Comparison

Rankmint vs Apple Ads

By Gajendra Singh Rathore, who makes Rankmint · checked November 3, 2026

Many indie developers research keywords inside Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads): its keyword recommendations show a popularity score from 1 to 5, straight from Apple. It's an ad platform, though, so it doesn't track your organic rank or help with your listing. Rankmint does those, and can use your Search Ads popularity. Apple's facts come from its own help pages.

Apple Ads

Apple's ad platform, whose dashboard shows keyword popularity.

Free to look; ads are pay per tap

Available nowWebFormerly Apple Search Ads

Rankmint

Finds keywords, writes your listing and tracks your rank.

$19 once, rising to $89

Nov 5, 2026Mac175 countries

Side by side

Apple AdsRankmint

AvailableNowNov 5, 2026, pre-order now

Runs onYour browsermacOS 14 and later

PriceNo subscription; ads are pay per tap. New eligible accounts get a 100 USD credit$19 for the first 10, then $5 more every 10 sales, up to $89

Keyword popularityFrom Apple, 1 to 5, “based on App Store searches”Rankmint's 0–100 estimate, or Search Ads popularity if you connect an account

When popularity is missingRecommendations may not appear “if there's not enough campaign activity”Rankmint's own estimate covers every keyword

Countries91 countries and regionsEvery App Store country, about 175

Organic rank trackingNot offeredDaily

Keyword difficultyNot offeredYes, plus the median ratings of the top 10

Writes your listing into App Store ConnectNot offeredYes. You review each change; it never submits for review

✓ stronger on this point – not offered or not mentioned

Apple Ads facts from Apple Ads, its keyword recommendations help page, its ad placement help page on November 3, 2026. Prices and features can change; check there before buying. Rankmint's features describe the launch version; the per-release report arrives in a free update.

Choose Apple Ads if

You only need Apple's popularity score for a handful of keywords.
You plan to run ads on the same keywords.
You don't want to pay for any tool.

Choose Rankmint if

You want to see where you rank organically, every day, in every App Store country.
You want difficulty and the top 10's ratings, not only popularity.
You want the listing written and saved to App Store Connect. Connect your Search Ads account and Rankmint uses Apple's popularity too.

The honest gap

Apple's popularity score is the closest thing to real search data; Rankmint's own score is an estimate. That's why Rankmint can use your Search Ads popularity when you connect an account. Use Apple Ads for “how popular”, and Rankmint for “can I win it, and did I”.

See what Rankmint's output looks like before you decide: the Orate keyword report is a real one, for a real app, in three countries.

Pre-order for $19 See the sample report

Questions

Is Rankmint a good Apple Ads alternative?

They do different jobs. Apple Ads gives you Apple's popularity for keywords; Rankmint tracks your organic rank, scores difficulty and writes your listing. Many developers will want both.

How much does Apple Ads cost compared with Rankmint?

Looking at keyword recommendations in Apple Ads has no subscription fee on Apple's pages; ads are charged per tap, and eligible new accounts get a 100 USD credit, as of November 3, 2026. Rankmint is a one-time $19 for the first 10 buyers, then $5 more every 10 sales, up to $89.

Is Apple Search Ads now called Apple Ads?

Yes. Apple's help pages for Search Ads now live under ads.apple.com as Apple Ads.

Does Apple Ads show keyword search volume?

Not as a number of searches. It shows search popularity from 1 to 5, with 5 the most popular, based on App Store searches.