What is a good App Store rating? (And how to raise yours)

"Is my rating good?" sounds like a simple question. The honest answer is: compared to what? A 4.3 can be great in one category and weak in another. This guide helps you judge your rating fairly, and shows you how to raise it.

What is a good App Store rating?

A good App Store rating is one that matches or beats the apps people compare you with. Apple doesn't set a cutoff. So the best yardstick is your direct rivals in the same category and the same country.

As a rough rule of thumb, here is how we read ratings:

This table is our rule of thumb, not data from Apple. Use it as a starting point, then look at your rivals.

Why does your rating matter?

Your rating shows up on your App Store page and in search results, right next to your app. Apple notes that people often look at ratings and reviews before they download an app.

So your rating works like a first impression. A low one can turn people away before they see your screenshots. A high one, from many people, builds trust fast.

How do you compare your rating fairly?

Compare like with like. A fair comparison looks at four things:

1. Same category. Games, finance apps and photo apps all have different norms.
2. Same country. Apple shows a separate rating in each country or region. Compare the stores that matter to you.
3. Similar size. An app with 50 ratings can swing a lot. One with 50,000 barely moves.
4. Recent reviews. The all-time number moves slowly. Recent reviews show how your current version is doing.

A free App Teardown shows a rival's recent reviews in one page. Or compare two apps side by side to see where each one wins.

How many 5-star ratings do you need to raise your rating?

Use this formula to estimate it:

New 5-star ratings needed = current count × (target − current rating) ÷ (5 − target)

Here are a few worked examples:

Two lessons jump out. First, the higher your target, the harder each step gets. Second, big apps can't fix a rating with prompts alone. They must stop the bad reviews at the source.

Why is your rating dropping?

A falling rating usually has a cause you can find in your reviews. Common causes include:

• A buggy release. Crashes, lost data or a broken login.
• A price change. A new paywall, a higher price or a feature moved behind a plan.
• A removed feature. Loyal users notice right away.
• A redesign. Even a good one upsets people who liked the old way.
• Too many ads, or ads in the wrong place.
• Review bombing. A wave of negative reviews about something outside the app itself. See review bombing.

Read the reviews written since the drop began. Group them by theme. The biggest theme is usually your answer.

How do you raise your App Store rating?

Fix the cause first, then bring in fresh ratings. Here is a simple plan:

1. Find the top complaint. Read your 1- and 2-star reviews from the last month, or run a teardown on your own app.
2. Fix it, and say so. Put the fix in your release notes in plain words.
3. Reply to the reviews about it. Apple notifies reviewers when you reply, and they can update their review. Use our reply templates.
4. Ask at happy moments. Use Apple's review prompt right after a win. See how to get more App Store reviews.
5. Make support easy to find. Give upset users a way to reach you before they reach the review box.
6. Think about a reset. After a big fix, you can reset your rating with the new version. Read what a reset does first.

Is a perfect 5.0 rating a good thing?

A 5.0 is nice, but it's not the whole story. With only a handful of ratings, it says little about the app. Shoppers can also see how many ratings you have.

Aim for a high rating from many people. That is the kind that holds up over time. And it comes from the same place as every good rating: an app that solves a real problem, and a maker who listens.