108/yr

Published pricing as of Oct 19, 2026 — confirm on Astro's site.

Why Sonar

Where Sonar is different

80
tools in the hosted MCP server
Your agent can run it
A hosted MCP server, a CLI and a REST API, on every plan.
Both stores, one plan
The App Store and Google Play side by side, with every country included.
App Store popularity
- habit tracker
  56
- habit tracker app
  16
Apple's own numbers
Apple's Search Popularity where Apple reports it, and Apple's true search order for iOS ranks.

FAQ

Switching from Astro, answered

Yes — Sonar covers the same ASO workflow as Astro (keyword research, rank tracking, competitor analysis) with two key differences: it works for both iOS and Google Play, and it's web-based, with rank tracking that runs on its servers and a REST API, CLI and MCP server, rather than a native Mac app.

Astro sells one plan: a single Mac license at $108/year, shown on its site as $9/month and billed annually, with unlimited keywords and a 14-day refund window. A free version tracks up to 10 keywords. Sonar is $29/month or $290/year. Astro is the cheaper tool — you trade away Google Play coverage, rank tracking that runs when your Mac is off, and a public API and CLI.

No — Astro is iOS-only. If you ship to both stores, Sonar (or another cross-platform tool) is required.

No. Astro collects rankings inside its Mac app, once a day at a time you choose (8:00 by default), and only while the app is open. When the Mac is off or the app is closed, no ranks are collected, so rank history can have gaps — on a Mac where Astro was rarely opened, a 30-day rank chart showed a single data point. Sonar tracks every keyword daily on its servers, whether you open the dashboard or not.

Astro does not publish a public REST API or a CLI. It does ship an official MCP server (beta) inside the Mac app, which AI assistants on the same Mac can call while the app is running — nothing outside that Mac can reach the data, and everything is stored locally. Sonar's API and CLI are first-class — every paid plan includes them, and its MCP server can run hosted.

Astro's popularity scores, like those of most iOS ASO tools, are based on Apple's own Search Ads popularity index (5–100) — the only primary source of iOS keyword volume that exists. Sonar reads the same index directly from the Apple Ads console and refreshes it daily, then pairs it with a difficulty score computed from the apps actually ranking in the live top 10. The practical difference between tools isn't the source — it's how fresh the value is and whether you can act on it with tracking, alerts, and an API.

No — Astro is a native macOS app and requires a Mac. Sonar is web-based, so it works in any browser on any OS, plus via CLI and API on any machine.

Yes — Astro ships an official MCP server, currently in beta, built into the Mac app. Once you enable it in Settings, it serves 12 tools (list apps, read keywords, rankings and ratings, add apps and keywords, set notes and tags, search the App Store, get keyword suggestions) over HTTP at 127.0.0.1:8089, limited to 60 requests a minute per client. It accepts localhost connections only, and runs only while the Astro app is open. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Antigravity connect directly; Claude Desktop needs a Cloudflare quick tunnel. Sonar's MCP server (@sonarapp/mcp) covers its full API and runs hosted or locally, so an agent can query your rankings with your laptop closed.

Is Sonar an Astro alternative?

More alternatives: AppFigures alternatives Sensor Tower alternatives AppFollow alternatives All alternatives

Further reading: Sonar vs Astro Astro ASO Alternatives (2026): Picks by Use Case, and When to Stay

Bring your Astro keywords over

Add your app and paste in the keywords you track today — Sonar starts tracking them the same day.