Updated ASO teardown, US App Store
Monarch: Budget & Track Money App Store optimization
A Finance app's App Store page, taken apart: the screenshots and why each one helps people decide to download, the icon and design system, and an ASO score out of 100.
- Est. monthly downloads
- 106K+3.8% vs previous month
- Est. monthly revenue
- $212K+3.9% vs previous month
- Est. revenue ÷ downloads
- $2.00
- Rating
- 4.9★116.9K ratings
Downloads and revenue are third-party est. for the US App Store, latest month vs the month before. Revenue includes renewals, so revenue ÷ downloads is a rough ratio, not what a new user pays. Estimates as of ; rating and dates from the App Store, .
Screenshots and why they convert
10 screenshots of up to 10, the first 6 shown here. The first 3 show in search results when there's no preview video.
#1In search results
Your entire financial life. One clear view.
- financial lifenot in name
- What it shows
- The Monarch logo, the headline, a laurel badge reading “Best Budgeting App, Wall Street Journal, 2025”, and a phone showing an Accounts screen with a net worth line chart and a Cash list.
- Why it converts
- Says in the headline that the app pulls money into one place, and the phone shows it with account balances. The press badge is the app's own claim, which suits a money app where trust matters.
#2In search results
Cash flow See where every dollar flows.
- cash flownot in name
- What it shows
- A Reports screen on the Cash Flow tab with a Sankey chart that splits savings, housing, food, shopping and bills into sub-categories with dollar amounts and percentages.
- Why it converts
- One idea: where money goes. The orange label names the feature people look for and the headline states the benefit. The chart is wide and colorful, so its shape is clear even when small.
#3In search results
Budgeting A budget that flexes with your life.
- budgetingnot in name
- What it shows
- A June Budget screen with a green “Left to budget $4,640” bar and progress bars for income, expenses and goals.
- Why it converts
- Budgeting is the core feature in the app's name. The headline gives a reason to care, a budget that adapts, instead of a feature list.
#4
Collaboration Manage money together. No drama.
- manage money togethernot in name
- What it shows
- A photo of a woman, a man and a child on a blue background, a laurel badge reading “Best App for Couples, Motley Fool, 2024”, and cards for shared accounts and net worth.
- Why it converts
- The only image with people. It speaks to a different visitor, couples and families sharing finances. The press badge is the app's own claim and backs the audience being targeted.
#5
Goals Track progress on your biggest goals.
- goalsnot in name
- What it shows
- A Vacation goal with a desert photo, an “At risk” tag, $3,000.00, 50% of $6,000.00, four stat tiles and a timeline chart.
- Why it converts
- Turns saving into something visible. The photo adds an emotional touch that a plain chart lacks. Several small stat tiles and chart labels are hard to read at thumbnail size.
#6
Investments Investments, accounts, net worth - all connected.
- investmentsnot in name
- net worthnot in name
- What it shows
- An Investments screen with a portfolio value of $270,239.50 and a line chart of the portfolio next to an S&P 500 line, plus a Holdings list.
- Why it converts
- Extends the one-view idea from the first image to investments. The chart shows the portfolio next to an S&P 500 line.
Icon and design system
What makes the page read as one brand at a glance.
- One symbol, a butterfly drawn as a single white line, on a flat orange background.
- No text and no fine detail, so it should hold up at small sizes.
- The same orange appears in the screenshot labels and phone frames, so icon and gallery read as one brand.
- 01
Small label, then a large headline
Most images open with a short orange feature label (Cash flow, Budgeting, Goals) over a large serif headline. The label names the feature and the headline gives the benefit.
- 02
Italic marks the key phrase
Some headlines set one phrase in italic, such as “One clear view.” and “No drama.”
- 03
Press badges in two images
Laurel badges quote “Best Budgeting App, Wall Street Journal, 2025” and “Best App for Couples, Motley Fool, 2024”. They are the app's own claims. One is on the first image and one on the audience image.
- 04
One feature per image
Net worth, cash flow, budgeting, shared money, goals and investments each get their own image, so a visitor can see what the app covers.
- 05
One image with people
The other images show app screens. The collaboration image uses a photo of a family instead.
ASO score breakdown
100 of 100 points. The full rule is under “How the ASO score works” below.
- App name25 / 25
- Uses 29 of 30 characters9.7/10
- Brand + keyword phrase10/10
- Keywords fill half the name or more5/5
- Screenshots35 / 35
- Caption on every screenshot5/5
- Each caption names a feature people search for10/10
- First screenshot shows the main use5/5
- One consistent design system5/5
- Readable at search-result size5/5
- Trust signal5/5
- Ratings25 / 25
- 4.9 average (full marks at 4.8)15/15
- 116,892 ratings (full marks at 100,000)10/10
- Freshness15 / 15
- Last update 6 days ago (full marks within 30)15/15
Where the points are
- Check caption terms against your subtitle and keywords
7 caption terms aren't in the app name: financial life, cash flow, budgeting, manage money together, goals, investments, net worth. Captions don't count for search; the subtitle and the 100-character keyword field do.
Apply it to your app
A checklist for your next product page update.
- Make screenshot 1 state the whole promise in one line, then show the app doing it.
- Name the feature in a small label and the benefit in the headline.
- Quote a press or award mention only if it is real, and put it near the front for money apps.
- Use one image with people when the audience matters more than the interface.
- Keep one font, one background and one frame style across the set so it reads as one story.
- Trim long headlines and tiny chart text so the message still reads at thumbnail size.
How the ASO score works
- 01
App name, 25 points
Up to 10 for how much of Apple's 30 characters it uses, 10 for a brand + keyword structure, 5 when keywords fill half the name or more.
- 02
Screenshots, 35 points
Captions on every image, captions that name searched features, a first screenshot that shows the main use, one design system, readability at search size, and a trust signal.
- 03
Ratings, 25 points
Up to 15 for the average (from 4.0, full marks at 4.8) and 10 for the count (from 1,000, full marks at 100,000 ratings).
- 04
Freshness, 15 points
Full marks for an update in the last 30 days, falling to zero at 180 days. 85+ is excellent, 70+ strong, 50+ fair.
Common questions
What is an ASO score?
A 100-point check of the parts of an App Store page you control: the app name, screenshots, ratings and how recently the app was updated. It's our own scoring rule, shown in full on this page, not a number from Apple. Use it to compare your page with apps that already sell well in your category.
How long can an app name be on the App Store?
30 characters. A common pattern is a short brand followed by the main thing people search for, like “Monarch: Budget & Track Money”, which uses 29. Apple also gives you a 30-character subtitle and a 100-character keyword field for more terms.
Which screenshots show up in App Store search results?
The first one to three, when the app has no preview video. That's why the first three should cover the main reasons people download. Monarch uses them for financial life, cash flow and budgeting.
How many screenshots can an iPhone app have?
Up to 10 per device size. Apple recommends focusing each screenshot after the first on one main benefit or feature. Monarch uses 10.
Where do the download and revenue numbers come from?
They're third-party estimates for the US App Store, not figures reported by the developer. Treat them as a sense of scale. Growth compares the latest month with the month before.
Do screenshot captions help an app rank in search?
Apple says search results use text matches in the app name, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior such as downloads, ratings and reviews. Captions aren't on that list: they help people who already see the app decide to download. When a caption names something people search for, put that term in the keyword field too.
Where the numbers come from
- Apple: Creating your product page
- App name limit (30 characters), up to 10 screenshots, the first one to three shown in search results, keyword field.
- Apple: App Store search
- Search results use text relevance (name, subtitle, keywords, primary category) and user behavior (downloads, ratings, reviews).
- Apple: Ratings, reviews and responses
- The in-app rating prompt can be shown up to three times in a 365-day period.
- Monarch: Budget & Track Money on the App Store
- Name, developer, category, icon, screenshots, rating, release and update dates (US storefront), checked Nov 4, 2026.
- Downloads and revenue
- Third-party est. for the US App Store, latest month, pulled Oct 29, 2026. Not reported by the developer.
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