Guides
Start here: how the charts work
- How App Store Top Charts Rankings WorkWhat decides an app's position on Apple's Top Free, Top Paid and Top Grossing charts, how often they update, and why ranks differ by country.
- How Google Play Top Charts Rankings WorkWhat drives an app's place on Google Play's Top Free, Top Paid and Top Grossing charts, how categories and countries differ, and how often the charts refresh.
- Top Grossing vs Top Free vs Top Paid: What They MeanThe three app store chart types explained: what each one counts, which apps lead them, and which chart matters for your goals.
- How to Check Your App's Ranking in Every CountryA free way to see where your iOS or Android app ranks on the top charts in every country and category, and how that changed since yesterday.
- Why Did My App's Rank Drop? Common CausesThe usual reasons an app falls on the App Store or Google Play charts overnight, how to tell them apart, and what you can do about each.
- App Store vs Google Play Charts: 7 DifferencesHow Apple's and Google's top charts differ: depth, apps vs games, categories, update cadence, ranking signals, countries and prices, and what that means when you compare them.
Calm vs Headspace Onboarding Teardown: Quiz, Trial, Paywall
Screen-by-screen teardown of Calm and Headspace onboarding: the goals quiz, where the free-trial paywall sits, and how annual pricing is anchored.
Calm vs Headspace: How Two Meditation Apps Diverged
Case study of Calm and Headspace: revenue, pricing history, the B2B pivot, layoffs, the 2026 Sword Health deal and what their chart positions say.
Duolingo Onboarding Teardown: Lesson Before Sign-Up
Step-by-step teardown of Duolingo's onboarding: questions first, a goal, a placement test, a full lesson before any account, then soft sign-up and paywall.
Free Trial Length and Conversion: 3, 7 or 14 Days?
Trial-to-paid benchmarks by trial length and plan type (RevenueCat, Adapty 2025–2026), intro and win-back offers on iOS and Android, and how to measure.
Freemium vs Hard Paywall vs Free Trial: Which Converts?
Freemium, hard paywall, free trials, reverse trials, paid upfront, ads and hybrid compared with 2025–2026 benchmarks, plus a decision tree for your app.
Paywall Design Best Practices for Subscription Apps
Paywall anatomy: placement, timing, plan layout, anchoring, annual defaults, trial copy, Apple and Google pricing rules, and views on dark patterns.