RespectASO

Free, open-source ASO keyword research tool — self-hosted via Docker. No API keys. No accounts. No data leaves your machine.

RespectASO helps iOS developers research App Store keywords privately. Run it locally with a single Docker command and get keyword popularity scores, difficulty analysis, competitor breakdowns, and download estimates — all without sending your research data to third-party services.

Why RespectASO?

Most ASO tools require paid subscriptions, API keys, and send your keyword research to their servers. RespectASO takes a different approach:

No API keys or credentials needed — uses only the public iTunes Search API
Runs entirely on your machine — all API calls originate from your local network
No telemetry, no analytics, no tracking — zero data sent to any third party
Free and open-source — AGPL-3.0 licensed, forever
Single Docker command — up and running in 30 seconds

Features

| Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | Keyword Popularity | Estimated popularity scores (1–100) derived from a 6-signal model analyzing iTunes Search competitor data | | Difficulty Score | 7 weighted sub-scores (rating volume, dominant players, rating quality, market age, publisher diversity, app count, content relevance) with ranking tier analysis | | Ranking Tiers | Separate difficulty analysis for Top 5, Top 10, and Top 20 positions — because breaking into the top 5 is different from reaching the top 20 | | Download Estimates | Estimated daily downloads per ranking position based on search volume, tap-through rates, and conversion rates | | Competitor Analysis | See the top 10 apps ranking for each keyword with ratings, reviews, genre, release date, and direct App Store links | | Country Opportunity Finder | Scan up to 30 App Store regions at once to find which countries offer the best ranking opportunities for your keyword | | Multi-Keyword Search | Research up to 20 keywords at once (comma-separated) | | Multi-Country Search | Search the same keyword across multiple countries simultaneously | | App Rank Tracking | Add your apps and see where you rank for each keyword alongside competitor data | | Search History | Browse past keyword research with sorting, filtering, and expandable detail views | | CSV Export | Export your keyword research data for use in spreadsheets | | ASO Targeting Advice | Automatic keyword classification (Sweet Spot, Hidden Gem, Low Volume, Avoid, etc.) based on popularity vs. difficulty |

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Docker installed and running

1. Clone and run

git clone https://github.com/respectlytics/respectaso.git
cd respectaso
docker compose up -d

2. Open in your browser

→ http://localhost

That's it. The first startup takes a few seconds (database migration + static files).

On first launch, the tool automatically:

Generates a secure Django secret key
Runs database migrations
Collects static files
Starts the Gunicorn server

You'll see the RespectASO dashboard ready to search. Type a keyword, select a country, and click Search.

How Scoring Works

RespectASO uses the iTunes Search API as its only data source — no Apple Search Ads credentials, no scraping, no paid APIs.

Popularity Score (1–100)

A 6-signal composite model that estimates how often a keyword is searched:

| Signal | Weight | What It Measures | |--------|--------|------------------| | Result count | 0–25 pts | How many apps appear for this keyword | | Leader strength | 0–30 pts | Rating volume of the top-ranking apps | | Title match density | 0–20 pts | How many apps use this exact keyword in their title | | Market depth | 0–10 pts | Whether strong apps appear deep in results | | Specificity penalty | -5 to -30 | Adjusts for generic terms that inflate result counts | | Exact phrase bonus | 0–15 pts | Rewards multi-word keywords with precise matches |

Difficulty Score (1–100)

A 7-factor weighted system that estimates how hard it is to rank:

| Factor | Weight | What It Measures | |--------|--------|------------------| | Rating volume | 30% | How many ratings competitors have | | Dominant players | 20% | Whether a few apps dominate (100K+ ratings) | | Rating quality | 10% | Average star ratings of competitors | | Market maturity | 10% | How long competitors have been on the App Store | | Publisher diversity | 10% | Whether results come from many publishers or a few | | App count | 10% | Total number of relevant results | | Content relevance | 10% | How well competitors match the keyword |

Interpretation: Very Easy (<16) · Easy (16–35) · Moderate (36–55) · Hard (56–75) · Very Hard (76–90) · Extreme (91+)

Download Estimates

A 3-stage pipeline estimates daily downloads per ranking position:

Popularity → Daily Searches — piecewise-linear mapping calibrated against real App Store observations
Position → Tap-Through Rate — power-law decay from position #1 (30%) to position #20 (0.06%)
Tap → Install Conversion — range of 35%–55% for free apps

Results are shown as conservative–optimistic ranges per position, with tier breakdowns for Top 5, Top 6–10, and Top 11–20.

For more details, visit the Methodology page inside the app.

Configuration

Changing the Port

The default docker-compose.yml maps port 80 on your host to port 8080 in the container. If port 80 is already in use:

ports:
  - "9090:8080"  # Access at http://localhost:9090

Custom Local Domain

For a cleaner URL, add this to your /etc/hosts file:

macOS / Linux:

sudo sh -c 'echo "127.0.0.1  respectaso.private" >> /etc/hosts'

Windows (run as Administrator):

echo 127.0.0.1  respectaso.private >> C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Then access the tool at http://respectaso.private

The .private TLD is reserved by RFC 6762 and avoids conflicts with macOS mDNS resolution (unlike .local).

Data Persistence

Your data is stored in a Docker volume (aso_data). Your database and secret key survive container restarts and rebuilds.

To back up your data:

docker cp respectaso-web-1:/app/data ./backup

Updating to a New Version

cd respectaso
git pull
docker compose down
docker compose build --no-cache
docker compose up -d

Your data is preserved — only the application code is updated.

Automatic Startup

The docker-compose.yml includes restart: unless-stopped, so the tool automatically restarts when Docker starts. No need to run docker compose up again after a reboot.

Tech Stack

Python 3.12 + Django 5.1
SQLite — local single-user database
Gunicorn — production WSGI server
WhiteNoise — efficient static file serving
Tailwind CSS (CDN) — dark theme UI
Docker — single-command deployment

Privacy

RespectASO is designed with privacy as a core principle:

100% local — the tool runs entirely on your machine inside Docker
No accounts — no registration, no login, no user tracking
No telemetry — zero analytics, zero phone-home, zero data collection
No API keys — uses only the public iTunes Search API (no credentials required)
No third-party services — all API calls go directly from your machine to Apple's public API
Your data stays yours — keyword research, competitor analysis, and search history never leave your network

We built RespectASO because we believe developers should be able to research keywords without handing their competitive intelligence to a third party.

License

AGPL-3.0 — free to use, modify, and distribute. If you modify and deploy RespectASO as a service, you must share your changes under the same license.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Security

See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities.

Contact

respectlytics@loheden.com

Built by Respectlytics — Privacy-focused mobile analytics for iOS & Android. We help developers avoid collecting personal data in the first place.

Respectaso

Install / Use

README