Best app analytics tools for indie developers (2026)
Short answer: Keep App Store Connect and Google Play Console (free), add RevenueCat if you sell subscriptions, then pick one tool for what people do in the app: Firebase if you're already on Firebase, Mixpanel for deep funnels, or Apparent if you want both stores, RevenueCat and in-app use on one page in plain words, with alerts. Appfigures and AppFollow are for growing in the stores: rankings, keywords and reviews.
Seven tools indie app makers actually use, what each one reads, who it's best for and what it costs. We make Apparent, so it's on the list; every other tool's facts come from its own pages, linked at the bottom, and we say plainly where another tool is the better pick.
Last updated
14 days free. No card, no password.
The list
| Tool | Best for | What it reads | What people do in the app | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App Store Connect and Google Play Console | Checking one store at a time, for free | Your downloads, sales, ratings, reviews and crashes, each store on its own | No | Free |
| Appfigures | Growing in the stores: rankings, keywords, competitor estimates | Downloads, revenue, ratings and reviews from both stores, all your apps together | Not its focus | Free plan for up to 5 apps; paid plans from $9.99 a month |
| AppFollow | Answering lots of reviews, with AI and auto replies | Reviews, ratings and rankings; downloads and sales reports from both consoles | No, it works on the store side | Free to try; paid plans on its site |
| RevenueCat Charts | Subscription numbers: MRR, churn, trial conversion, LTV | Purchases made through RevenueCat | Paywall views only | Part of RevenueCat: free up to $2,500 monthly tracked revenue, then 1% |
| Mixpanel | Deep funnels, flows and cohorts, with session replay | Events you send from your app and website | Yes, in depth | Free up to 1M events a month |
| Firebase Analytics | Apps already on Firebase, and Google Ads | Events from the Firebase SDK | Yes | Free (up to 500 distinct event names) |
| Apparent | Indie developers with one or more apps who want it all on one page, in plain words, with alerts | Its own SDK, plus App Store Connect, Google Play and RevenueCat if you connect them | Yes, live | From $10 a month (up to 5 apps), 14 days free |
Who each one is best for
- App Store Connect and Google Play Console: start here. They're free and already have your downloads, sales, ratings and crashes. The catch: one store at a time, and nothing about what people do inside the app.
- Appfigures: the pick if you work on ASO. It tracks keyword rankings, featured spots and estimates for competitors' apps, and puts your own store numbers for every app in one place. It doesn't record what people do in the app.
- AppFollow: the pick if reviews are a big part of your week. It brings reviews from both stores together, replies with AI or auto replies, and sends them to Slack, Zendesk and other tools. It has an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and others.
- RevenueCat Charts: the pick for subscription depth. If you already use RevenueCat for purchases, Charts gives you ready-made charts for 40+ numbers (MRR, churn, trial conversion, cohorts, LTV) at no extra cost. It doesn't show store downloads or what people do outside the paywall.
- Mixpanel: the pick for a team that asks deep questions. Build any funnel, flow or cohort, across web and mobile, with session replay. More to plan and more to read.
- Firebase Analytics: the pick if your app already uses Firebase for sign-in, push or Crashlytics. Free, linked to Google Ads, read as Google Analytics reports.
- Apparent: the pick if you have one or several apps and want one page that says how each is doing: who's in the app right now, downloads and reviews from both stores, RevenueCat sales tied to what buyers did, and a push or email for good and bad news. No ASO, session replay or A/B tests.
Pick in one minute
- Just launched, no code changes: the store consoles.
- Selling subscriptions through RevenueCat: RevenueCat Charts for the money, plus one tool for in-app use.
- Growing through App Store search: Appfigures.
- Hundreds of reviews a week: AppFollow.
- A team with an analyst, or a website and app with one login: Mixpanel (or Amplitude, PostHog).
- Already on Firebase: Firebase Analytics.
- Several apps, no time for dashboards, want to be told when something happens: Apparent.
Left off the list
Amplitude and PostHog are strong product analytics platforms, closer to Mixpanel than to an indie tool; TelemetryDeck and Aptabase are small privacy-first event counters. Each has its own honest comparison under Also read and on the compare page.
Facts about other tools checked on 2 November 2026 against Appfigures pricing, Appfigures analytics, AppFollow, AppFollow integrations, AppFollow MCP, RevenueCat pricing, RevenueCat Charts docs, RevenueCat MCP, Mixpanel pricing, Firebase Analytics docs, Google Analytics MCP. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@apparent.fyi and we'll fix it.
Questions
What's the best app analytics tool for indie developers?
It depends on the job. For store growth, Appfigures; for reviews, AppFollow; for subscription numbers, RevenueCat Charts; for deep funnels, Mixpanel; already on Firebase, Firebase Analytics. For one page that shows both stores, RevenueCat and what people do in the app, in plain words, with alerts, Apparent.
Is there a free app analytics tool?
Yes: App Store Connect and Google Play Console, Firebase Analytics, Mixpanel's free plan (up to 1M events a month), Appfigures' free plan (up to 5 apps) and RevenueCat (free up to $2,500 monthly tracked revenue). Apparent is free for 14 days, then paid.
Which tool shows App Store and Google Play downloads together?
Appfigures, AppFollow and Apparent all read both stores. Apparent also adds what people do in the app and RevenueCat sales on the same page.
Which tool tells me when downloads drop?
Apparent emails you when an app's last 7 days of downloads are 40% or more below the 7 days before. Appfigures sends downloads and revenue to Slack and has alerts by email, Slack or push.
Which app analytics tools work with AI agents?
Apparent, Mixpanel, RevenueCat, AppFollow and Google Analytics each have an MCP server. Apparent's is read-only and answers across the stores, RevenueCat and in-app use in plain sentences.
Is this list biased?
We make Apparent, so read it knowing that. Every other tool's facts are from its own pages, checked on the date at the bottom. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@apparent.fyi and we'll fix it.
Also read
- App analytics for solo developers
- Analytics for apps you built with AI
- Add analytics to your app with an AI coding agent
- The best analytics tool for apps built with Cursor
- How to export Apple Ads data to Sheets, Looker Studio or Tableau
- How to connect App Store Connect to Google Sheets
- An MCP server for your app's analytics
- The best analytics for your first app
- See App Store and Google Play downloads in one dashboard
- Get an alert when your app's downloads or sales drop
- What Apparent does
- Expo analytics, without a native build
- Ionic analytics, without Firebase
- App analytics without the ATT prompt
- Privacy-first analytics for mobile apps
- In-app chat for your mobile app
- In-app support chat for React Native and Expo
- An Intercom alternative for mobile apps
- SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter and Capacitor
- Apparent compared with Mixpanel, PostHog, Amplitude and Firebase
Your app already has a story. Start reading it.
14 days free. No card, no password.