Updated ASO teardown, US App Store
Scholarly - Swipe and Apply App Store optimization
A Education 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
- 56K+162.6% vs previous month
- Est. monthly revenue
- $40K−37.9% vs previous month
- Est. revenue ÷ downloads
- $0.71
- Rating
- 4.7★4.4K 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
4 screenshots of up to 10. The first 3 show in search results when there's no preview video.
#1In search results
Swipe and Discover Scholarships
- scholarshipsnot in name
- What it shows
- A welcome screen with floating bubbles holding university crests and a cash stack, the Scholarly logo, the line “Get paid to be a student.” and a Get Started button.
- Why it converts
- The first frame is a welcome screen with a caption about swiping for scholarships. The phone does not show the swipe feature itself, so the caption carries the message.
#2In search results
Apply and Earn
- applyin name
- What it shows
- A scholarship card showing $15,000, 50 days left, a short description, states, level, field and requirements, with a reject and an accept button below.
- Why it converts
- Shows the core action on a real card: the requirements are listed in plain rows. A visitor can see what swiping looks like.
#3In search results
Track All Your Applications
- applicationsnot in name
- What it shows
- Two phones stacked: lists of scholarships with dollar amounts and an Applied tag, and filter tabs including Applied and Action Needed.
- Why it converts
- Adds a second reason to install: keeping applications in one place. The phones are cropped, so the list reads as a feature without needing every row to be legible.
#4
Find All Qualified Scholarships
- scholarshipsnot in name
- What it shows
- A bubble scene and the text “You qualify for $555,000 in scholarships”, with “Across 67 matches tailored to you” in small type and a Start swiping button.
- Why it converts
- Ends on a personal result. The big dollar figure is the app's own printed claim and is easy to read.
Icon and design system
What makes the page read as one brand at a glance.
- One symbol, a graduation cap, points to students and school before the name is read.
- Flat blue background with no text, so it stays clear at small sizes.
- The same blue appears in the screenshots, so icon and gallery look like one brand.
- 01
Big white caption on solid blue
Most images put a large bold white caption on the same blue. The words stay readable when the image is small.
- 02
Bubbles as a repeating motif
Floating bubbles with crests, cash and books appear in several images. They tie the set together and hint at money and school.
- 03
Dollar amounts as the hook
The $15,000 card and the $555,000 line put the money first. The reason to open the app is visible in numbers.
- 04
A short action story
Captions run in a verb order: swipe and discover, apply and earn, track, find. Most images add one step.
- 05
Phones cropped and overlapped
Phones bleed off the edge or stack in pairs. The UI is partly hidden, so the caption stays the main message.
ASO score breakdown
78 of 100 points. The full rule is under “How the ASO score works” below.
- App name24 / 25
- Uses 27 of 30 characters9/10
- Brand + keyword phrase10/10
- Keywords fill half the name or more5/5
- Screenshots25 / 35
- Caption on every screenshot5/5
- Each caption names a feature people search for10/10
- First screenshot shows the main use0/5
- One consistent design system5/5
- Readable at search-result size5/5
- Trust signal0/5
- Ratings16 / 25
- 4.7 average (full marks at 4.8)13.1/15
- 4,408 ratings (full marks at 100,000)3.2/10
- Freshness13 / 15
- Last update 50 days ago (full marks within 30)13/15
Where the points are
- Ask happy users for a rating+9 pts
4.7 stars from 4,408 ratings. Apple's in-app rating prompt can be shown up to 3 times a year; show it right after a user finishes something in the app.
- Ship an update+2 pts
The last update was 50 days ago. A new version also refreshes the "What's New" notes people read before they download.
- Check caption terms against your subtitle and keywords
2 caption terms aren't in the app name: scholarships, applications. 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.
- Say what the app does in the first caption, and show the feature itself on the phone.
- Use one large caption per image and keep it to a few words.
- Show the number your user cares about at a size that reads when the image is small.
- Pick one background color and repeat it, so the set reads as one story.
- Match the icon color to the screenshot background.
- Put small supporting lines in large type if they matter, because small text is often missed.
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 “Scholarly - Swipe and Apply”, which uses 27. 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. Scholarly uses them for scholarships, apply and applications.
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. Scholarly uses 4.
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.
- Scholarly - Swipe and Apply 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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