RANKRHow App Store top charts work
The App Store shows two public chart types, Top Free and Top Paid, and keeps a separate list for every country, category and device, each going up to #200. Apple doesn't publish the formula; developers generally observe that recent downloads matter most.
What charts does the App Store have?
In the App Store app you'll find Top Free and Top Paid. There is no public Top Grossing chart in the App Store app. Both chart types exist for apps and for games separately, and again for each category.
| Chart | What it lists | US iPhone #1 on Oct 19, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Top Free | Free apps | Muse from Meta |
| Top Paid | Paid apps | Shadowrocket |
| Games Top Free | Free games | Meowdoku! |
Those are chart data from October 19, 2026, 12:45 UTC. The same day in Japan, the #1 free iPhone app was setlog, the #1 paid app was 280blocker and the #1 free game was ダックサバイバー. The current lists are on the US iPhone Top Free, US iPhone Top Paid and Japan iPhone Games pages.
Is there a different chart in every country?
Yes. Apple runs 175 storefronts and each one has its own charts. An app can be in the top 10 in one country and nowhere in the top 200 of the next. On October 19, 2026, the #1 free iPhone app was Muse from Meta in the United States, setlog in Japan and 하나은행, 새로워진 하나원큐를 경험해 보세요 (Hana Bank's app) in South Korea. Three countries, three unrelated apps.
The App Store app on your phone only shows the charts for the country your Apple account belongs to. To compare countries you need an outside view, such as the chart pages, which cover 30 countries. How to check your app's rank in other countries walks through it.
Are iPhone and Mac charts the same?
No. Charts are kept per device type: iPhone, iPad and Mac each have their own lists. A utility that sells well on the Mac can rank somewhere completely different on iPhone, or not at all. So when someone says their app is "#5 in Productivity", the full answer is #5 on which device, in which country, in which chart.
How do category charts work?
Every category has its own Top Free and Top Paid list, next to the overall chart that mixes all categories. Games have their own charts too, with their own categories. A category chart only compares your app with others in the same category, so an app can sit at #40 in its category and still be missing from the overall top 200.
How does Apple decide the order?
Apple doesn't publish the formula. Developers generally observe that recent downloads matter most for Top Free and Top Paid, weighted toward the last few days rather than all time. If that holds, it explains why an app with a strong week can pass an older app with far more installs in total.
A rank is not a download count, and Apple gives no way to convert one into the other. Neither number tells you how many downloads sit behind it.
Charts also move a lot from day to day. On October 19, 2026, 31 of the top 100 apps in South Korea's iPhone Top Paid chart had not been in the top 100 the day before. Why your app's rank changes goes into that.
How deep do App Store charts go?
Charts go up to #200. "Not ranked" means outside the top 200 for that country, category, device and chart type, not that nobody downloaded the app.
- Chart type: Top Free or Top Paid, apps or games.
- Category: overall, or one category.
- Device: iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Country: one of 175 storefronts.
Multiply those together and a single app has a lot of possible positions. Rankr (iOS and Android) shows where an app ranks in the App Store and Google Play top charts in 175 countries, and alerts you when it reaches a new best rank or enters a new country. The free version covers 2 apps, the top 5 countries per app and charts to #100. Pro covers 25 apps, every country and charts to #200.
Questions
Does the App Store have a Top Grossing chart?
Not in the App Store app. It shows Top Free and Top Paid only. Google Play is the store with a public Top Grossing chart.
Why does my app rank differently on someone else's phone?
The App Store app shows the charts for the Apple account's country, so an account in another country sees a different list. Device type matters too: iPhone, iPad and Mac charts are separate.
How many positions does an App Store chart have?
200. Each country, category, device and chart type has its own top 200.
How are App Store rankings calculated?
Apple doesn't publish the formula. Developers generally observe that recent downloads, weighted toward the last few days, matter most for Top Free and Top Paid.