Utilities is a paradox of a category — the apps that rank are the ones with the most boring, literal keywords ('flashlight', 'unit converter', 'PDF scanner'), but it's also one of the most over-saturated. Winning utility ASO is about finding the under-served use-case verb ('compress PDF', 'merge images', 'translate sign') that your bigger competitors didn't bother targeting.
Verb-first title ("PDF Expert"). Subtitle covers every use case ("Edit, Sign & Scan").
Scanner Pro
Owns "scanner" through brand + the literal keyword. Screenshots show real documents being scanned.
CamScanner
Stuffs the keyword field intelligently — every scanning-adjacent term ("OCR", "fax", "PDF").
Common ASO mistakes in utility apps
⛔️Trying to be a "Swiss Army knife" utility. Apps that do one verb well outrank apps that do ten.
⛔️Generic title ("Tools", "Utility Pro") — those have zero search volume. Use the specific verb your app does.
⛔️Screenshots that show feature menus instead of the verb in action (a PDF being scanned, a unit being converted, a file being shared).
⛔️Forgetting the long-tail. Utilities is where keyword fields like "compress,merge,split,rotate,sign" earn 10x ROI vs. broad terms.
What top utility apps do well
✅Title is the literal verb — no abstraction. "PDF Scanner", "Unit Converter", "QR Reader".
✅Screenshot 1 shows the verb completing — a document scanned, a code read, a unit converted. Not a menu.
✅Description front-loads the specific use cases ("scan a receipt for taxes", "translate a Japanese menu") instead of feature bullets.
✅Keyword field hits every verb the app supports — utilities is the one category where comma-stuffing the field actually pays off.
Recommended keywords for utility apps
Floyd scores 150 keywords per audit. These are the high-leverage starting points for utilities apps.
Keyword
Why it ranks
pdf scanner
Massive volume; pair with vertical use ("receipt scanner")
unit converter
Long-tail; less saturated than "calculator"
qr reader
Owned by built-in iOS Camera, but specialized variants ("batch QR", "QR generator") rank
wifi password
Surprisingly high-volume utility intent
document scanner
Higher-intent variant of "PDF scanner"
translate camera
Trending; specific use-case verb
Utility Apps ASO FAQ
Should my utility app target broad keywords like "tools"?
+
No. "Tools" has effectively zero conversion intent. Utility buyers search for what they need to do verbally — "scan PDF", "compress image", "merge files". Always target the verb, not the abstraction.
Can a single-purpose utility outrank Swiss-Army-knife competitors?
+
Yes, and it usually does. Apple's ranking favors specificity — an app called "PDF Compressor" with focused screenshots will outrank a generic "PDF Tools" app for the "compress PDF" query, even if the bigger app has more features.
Audit your utilities app, free.
A→F grade against the top 10. Drafted fixes for title, subtitle, keywords, and screenshots. No credit card.