Shopify gives developers no market-level data. No public launch counts, no category dynamics, no removal stats, no AI-mention trends, no developer leaderboards. So when someone asks 'is my category getting more crowded?', 'should I worry about AI competition?', or 'what fraction of new apps in May launched with a free plan?', everyone's guessing.
Four things App Store Insights unlocks
Launches across any date range
Total launches, daily launch trend, pricing split (free-plan vs paid-only), top-launching categories, top-launching developers, pick any from / to range and see the numbers immediately.
Side-by-side range comparison
Compare Q1 vs Q2, last month vs this month, your category's last week vs the prior week. All metrics shown for both ranges with delta arrows.
AI mention tracking
Share of new launches that mention AI in their listing, side-by-side with the catalogue-wide baseline. The AI-saturation question, answered with real numbers.
Removed apps tracking
Apps that disappeared from the store in your selected range. Useful for understanding churn, regulation impact, category dynamics, and the half-life of new entrants.
The precise capabilities
Not a marketing summary, what the feature actually does, in the same depth a customer success conversation would cover.
What you can ask the data
- How many apps launched in your category last month, and what fraction included a free plan?
- Did AI mentions in new launches accelerate quarter-over-quarter? One-click comparison.
- Which developers shipped the most apps last month, the giants you know, or someone new worth watching?
- What's the removal rate in your category? How many apps that launched in January are still alive in June?
- Are the top 10 most-reviewed apps in your category stable, or did the ranking shift this month?
Available metrics
- Total launches in range, total removals in range, net catalogue growth.
- Daily launch trend (chart), see the weekly cadence and any spike days.
- Pricing split, free-plan share vs paid-only share among new launches.
- AI mention share among new launches vs the installed-base baseline.
- Top categories by new launches in range (with counts).
- Top developers by new launches in range (with portfolio context).
- Top apps by new reviews in range (which apps received the most review velocity).
- Removed apps list, names, last-known categories, length of time alive.
Range comparison
- Every metric supports a second comparison range. The UI shows both side-by-side with directional delta arrows.
- Common presets: last month vs prior month, last week vs prior week, last quarter vs prior quarter, year-to-date vs prior year-to-date.
- Custom ranges also supported, pick any two from-to combinations and compare.
Data coverage caveats
- Data coverage starts in late March 2026. For ranges before then we don't publish numbers, we'd rather show nothing than show partial data as if it were complete.
- Going forward, every full calendar month from April onward will be available with complete coverage.
What you see in your dashboard
Insights shows launches per day as a chart, with side-by-side range comparison, pricing split, AI mention share, top-launching categories, top developers, and a removed-apps section. Zoom out for the year view, zoom in for the week.
Try free to see it liveWhich plans include app store insights
| Plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Free | Locked, Free users see a screenshot teaser only |
| Starter | Included · all metrics · range comparison · all date windows we have data for |
| Pro | All Starter features + cross-app benchmarking for users with multiple tracked apps |
Frequently asked
How far back can I look?
Data coverage starts in late March 2026. For ranges before then we don't publish numbers, we'd rather show nothing than show partial data as if it were complete. From late March forward, any from / to range works.
What counts as a 'launch'?
An app appearing as live on the Shopify App Store with a launch date in your selected range. Shopify's reported launch date is the source.
How is AI mention tracking measured?
Apps mentioning AI in their listing (in their name, tagline, or description) are flagged. Mention share = matching apps ÷ total apps in range. We're measuring how apps market themselves, not what they technically do, the data answers the AI-bubble question directly without needing to look inside the apps.
Can I export the data?
Each monthly report at /reports ships with a downloadable XLSX dataset (multi-sheet, one per section). The /reports section has the snapshots you can cite and share.
Why don't I see month-over-month launch comparison in the May 2026 report?
Coverage was still expanding through April. Comparing April launches (partial) to May launches (complete) would have been misleading. We omitted that comparison in the first report and will publish it cleanly from June onward.