Can I Monitor Competitor Apps?
Summary
AppReviewBot can monitor any publicly available app on iOS or Android app stores, including competitor apps, enabling you to track market trends, identify feature gaps, and benchmark your performance against competitors.
How competitor monitoring works
AppReviewBot fetches public review data from any app published on supported app stores, regardless of whether you own the app. The system treats competitor apps identically to your own apps: reviews are fetched at the same intervals, delivered to your chosen destinations, and counted against your plan limits.
Data access levels
When monitoring competitor apps, you receive only publicly visible information:
| Data Type | Available | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Review text and ratings | ✅ Yes | Full content visible to public |
| Reviewer display names | ✅ Yes | As shown in app stores |
| Review dates | ✅ Yes | Publication timestamps |
| Country/region | ✅ Yes | Reviewer location |
| Developer responses | ✅ Yes | If competitor has replied publicly |
| Private reviews | ❌ No | Developer console only |
| Reviewer emails | ❌ No | Not publicly available |
| Reply capabilities | ❌ No | Only app owners can respond |
| Historical data | Limited | Subject to app store API limits |
You access the same data any customer browsing the app store would see—no privileged or private information is available.
How to monitor a competitor app
Competitor app subscriptions are treated in the same way as your own apps. The only difference being that you can only view their public reviews.
To see the full process of adding a new app please go to How to Add an App
Plan limits and counting
Competitor apps count identically to your own apps:
| Scenario | Apps Used |
|---|---|
| One competitor on iOS | 1 app |
| One competitor on Android | 1 app |
| Same competitor on iOS and Android | 2 apps |
| Three competitors on iOS only | 3 apps |
Review your plan's app limits: Plan Limits
Use Cases
Feature planning and product roadmap
Monitor your top 3-5 competitors to identify unmet customer needs and feature gaps.
Setup:
- Add subscriptions for primary competitors
- Filter to 1-3 star reviews (complaints reveal opportunities)
- Send reviews to product team Slack channel
- Export monthly for roadmap planning sessions
Result: Data-driven feature prioritization based on actual customer pain points in competing products.
Marketing and positioning intelligence
Track how competitors are perceived by customers and what messaging resonates.
Setup:
- Monitor competitors launching major campaigns
- Filter to 4-5 star reviews
- Analyze language customers use to praise features
- Send to marketing team destination
Result: Identify positioning opportunities and customer language for marketing copy.
Market entry research
Understand customer expectations before entering a new geographic market or product category.
Setup:
- Add top apps in target market/category
- Filter reviews to specific countries
- Monitor for 30-60 days before launch
- Export data for analysis
Result: Validate market assumptions and adapt your app to local preferences before launch.
Competitive benchmarking
Compare your app's performance metrics against industry standards.
Setup:
- Monitor 5-10 apps in your category
- Track rating trends over time
- Compare review volume and response times
- Analyze sentiment patterns
Result: Objective performance benchmarks and early warning of emerging competitor advantages.
Best practices
Focus your monitoring
Avoid monitoring every competitor. Select 3-5 apps that matter most:
- Direct feature competitors
- Market category leaders
- Fastest-growing new entrants
Use aggressive filtering
Competitor reviews generate high volume. Apply filters to reduce noise:
- Problem-focused: Only 1-2 star reviews to find weaknesses
- Success-focused: Only 4-5 star reviews to learn strengths
- Geographic: Only your target markets
- Digest mode: Daily or weekly summaries instead of real-time
Separate competitor data
Keep competitor reviews distinct from your own app feedback:
- Use dedicated Slack channels (
#competitor-reviews) - Create separate email destinations
- Label subscriptions clearly in your dashboard
Look for patterns, not individual reviews
Individual competitor reviews have limited value. Focus on:
- Repeated complaints (5+ reviews mentioning same issue)
- Rating trend changes over time
- Response quality and speed patterns
- Feature requests appearing across multiple apps
Rotate monitoring for limited plans
If your plan limits prevent monitoring all desired competitors:
- Monitor Competitor A for 2 months
- Switch to Competitor B for next 2 months
- Rotate quarterly through competitor list
Questions?
See common questions in our Competitor Apps FAQ.