ASO character counter for App Store and Google Play listings

Store listing fields are short and their limits are hard: App Store Connect and Play Console won't accept text that runs one character over. This counter shows each field against its limit as you type, previews how the name and subtitle read in a search result, and runs a few checks on Apple's keyword field, where most wasted space hides.

How to use it

Pick App Store or Google Play at the top. Each store has its own fields, and the text you type is kept separately per store while the page is open. Type or paste into a field and the bar under it fills; past the limit, the counter turns red and says how far over you are. The preview card shows your name with the subtitle, or the short description on Google Play, laid out like a search result. Checks appear below it. Everything stays in your browser.

The limits

The App Store limits come from Apple's App Store Connect help, on the platform version information and app information reference pages. The Google Play limits come from the Play Console help on setting up your app, which applies them equally to full-width and half-width characters.

The keyword field is the odd one out. Apple counts it in UTF-8 bytes, not characters, so plain English letters take one byte each, accented letters such as é take two, and Chinese or Japanese characters usually three. The word "café" is four characters and five bytes. If you localize keywords for French, German or Japanese storefronts, expect fewer words to fit.

What the checks look for

For the App Store, the counter reads the keyword field and flags:

• a space next to a comma, since each one costs a byte and adds nothing;
• the same keyword entered twice;
• keywords of one or two characters, because Apple's help asks for keywords longer than two characters;
• words that already appear in the app name or subtitle;
• a singular and a plural of the same word.

On repeats from the name, Apple's help is explicit: your app is already searchable by its name and company name, so you shouldn't duplicate them in the keyword list. The counter flags subtitle words too, which follows common ASO practice rather than a written Apple rule. For Google Play, which has no keyword field, it only flags a short description that repeats three or more words from the app name.

The matching is deliberately simple. Text is lowercased and split on anything that isn't a letter or digit, common short words such as a, and, the, for and your are ignored, and a word longer than three letters loses a final "s" unless it ends in "ss". So "breaths" matches "breath", but "breathing" and "breath" count as different words. The tool doesn't stem, translate or know synonyms.

Worked example: the sample listing

The counter opens with a sample breathing app. On the App Store side:

• App name "Stillwater: Calm Breathing": 26 of 30 characters.
• Subtitle "Guided breathing, sleep sounds": 30 of 30, exactly at the limit.
• Keyword field "meditation, mindfulness,anxiety,relax,breath,breathe,stress,focus,timer,rain,nap": 80 of 100 bytes.

One check fires: a single space sits next to a comma. Delete the space after "meditation," and the field drops to 79 bytes, leaving 21 for new terms. Nothing is flagged as already in the name or subtitle, because "breath" and "breathe" are different words from "breathing" under the counter's rules. Whether Apple's search treats them as related is for your own tests to show; the counter doesn't guess.

On the Google Play side, the same name is 26 of 30 and the short description "Guided breathing exercises, sleep sounds and a calm timer for busy days." is 72 of 80. It repeats two title words, "breathing" and "calm", one below the threshold, so the checks stay quiet.

What it can't tell you

The counter knows limits and spelling, not search. It has no data on search volume, rankings or competition, and Apple doesn't publish exactly how it weighs the name, subtitle and keyword field. It doesn't check store policy either: Apple doesn't allow names of other apps or companies in the keyword field, and the counter won't spot one. Characters are counted as Unicode code points, so an emoji built from several of them, such as a flag, counts as more than one character here and may be counted differently by the stores.

Use it as the last step before you paste text into App Store Connect or Play Console, after deciding which words matter. Our guide to the App Store keyword field covers that part, and screenshots that explain the app in five seconds covers the rest of the listing.

Questions

Why does Apple count the keyword field in bytes?

Apple sets the keyword limit at 100 bytes, while the name, subtitle, promotional text and description are limited in characters. In plain English text the two counts match; in languages with accents or non-Latin scripts, 100 bytes hold fewer letters.

Should there be spaces after the commas in the keyword field?

No. The commas separate the keywords on their own, and every space spends one of the 100 bytes on nothing.

Do I need to repeat my app name in the keyword field?

No. Apple's help says the app is already searchable by its name and company name, and that you shouldn't duplicate those in the keyword list. Spend the bytes on words that appear nowhere else in the listing.

What are the Google Play character limits?

30 characters for the app name, 80 for the short description and 4,000 for the full description. Google Play has no separate keyword field, so the title and the two descriptions are all the listing text you control.

Is the text I type sent anywhere?

No. The counter runs in your browser, and nothing you type leaves the page.