Your guide to Hackstat.

Explore the demo

Open the interactive workspace to explore Hackstat without creating an account. The demo is a working preview of the product, using illustrative keyword and ranking data.

1. Switch between the workspace views to see how the same app’s research comes together.
2. Search the keyword list to narrow down an idea and compare the sample metrics.
3. Try the metadata editor and export the sample keyword data to a CSV file.

The demo’s rankings and keyword metrics are examples, not live App Store measurements. Changes you make here do not update an app listing.

Purchase and activate on one Mac

The first 100 licenses cost $10 each, the next 100 cost $30, and the next 100 cost $50. Each following batch of 100 increases by $20. Review the current price and any applicable tax in Stripe Checkout before completing your one-time purchase from Hackstat’s operator.

1. After checkout, open your private order page. It shows payment confirmation and email delivery status.
2. Your license key is sent to your checkout email. Save that email and keep your private order link safe.
3. Download the Mac installer from that page when it is available. The installer is currently being prepared.
4. Open Hackstat on the Mac you will use, connect to the internet, and enter your license key to activate it.

After activation, saved research, listing metadata, and notes work offline. One license activates one Mac. A device reset or transfer tool is not currently available on this website.

Return to your purchase to check confirmation, email delivery, or download status. If email delivery is unavailable, keep your private order link. Your license email stays queued until delivery is configured.

Add an app and your keywords

In the Mac app, search for an app or paste its App Store or Google Play link. Hackstat fetches the public listing and saves it in your local workspace. Choose the country you want to research and add a competitor if you want a comparison.

Start with the suggested listing-derived terms or add your own keywords. Saved observations keep the keyword, locale, collection date, and observed rank together. The optional Google autocomplete signal is an indication of prominence, not App Store search volume or keyword difficulty.

Adding or refreshing a store listing requires internet. Saved research remains available offline. The Mac app exports CSV reports; importing spreadsheets or keyword files is not currently supported. The browser demo uses sample data only.

Compare ranking snapshots

Collect a keyword observation before a metadata update and another after it, using the same term, storefront, and data source. Hackstat keeps the observation history so you can compare positions over time or export the data as a CSV.

Compare those saved snapshots to find terms that moved, stayed steady, or stopped ranking. Look for a pattern across several dates before drawing conclusions from a single position change.

Fresh checks require internet. Hackstat reads public store search results. Daily and weekly checks also need the app running and your Mac awake. After a missed interval, the next check records the current position; it does not fill in rankings for missed days.

Review metadata and try a demo draft

In the Mac app, review and copy available listing metadata, check character counts, and run a local completeness audit. Public sources do not expose every field: Apple’s source omits the subtitle and private keyword field.

The website demo includes a separate metadata editor for trying sample copy and watching character counts as you type. Editing drafts in the desktop app and publishing metadata to a store are not currently supported.

If you choose to save a demo draft, it stays in this browser’s local storage. Saving a draft does not publish it or send it to App Store Connect.

Export your research

Export keyword observations, ranking summaries, or recorded listing changes from the Mac app as CSV files. The browser demo’s export action downloads its sample keyword data, which you can inspect in a spreadsheet before using the desktop app.

For your regular workflow, save dated exports alongside each release’s metadata. Local files make it easier to revisit a decision, share a selected report, and keep an independent backup.

See product direction for the current capabilities and planned improvements, and privacy for how this website handles demo data.