Lazy ASODo ratings affect App Store ranking?
Updated 14 November 2026
Apple says ratings and reviews "can influence how your app ranks in App Store search". In our data, 39% of the new apps in a top 10 had zero ratings, so you do not need them to appear. Among new apps on generic searches, the top-3 share jumps from 5% at 1–9 ratings to 17% at 10–99.
What Apple says
"Ratings and reviews appear on your product page and in search results, and can influence how your app ranks in App Store search." Apple names ratings and reviews as part of user behavior, next to downloads, and gives no weights.
What we measured
Of the new apps in a top 10 across 350,712 results, 67% had fewer than 10 ratings and 39% had none. Ratings are not a ticket in.
Share of new apps in the top 3, by their own number of ratings, on generic searches:
| Ratings of the new app | In the top 3 |
|---|---|
| 0 | 4% |
| 1–9 | 5% |
| 10–99 | 17% |
| 100–999 | 28% |
The jump sits between 9 and 10 ratings.
Why we do not read this as "get 10 ratings"
The cause can run the other way: a high place brings installs, and installs bring ratings. The table shows that high-ranked apps have ratings, not that ratings lift them. Anyone who tells you the cause from this table is guessing.
Ratings of the apps around you
The ratings of the apps already in the top 10 matter more once you have some of your own. Top-10 chance for a new app that is not named with the search:
| Your ratings | Top-10 median under 30 | 30–99 | 100–999 | 1k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 | 39% | 34% | 32% | 31% |
| 10–99 | 72% | 60% | 52% | 45% |
With 0–9 ratings, the rivals' ratings barely change your odds. With 10–99, they change a lot. So for a brand-new app, the name comes first. See all factors we measured.
Ratings still sell the tap
Stars show in search results and on your page. People skip apps with a low score, so ratings help conversion even where they do not move ranking. Ask at a good moment in the app, with Apple's in-app prompt.
Pick a search where the top 10 is not out of reach first: free name check.