Competitor Analysis

Position the app against the rivals ASOScan tracks — where it's ahead, where it's behind, and the single biggest lever — using real rank, rating, and keyword data.

When to use

• "Compare my app to my competitors."
• "Add <store URL> as a competitor."
• "What category do my competitors use / how's my category rank vs theirs?"

Getting the data (two modes)

Pick the first mode that applies, then follow the steps below.

1. ASOScan tools are connected (the ASOScan plugin or connector in ChatGPT or Claude, or any MCP client): use the tool named in the table. Do not ask for an API key and do not run curl. Tool results have the same fields as the API responses below, and a list comes back inside items. If a tool answers with a message instead of data (reconnect, credits used up, plan limit, "preparing"), pass that message on and stop.
2. No tools, but you can run shell commands and ASOSCAN_API_KEY is set: make the API call in the table. Base https://asoscan.com/api/public/v1, header Authorization: Bearer $ASOSCAN_API_KEY, JSON with camelCase fields. Never print the key. Capture the HTTP status and handle errors as described at the bottom.
3. Neither: hand off to asoscan-setup. It explains how to connect ASOScan in ChatGPT or Claude, or how to create an API key.

ASOScan only sees the apps in the user's own account and the competitors they track. Every call uses API credits (failed calls are free). Before a call that costs more than 2 API credits, or one that uses AI, tell the user the cost and wait for a yes. Before any call that changes data, ask first.

Steps

1. Find the app — GET /apps → { id, name, category, rating, … } (your own category is here).
2. Competitors — GET /apps/{id}/competitors?country= (free) → [{ id, name, developer, iconUrl, rating, ratingCount, category }]. The category is each competitor's primary store category — this answers "what category do my competitors use?" (only the primary is exposed, not Apple's secondary).
3. Add a rival (if asked) — POST /apps/{id}/competitors { "storeUrl": "…" } (2 credits, write key). Confirm before writing.
4. Category rank over time — GET /apps/{id}/category-rank?country=&days=30 (free) → { category, country, rankType, currentRank, points[]{ date, rank } }.
5. Rating trajectory — GET /apps/{id}/rating-history (free) → [{ rating, totalRatings, date }].
6. Keyword overlap — pair with keyword-spy on each competitor for the gap list.

Category-rank and rating-history are per-app; to compare a competitor, run the same reads on that competitor's app id (it must be a tracked competitor).

How to analyze

• Category placement — list each competitor's primary category next to yours. If rivals cluster in a different (or less crowded) category, flag it — category choice is an ASO lever.
• Rank momentum — climbing or sliding over the window (points)? A point exists only for a date that was measured, so rank: null means measured and not in the tracked chart — say "not charting yet", never "no data". Unmeasured dates are absent, so a 30-day window may return fewer than 30 points. An app whose points are all null is not broken data: it hasn't broken into the chart, and volume/authority is the lever, not metadata.
• Rating gap — average rating and its direction vs competitors.
• Keyword gap (highest-leverage) — relevant terms rivals win that you don't target (from keyword-spy), ranked by relevance × volume.
• Positioning — one honest line (leader / challenger / niche) + the biggest lever.

Output template

### Competitive position — {App} ({country})   ·  credits left: {remaining}

| App | Category | Category rank (now → {N}d ago) | Rating (now → trend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| {you} | {your category} | … | … |
| {competitor} | {their category} | … | … |

**Keyword gaps** (they rank, you don't — relevant): …
**Biggest lever:** {one specific move}
**Next in ASOScan:** run `keyword-spy` per competitor, then `keyword-opportunities` + `metadata-audit`.

Errors, credits & honesty

• 401 → asoscan-setup · 403 no API access (or read-only key on the add) · 402 out of credits · 404 not tracked · 503 not enabled yet. Reads here are free; only adding a competitor costs credits.
• Compete on breadth, coverage, and momentum. Clean numbers — don't concede a rival's data is "more accurate", and don't claim a tactic guarantees a rank change.
• Full reference: https://asoscan.com/api/developers

Related

• keyword-spy — reverse-lookup each competitor's keywords.
• keyword-opportunities — turn gaps into a tracked target list.
• review-insights — compare what users say (add rivals as competitors first).