Keywords Field Counter (100 chars)
Fit the maximum keywords into Apple’s hidden 100-character field.
Comma-separated, no spaces after commas needed.
App Store Connect gives you a hidden, comma-separated keyword field of exactly 100 characters per localization — invisible to users, but indexed for search. Because nobody ever reads it, the only thing that matters is packing in the most ranking-relevant terms per character, and every space, duplicate, and stop word is pure waste.
Paste your list above to see precisely how many characters you are using. A well-tuned field lands at 95–100 characters; if yours is shorter, you are leaving searchable terms on the table, and if it is over, App Store Connect will silently truncate or reject it.
How to fill the 100-character keyword field
- 1
Paste your comma-separated keyword list into the field above.
- 2
Delete every space after a comma — “budget,planner” indexes identically to “budget, planner” but saves one character per keyword.
- 3
Remove any word that already appears in your app name or subtitle; Apple deduplicates across fields.
- 4
Use single words instead of phrases where possible — Apple combines individual words into search phrases automatically.
- 5
Keep adding candidates until you sit between 95 and 100 characters.
How Apple actually uses the keyword field
Apple tokenizes your comma-separated list into individual words, then combines them with words from your app name and subtitle to match multi-word searches. That has a practical consequence most developers miss: you rarely need full phrases. Entering “photo,collage,editor” covers “photo editor”, “collage editor”, and “photo collage” — while “photo editor,collage maker” burns characters on spaces and repeats.
The field also has quiet freebies. Apple’s own guidance says you do not need to add plural forms of words you already list in the singular, your app’s category name, or the word “app” — all of these are matched automatically. Every freebie you remove buys room for a keyword that actually expands your search footprint.
Common ways developers waste keyword field characters
The classic offenders, in rough order of frequency: spaces after commas (up to a dozen wasted characters in a typical list), words duplicated from the name or subtitle, both singular and plural of the same word, generic stop words like “the” and “for” that Apple ignores, and competitor brand names — which do not reliably index and occasionally trigger review problems under guideline 2.3.7.
Also remember the limit is per localization, and cross-localization indexing can effectively double your budget in some countries: in the United States, for example, Apple indexes both the English (U.S.) and Spanish (Mexico) localizations, giving you two keyword fields for one storefront. Filling those secondary locales is one of the highest-leverage free moves in iOS ASO.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the App Store keyword field?
Exactly 100 characters per localization, including the commas that separate terms. It is set in App Store Connect and is never shown to users — only Apple’s search index reads it.
Do I need spaces after the commas?
No. “fitness,workout,gym” and “fitness, workout, gym” index identically, but the spaced version wastes one character per keyword. In a 15-keyword list that is 14 characters — enough room for two extra keywords.
Should I use single words or phrases in the keyword field?
Mostly single words. Apple combines individual words across your name, subtitle, and keyword field to match phrase searches, so “budget,planner,tracker” can rank for “budget planner” and “budget tracker” without spelling either phrase out. Reserve exact phrases for cases where word order genuinely matters.
Do I need to include plurals, my category name, or the word “app”?
No — Apple’s developer guidance states plural forms of singular keywords, your app’s category name, and the word “app” are matched automatically. Listing them just burns characters.
What happens if my list is over 100 characters?
App Store Connect will not accept the overage — the field is hard-capped at 100 characters. Trim duplicates, spaces, and stop words first; that usually recovers 10–20 characters without dropping a single meaningful keyword.
Can I put competitor names in the keyword field?
It is risky and usually ineffective. Apple frequently declines to index other apps’ trademarks, and guideline 2.3.7 lets reviewers reject metadata containing irrelevant or third-party brand terms. Spend the characters on generic keywords you can genuinely rank for.
Fill all 100 characters with keywords that rank
Appalize’s Keyword Research ranks thousands of candidate terms by live popularity and difficulty, then its ASO Editor flags duplicates across your name, subtitle, and keyword field automatically.
Related free tools
Keyword Field Optimizer
Automatically strip duplicates, wasted spaces, and title overlaps from your 100-character keyword field.
ASO Stop Word Remover
Strip the stop words Apple ignores and reclaim keyword field characters.
Subtitle Character Counter
Validate your App Store subtitle against the 30-character limit in real time.
Keyword Combiner
Generate every combination of two keyword lists for ASO and Apple Ads research.