Prices and plan limits checked on applyra.io/pricing and appdrift.co/pricing on October 20, 2026. Applyra's listing writer is a documented offering, not a hands-on quality comparison. Disclosure: AppDrift is our product.
Short answer: Applyra's $9.99 monthly plan is less expensive than AppDrift Indie at $29/month ($290/year); the two serve an indie developer shipping on both stores but cover different parts of the ASO job. Applyra is a keyword and competitor tracker: its paid plan offers unlimited keywords, apps and competitors under a fair-use policy, plus AI listing suggestions, a listing writer, an API and an MCP server. AppDrift is a workflow tool: it researches keywords, writes and translates the listing into 60+ languages, generates screenshots, and publishes to App Store Connect and Google Play, and Indie includes 2,500 tracked keywords while Studio includes 10,000. Applyra's $9.99 buys more tracking for less; AppDrift's paid plans also prepare, translate and synchronize the listing, while Applyra documents tracking and AI listing drafts but does not document translation or direct store publishing.
Quick Comparison Table
| Capability | Applyra | AppDrift |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $9.99/month ($99.99/year) | Indie $29/month ($290/year) |
| Free plan | Yes: 1 app, 5 keywords, 1 competitor, 7-day history, no AI | Yes: 1 app, 5 keywords with daily updates, 50 AI tokens once, ASO score; free account for screenshot save/export |
| Tracked keywords on the entry paid plan | Unlimited (fair use) | 50 on Basic ($14.99/month or $149.90/year); 2,500 on Indie ($29/month or $290/year); 10,000 on Studio ($59/month or $590/year) |
| Apps on the entry paid plan | Unlimited | 5 on Basic; 10 on Indie; 50 on Studio |
| Stores | App Store + Google Play | App Store + Google Play |
| Keyword difficulty and popularity scores | Yes | Yes, 0-100 difficulty + popularity beside every keyword, free plan included |
| Competitor tracking | Unlimited competitors | 1 / 10 / 25 competitors per app (Free / Indie / Studio), each ranked daily on every plan |
| AI metadata generation | AI listing writer: three complete listings, written and scored | Yes, full title, subtitle, keywords, description, release notes |
| Translation and localization | Not documented in the sources checked | Listing drafts in 60+ languages; keyword research available separately |
| Screenshot generator | Not documented in the sources checked | Free templates with an account for save/export; Pro artwork requires access; AI translation uses tokens |
| Publish to the stores | Direct publishing not verified | Listing synchronization through connected store accounts |
| Apple Search Performance report integration | Equivalent reporting not verified | Search and browse impressions, product page views and downloads by country for connected iOS apps |
| Store monitoring and alerts | Ranking alerts; broader listing monitoring not verified | Metadata changes, rating drops and rank regressions |
| API / MCP | REST API (10k requests/month) + MCP server on paid | REST API on Indie and Studio + appdrift-mcp on npm |
| Trial | Permanent free plan, no trial needed | Optional 7-day Indie trial with a card; renews at the selected billing price unless canceled. Studio starts paid; Free has no card |
What Is Applyra?
Applyra is a flat-price ASO tool for indie developers that launched with a simple promise: unlimited tracking. Its single paid plan, Unlimited, costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and removes every cap on apps, tracked keywords and competitors, subject to a fair-use policy. The free plan is permanent rather than a trial and is deliberately small: one app, five keywords, one competitor, seven days of ranking history, no AI.
Its paid plan is built around tracking: keyword research and daily rank tracking on both stores, unlimited competitor tracking, CSV and PDF exports, a REST API with 10,000 requests a month, and an MCP server so an AI agent can query your data. Its pricing page now lists both AI suggestions and an AI listing writer that creates and scores three complete listings.
Applyra's published plan describes tracking, research and AI listing drafts. We did not verify translation, a screenshot editor or direct store publishing in those sources; an undocumented feature should not be treated as proven absent. Its own comparison page ranks AppDrift as "same price as us, capped at 50 keywords", which matched AppDrift's former Basic plan limit at that time.
What Is AppDrift?
AppDrift is a browser workspace for listing work on both stores. Use keyword tracking to follow selected terms and metadata generation to prepare editable drafts. It also offers translation into 60+ languages, a screenshot editor and monitoring alerts. Review the prepared content before using connected-store publishing.
AppDrift offers Apple Search Performance for connected iOS apps: Apple's daily App Store Connect reports of search and browse impressions, product page views and downloads by country. Apple does not share search terms through its API, so keyword positions come from AppDrift's own daily rank checks. Official own-app reports are different from estimates, but they are not exclusive to AppDrift: authorized integrations can request the reports their credentials permit.
AppDrift's limits are worth stating plainly. AI actions are metered in tokens (3,000 per monthly payment on Indie and 8,000 per monthly payment on Studio; a full metadata generation costs 7 tokens per language on iOS and 8 on Android). Tracked keywords are capped: 5 on Free, 2,500 on Indie and 10,000 on Studio. Competitor rank tracking is on every plan; only the number of competitors per app differs. AppDrift's current Google Play checks use a bounded result set, around 30 results; this is its collection limit, not proof that all providers have the same depth. It does not manage Apple Search Ads campaigns.
Features Compared
Keyword tracking
Applyra's $9.99 plan includes unlimited keywords under a fair-use policy; AppDrift Indie includes 2,500 for $29/month or $290/year. AppDrift's answer is scope rather than volume: every tracked keyword shows a 0-100 difficulty score and a popularity score computed from the current top-ranking apps, and the same scorer powers the free keyword difficulty checker, so you can inspect a term before adding it to your tracked list. On the free plan, five keywords are tracked forever with daily refreshes and no card.
For connected iOS apps, AppDrift's Search performance view shows Apple's search and browse impressions, product page views and downloads by country beside tracked ranks. We did not establish an equivalent Applyra integration in its public documentation. That is a limit of this comparison's evidence, not proof that other tools cannot access authorized App Store Connect data.
AI metadata generation
Applyra documents an AI listing writer that creates and scores three listings. AppDrift generates editable titles, subtitles, keyword fields, descriptions, promotional text and release notes for a target market, and saves drafts for reuse. Timing depends on the request and provider. Field-length checks and retries do not guarantee a complete, submission-ready result: review wording and validate it in the target store, especially after shortening or translation.
Localization
Applyra's published plan does not describe listing translation. AppDrift prepares drafts in 60+ languages and offers separate keyword research tools. Use those tools to investigate local wording, then have a fluent speaker review the translated copy. Search suggestions do not measure search volume.
Screenshots and publishing
We did not verify a screenshot editor or direct store publishing in Applyra's documentation. AppDrift's editor requires a free account to save/export; exports have no watermark and AI screenshot translation consumes tokens. Paid publishing synchronizes reviewed listing metadata through your own connected store credentials. Binary upload, store review and release approval remain separate steps.
Developer access
Both tools take the AI-agent audience seriously. Applyra's paid plan ships a REST API and an MCP server. AppDrift has API access on paid plans and publishes appdrift-mcp, which exposes keyword difficulty, rank checks, ASO scoring and metadata generation to Claude Desktop, Cursor and any MCP client.
Pricing Compared
| Plan | Applyra | AppDrift |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 app, 5 keywords, 1 competitor, 7-day history | 1 app, 5 keywords with daily updates, 50 AI tokens once; free account for screenshot exports |
| Applyra $9.99/month · AppDrift Indie $29/month ($290/year) | Unlimited apps, keywords and competitors under fair use; AI listing suggestions and drafts; API; MCP | Indie: 10 apps, 2,500 keywords, 3,000 tokens per monthly payment; metadata, translation, monitoring, publishing and API |
| AppDrift Studio $59/month ($590/year) | - | 50 apps, 10,000 keywords, 8,000 tokens and 25 competitors per app |
| Annual | $99.99/year | Indie $290/year · Studio $590/year |
Consider what you will use each plan for. Applyra's $9.99 buys unlimited tracking under its fair-use policy. AppDrift Indie costs $29/month or $290/year for 2,500 tracked keywords plus writing, translation, monitoring and connected-store publishing; the screenshot editor is also available with a free account. Studio costs $59/month or $590/year and raises the keyword allowance to 10,000 and the competitor allowance to 25 per app. Check whether those limits cover your markets and terms.
Who Should Pick Which
Pick Applyra if
- Keyword ceiling: Applyra's $9.99 plan has no cap on keywords, apps or competitors (fair use); AppDrift caps keywords at 5 on Free, 2,500 on Indie or 10,000 on Studio
- Listing work: Applyra documents AI listing drafts; AppDrift drafts, translates and publishes the listing fields
- Developer access: Applyra includes a REST API and an MCP server on its $9.99 plan; AppDrift includes API access on its paid plans and appdrift-mcp
- Free tier: both keep a permanent free plan with five keywords for one app; AppDrift's adds the screenshot editor and 50 AI tokens once
Pick AppDrift if
- You need the listing written and translated, not just diagnosed
- You need listing drafts in several languages and tools to research relevant terms
- You want to publish from the same tool you researched in
- You want Apple's search impressions and downloads by country beside your tracked ranks, for a connected iOS app
- You want screenshot exports for supported device sizes with a free account
Can You Use Both?
AppDrift's free plan tracks five keywords forever and gives you the editor, the audit and 50 tokens once on signup, so one free account covers tracking and listing work for a single app. Paying for both tools ($38.99 a month) buys a second tracker; AppDrift Indie ($29/month or $290/year) includes 2,500 tracked keywords in the workspace with generation and publishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Applyra or AppDrift better for indie developers?
For producing and shipping the listing, AppDrift: Indie at $29/month or $290/year drafts, translates and publishes through connected store accounts, while Applyra's public plan includes tracking and AI listing drafts. AppDrift's trade-off is its higher entry price: Basic costs $14.99/month for 50 tracked keywords and Indie $29/month or $290/year for 2,500, while Applyra's $9.99 plan has unlimited keywords under fair use.
Does Applyra generate or translate App Store metadata?
Applyra documents an AI listing writer that creates and scores three complete listings. Translation and direct publishing were not documented in the sources checked. AppDrift also offers translation and connected-store publishing; review drafts and connect the required store credentials before publishing.
Which tool tracks more keywords for the money?
Applyra: unlimited keywords, apps and competitors on the $9.99 plan under a fair-use policy. AppDrift tracks 2,500 on Indie and 10,000 on Studio, each with a difficulty and popularity score.
Can I use both free plans together?
Yes, and neither asks for a card, but they overlap: both track five keywords for one app. AppDrift's free plan (5 keywords with daily updates, 50 tokens once, screenshot exports with an account, ASO score) adds the screenshot and AI-draft work that Applyra's free plan (5 keywords, 1 competitor, 7-day history, no AI) does not cover.
Which has an API or an MCP server?
Both. Applyra's Unlimited plan has a REST API and an MCP server. AppDrift has API access on paid plans and the appdrift-mcp server on npm.
Conclusion
Applyra offers more tracking capacity at $9.99. AppDrift Indie adds listing drafts, translation, screenshot editing and connected-store publishing for $29/month ($290/year), with 2,500 tracked keywords. Try AppDrift's free plan with your own app to see whether the workflow fits. For wider context, see the ASO tools comparison, AppDrift vs Sonar and AppDrift vs Astro.
