Appleak
Help

Everything Appleak does, and how to use it.

What each part is, why you would use it and how, with messages you can try. Nothing on this page runs a search or spends a credit.

Getting started

Three ideas, then your first ten minutes.

Three things to know

  • Ask in plain words

    There is one box, on the dashboard. Say what you want to know and it opens the page that answers it. You do not have to know the menu.

  • @ means one app

    Type @ and pick an app to ask about that app. Leave the @ out and you are asking about a whole kind of app: gym apps, budgeting apps.

  • The price comes first

    Most of Appleak is free to use. The few searches that cost credits show their price before they run, and wait for you to agree.

Your first ten minutes

  1. Read one app you know

    Type @ and the name of an app you know well, pick it and press Analyse. Seeing a teardown of something familiar shows you how far to trust the rest.

    Put @ in the ask box
  2. Ask your market one question

    Leave the @ out and ask why people leave, or what they pay for, in your kind of app. The answer comes from thousands of reviews, in a few minutes.

    Try this question
  3. Follow three competitors

    Market Watch then tells you when their price, rating, chart place or ads change, so you stop checking by hand.

    Open Market Watch
  4. Tell Appleak about your app

    Fill in your brand profile in the Research lab. After that the dashboard, the suggestions and everything it writes start from your app.

    Open your brand profile

Rather be shown? Open the welcome on the dashboard

Appleak at a glancePress a name to read about it
On the dashboardThe ask boxType a question. It opens the page that answers it.
What it opensApp teardownResearch reportComparisonWhat changedCategory reportGrowth researchTop charts
Trending now

Start here

The dashboard: the box you ask in, and what is moving in your market today.

The ask box

Dashboard, at the top

Open the dashboard

The box at the top of the dashboard. Type what you want to know in plain words. As you type it shows which page will answer, and when a search costs credits it names the price before anything is spent.

Why use it

You do not need to learn the menu first. One sentence gets you to the right page, and nothing runs until you press Analyse.

Costfree to ask

How to use it

  1. Open the dashboard and click the box, or press Ctrl K (⌘ K on a Mac).
  2. Type @ and a few letters to name an app, then pick it from the list. Leave the @ out to ask about a whole category.
  3. Read the tag the box shows as you type: it names the page your question will open, and its price when it has one.
  4. Press Analyse, or Ctrl Enter.

What to type

@name
Names one app. Pick it from the list that opens.
@one vs @two
Compares two or three apps side by side.
no @
A question about a whole category of apps.
Ctrl K
Puts the cursor in the box. ⌘ K on a Mac.
Ctrl Enter
Runs what is in the box. ⌘ Enter on a Mac.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Reports

What the ask box writes for you. Name an app with @ to ask about that app; leave it out to ask about a market.

App teardown

Ask box: @ and an app’s name

Everything about one app on one page: what its reviews say, its ads, estimated revenue and downloads, who posts about it, its paywall, its pricing and where it has charted.

Why use it

The whole picture of a competitor in minutes instead of a week across six tools. Read one before you build against an app, price against it or answer its ads.

Costfree to open

How to use it

  1. In the ask box, type @ and the app’s name, then pick it from the list.
  2. Press Analyse. The page opens at once and fills in as each part is read.
  3. Use its tabs to move between what the reviews say, the ads, the revenue estimate and the rest.
  4. Bookmark it to keep it. It is also in History.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Research report

Ask box: @app and a question

One direct answer about one app, with the evidence under it: revenue, ads, creators, pricing, chart rank, competitors or complaints.

Why use it

You get the answer and what it rests on, so you can check it and quote it. Quicker than a whole teardown when you need one thing.

Costreads free sources; buys a sweep only when the question needs one

How to use it

  1. Name the app with @ and ask your question in the same sentence.
  2. Press Analyse. The answer comes first, the evidence below it.
  3. Bookmark the report to keep it. It is also in History.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Comparison

Ask box: @one vs @two

Two or three apps side by side, measured the same way: ratings, charts, estimated revenue, price and ads.

Why use it

See at a glance which rival is bigger, better rated or spending more on ads, before you choose which one to study.

Costthe second app is read from free sources only

How to use it

  1. Type @ and pick the first app, write vs, then @ and the second. A third is allowed.
  2. Add what to compare if you care about one thing: revenue, ratings, ads.
  3. Press Analyse.

What to type

@one vs @two
Each app is picked from the list, the same way as one.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

What changed

Ask box: “what changed with” @app

What is different about an app since it was last read: its listing, ratings, reviews and chart place.

Why use it

Skip the parts you already know. A good weekly check on a rival. To hear without asking, follow the app in Market Watch.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Ask “what changed with” and name the app with @.
  2. Press Analyse. The page lists what moved and what stayed.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Category report

Ask box: a question with no @

Reads the apps in a category and thousands of their reviews, then answers your question from them: why users leave, what they pay for, what is missing, which apps are best.

Why use it

Tells you what users in a market want and are not getting, in their own words and with counts. Use it to choose what to build, what to fix first or what to say in your ads.

Costreads the stores; one small web read

How to use it

  1. Ask about a kind of app without an @: “why people quit gym apps”.
  2. Press Analyse. A progress panel shows each step. The report takes a few minutes.
  3. Read the answer, then the reasons under it, each with the reviews it came from.
  4. The finished report is kept in History.

Growth research

Ask box: a question about growing an app

Weighs the ways to grow an app, from organic posting and UGC creators to Meta, TikTok and Apple Search Ads, and says what to start with and in what order.

Why use it

A plan drawn from what is working for apps like yours, instead of general advice. Use it before you spend anything on marketing.

Costfree; one live video search (4 credits) only if the question asks about videos

How to use it

  1. Ask how to grow, or where to start: “how do I get my first 100 users for my app”.
  2. Say what kind of app it is in the same sentence if you have not set one up.
  3. Read the order it gives: what to start with, and what to leave for later.

Intelligence

Your own app, the reviews, competitors’ ads and the creators to work with.

App coach

Sidebar, under Intelligence

Open App coach

A coach for your own app. It knows your stage, your numbers and the apps like yours, and gives you a plan for the week.

Why use it

Advice built on your stage and your figures, each step saying what it rests on. Use it when you have an app and want to know what to do next.

Costfree; counts as one coach question toward your daily limit

How to use it

  1. Open App coach and add your app.
  2. Read where it places you, and the plan for this week.
  3. Ask it anything about your app, there or from the dashboard: “what should I do this week for my app”.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

MRR tracker

Inside App coach

Open MRR tracker

Shows your app’s monthly recurring revenue from your own store figures, how fast paying subscribers are growing, and which changes would move it most within your budget.

Why use it

A real figure instead of an estimate, and a short list of moves sized to what you can spend.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Connect your store account first (see My apps), so there are figures of your own to read.
  2. Open App coach and go to the MRR section.
  3. Ask for advice there. Every figure in it is checked against your own numbers.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Reviews Intelligence

Sidebar, under Intelligence

Open Reviews Intelligence

Collects the reviews of any app with an exact filter (stars, keywords, dates, countries) and exports them as CSV, JSON or Excel. Describe a kind of app in a sentence and it finds the apps for you.

Why use it

The reviews themselves, for your own spreadsheet or analysis, without copying them by hand.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Open Reviews Intelligence. Type what you want, like “bad reviews for gym apps”, and press Scan. Or choose the apps yourself.
  2. A scan finds the apps on both stores, sets the stars and keywords, and starts the pull. Every choice it made is in the bar, and you can change it.
  3. Read the reviews as they arrive, then download the file when the pull finishes.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Creator outreach

Inside Influencer Search: Outreach

Open Creator outreach

Keeps every creator you mean to contact on one board, in five stages from “to contact” to “posted”. For each it lists the contact routes they publish and drafts a first message from their own posts.

Why use it

You stop losing track of who replied. The message is written for that creator, and you send it from your own account.

Costfree; up to 30 drafted messages an hour

How to use it

  1. Open a creator in Influencer Search and press Add to outreach.
  2. Press Draft a message and choose what you are offering. Copy it, or open it in your email.
  3. Send it yourself. Appleak sends nothing and reads no inbox.
  4. Move the card when they reply, agree and post. A week with no reply offers a follow-up.

Discovery

What is big, what is new, and what people are posting.

Top charts

Ask box: “top grossing … apps”

Open Top charts

The stores’ own top charts by category: top free, top grossing, and which of those apps are advertising.

Why use it

Know who is biggest in a category right now, and who is paying to stay there.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Ask for a chart in the ask box: “top grossing fitness apps”.
  2. Change the category or the time range on the page.
  3. Sort by ads to see which charting apps are advertising.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Rising apps

Sidebar, under Discovery

Open Rising apps

Apps released in the last 30 days, by category and country, and which of them are already charting.

Why use it

Spot what is taking off before it is obvious, and see which new ideas the stores are rewarding.

Costfree — the App Store’s own feeds

How to use it

  1. Open Rising apps and choose a category and a country.
  2. Read which new apps are on the charts, and how high.
  3. Name one in the ask box with @ to read its teardown.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

UGC videos

Sidebar, under Discovery

Open UGC videos

Organic TikTok, Instagram and YouTube videos about apps, each matched to the app it is about, with its views.

Why use it

See what content is working for apps like yours before you film or brief anything.

Costfree — searches the library we hold

How to use it

  1. Open UGC videos to browse today’s videos.
  2. Search a kind of app, and choose which platforms to search with the keys in the box.
  3. Press Find more under the results for the next page from each platform. It counts as one more search.
  4. Bookmark the videos worth keeping.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Research

Turn what you found into words, and find it again later.

Research lab

Sidebar, under Research

Open Research lab

Writes marketing for your app from the ads and reviews Appleak has read: ad angles, video scripts, hooks, ad copy and campaign briefs.

Why use it

First drafts grounded in real ads and real reviews, so they sound like your market and not like a template.

Costfree to open; writing starts when you press Write

How to use it

  1. Ask for what you need: “write 5 tiktok hooks for my meditation app”.
  2. Fill in your brand profile once, so the writing knows your app.
  3. Press Write. Nothing is written before you do.

History

Sidebar, under Research

Open History

Every report, teardown and search you have run, newest first. Each one reopens as it was made.

Why use it

Nothing you ran is lost, and opening it again costs nothing.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Open History from the sidebar.
  2. Press any run to open it as it was made.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Monitoring

What changes while you are not looking.

Buyer Signals

Sidebar, under Monitoring

Open Buyer Signals

Tracks what people post about your brand, a competitor or a keyword on Reddit, X, YouTube and TikTok, and sorts it into people looking for a solution, complaints, bugs and ideas.

Why use it

Find people asking for what you built while they are still looking, and hear about a bug or a false claim early.

Costabout 4 credits a check; adding the keyword is free

How to use it

  1. Open Buyer Signals and add a keyword: your brand, a competitor or a phrase buyers use.
  2. Check it now, or leave it to its schedule. A check costs about 4 credits.
  3. Read the feed, newest first. Each post says what it is: a buyer, a complaint, a bug, an idea.
  4. Draft a reply to post yourself. Nothing is posted for you.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Market Watch

Sidebar, under Monitoring

Open Market Watch

Follows apps and tells you when they move: price, ratings, chart place, new versions and new ads.

Why use it

You stop checking competitors by hand. What changed comes to you, on the page and in a weekly digest.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Follow the apps you care about. The dashboard’s set-up steps start you with three.
  2. Read what changed in the Inbox.
  3. Add a rule under Rules for the changes that matter, or a schedule to re-run a report every week or month.
  4. Turn on the weekly digest under Delivery.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

My apps

Inside Market Watch: My apps

Open My apps

Connects App Store Connect or Google Play, read-only, and shows your own downloads, proceeds and reviews next to Appleak’s estimates for the same apps.

Why use it

Real numbers for your own app, and an honest look at how close the estimates are.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Open your account, then Connections, and connect App Store Connect or Google Play. The access is read-only.
  2. A key you upload is encrypted when it is saved. After that only its last four characters and the day it was added are shown.
  3. Open My apps in Market Watch to see your figures beside the estimates.
  4. Letting your figures improve the estimates, and letting them be published, are two separate choices for each app. Both are off until you turn them on.

Saved Searches

Sidebar, under Monitoring

Open Saved Searches

The reports, teardowns, research and videos you chose to keep.

Why use it

A short shelf of what matters, apart from everything you ever ran.

Costfree

How to use it

  1. Press the bookmark on a report, a teardown, a research answer or a video.
  2. Open Saved Searches to find them again.

Messages to try each fills the ask box and waits for you

Your account

What it costs, and what you have left.

Credits and plans

Sidebar, your name at the foot

Open Credits and plans

Most of Appleak reads free sources. A few searches read paid ones and cost credits, and the price is always shown before anything is spent. Your plan, balance and limits are on your account page.

Why use it

No surprise spending. You see the price first, and choose.

Costsee your plan

How to use it

  1. Before a paid search, look for its price: in the ask box’s tag, or on the page’s own button.
  2. Open your account from your name at the foot of the sidebar to see your plan, what is left and when it resets.
  3. Compare the plans on the pricing page. A code is redeemed on your account page.

Contact support

When the page does not answer it.

Write to us

Reading the address…

Before you write

A search says I am out of credits
Your account page shows what is left and when it resets. The plans are on the pricing page.Your account Pricing
The ask box opened the wrong page
Name the app with @ and pick it from the list, or open the page you wanted from the sidebar. The tag in the box always says where a question is about to go, before you press.
A report is taking a long time
A category report reads thousands of reviews and takes a few minutes. Its progress panel names the step it is on. A finished report is in History.History
I cannot find something I ran
Everything you ran is in History, newest first. What you bookmarked is in Saved Searches.History Saved Searches
It asks me to sign in
Looking is open to everyone. Running a search, saving and following need an account, so your work is still there next time.
I want a copy of my data, or to delete my account
Both are on your account page, and you can do either yourself.Your account