While the web analytics space has matured significantly, the mobile landscape remains a vast frontier of opportunity. To navigate this emerging market, app developers need access to powerful tools that provide insights into user behavior, track downloads and installs, and inform data-driven decisions. In this article, we'll explore the top 10 mobile market research and analytics tools that can help you optimize your app's user experience.

Category & Competitive Benchmarking

When it comes to understanding broad market trends or competitive benchmarking, these tools are essential:

  • Distimo: A leader in providing easy-to-digest leaderboards and trends, making it simple to analyze the mobile landscape.
  • AppData: Offers top apps by category, as well as DAU (daily active users) and MAU (monthly active users) counts for Facebook-connected apps.
  • XYO: Provides the most comprehensive set of global download numbers, giving you a clear picture of your app's performance.
  • Facebook App Center: Allows you to view leaderboards of Top Rated and Trending apps, as well as Likes and user counts to compare your app with others.

Keywords & App Store Optimization (ASO)

For mobile-specific keyword analysis and ASO, consider these tools:

  • Straply: Offers a free set of competitive terms and ranks, helping you optimize your listing.
  • SensorTower (formerly known as AppStoreRankings): A paid tool with powerful features to aid in optimizing your app's listing across the board. AppCodes is also worth considering, but SensorTower takes the lead.

Tracking Downloads & Installs

To monitor daily downloads and upgrades by app, use these tools:

  • AppAnnie: Tracks downloads, updates, and reviews, providing a comprehensive view of your app's performance.
  • Facebook Insights: For Facebook-connected apps, track user growth (MAU/DAU) as well as demographic characteristics to better understand your audience.

App Usage & User Behavior

For in-depth insights into how users interact within your app, consider:

  • App-based SDKs: Require code-level plug-ins and track all set behavior. Localytics stands out for its reporting interface and marketing features.
  • API-based: If you have a server-side event model, manage user changes "state" with tools like USERcycle, designed around "people" vs. "events."

Other 3rd Party Tools

For paid ad spend tracking, affiliates, and incentives, explore:

  • Nanigans: A top choice for user acquisition via ads.

Additionally, consider internal data warehouses or BI systems to track custom metrics specific to your application or industry.

Fragmentation –> Frustration

With so many individual tools, it's challenging to attain a holistic picture of the user experience in one spot. To illustrate this challenge, let's explore an example:

  • A user discovers your app via a landing page on the web, tracked via Google Analytics.
  • That user then goes to the App Store and downloads your app, tracked via App Annie.
  • For those who install and open the app, track permission dialog impressions and authentications with Facebook Insights.
  • Once users have completed registration, log them in Localytics to understand downstream behavior by cohort.

Would love to hear from you! Do you have better suggestions for managing this flow or other insights to share?