On March 31, 2026, Apple added 11 languages to App Store Connect, bringing the total to 50 localizations (Apple Developer News, 2026). The App Store now serves 175 countries and regions (Apple Newsroom, June 2026). Most teams have budget for two or three of those languages this year. So the order you pick them in is the expensive decision.
Most advice on this is an unexplained list, or a framework that won't rank anything. Neither accounts for how the App Store indexes metadata: one localization can count in dozens of storefronts. You can see which localizations each storefront indexes in our free explorer. So we scored all 50 languages on six factors, using two datasets we collected on September 24, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- French (4.00), Japanese (3.90) and Spanish (Mexico) (3.90) score highest among languages any app can ship. Chinese (Simplified) scores 4.10 but is gated.
- Do English (U.K.) first: no translation, indexed in 172 of 175 storefronts (ASO Agency, 2026).
- Treat Apple's 10 new South Asian languages as a watch list for now.
Which languages should you localize your app into first?
Start with English (U.K.), then French, Japanese and Spanish (Mexico). As of September 2026, English (U.K.) is indexed in 172 of 175 App Store storefronts and needs no translation (ASO Agency Cross-Localization Explorer). French, Japanese and Spanish (Mexico) lead our composite score among languages any app can ship: 4.00, 3.90 and 3.90 out of 5.
German, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Italian complete Tier 1. Chinese (Simplified) tops the raw score at 4.10, but it's gated. Apple notes that China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires an ICP Filing Number for some apps and a Game Approval Number for games (Apple, App Information, 2026). Can't clear that? Use Chinese (Traditional).
- 92–98% of top-grossing apps in nine large markets support the local language (ASO Agency snapshot, Sep 2026).
- English (U.K.) reaches 172 storefronts, French 32, Spanish (Mexico) 19. Japanese reaches one.
- The U.S. storefront indexes 10 localizations, each with its own keyword field.
- Revenue per install varies 5× by region: $0.55 at day 60 in North America vs. $0.11 in India and Southeast Asia (RevenueCat, 2026).
- Higher English proficiency means fewer localized top grossers (r = −0.56 across 32 markets).
What drives each language's score: the top 12 of 49
How did we score all 50 App Store languages?
Each language gets a 1–5 score on six factors, weighted into one composite. Market size and revenue per install count 20% each; English gap, localized competition, cross-localization reach and cost count 15% each. English (U.S.) is the baseline and isn't scored, which leaves 49 ranked languages of Apple's 50 (Apple Developer News, 2026).
| Factor | Scoring (5 → 1) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Market size (20%) | 5 = China or 100+ storefronts; 4 = App Store top-10 download market or 10+ storefronts; 3 = 40M+ people; 2 = 10–40M; 1 = under 10M | AppTweak, 2025 |
| Revenue per install (20%) | 5 = North America, China, Japan; 4 = Asia-Pacific, Western Europe; 2 = Latin America, Middle East & Africa, rest of world; 1 = India & Southeast Asia | RevenueCat 2026; Sensor Tower |
| English gap (15%) | EF EPI band: very low = 5 … very high = 1 | EF EPI 2025 |
| Localized competition (15%) | Top grossers supporting the language: 90%+ = 5 … under 40% = 1 | ASO Agency snapshot |
| Cross-localization reach (15%) | Storefronts indexing it: 100+ = 5 … one = 1, none = 0 | ASO Agency Explorer |
| Cost, inverted (15%) | 5 = English variant; 4 = Latin script; 3 = other scripts; 2 = right-to-left | Smartling, 2026 |
On September 24, 2026, we pulled the top-100 grossing and top-100 free iPhone apps in 35 storefronts from Apple's iTunes RSS feeds. Then we read each app's supported languages (languageCodesISO2A) from the iTunes Lookup API. Two same-day pulls added French in Canada and Catalan in Spain.
Reach comes from our cross-localization dataset, checked against Apple's own localization table: 175 storefronts, 104 of which index at least one secondary localization.
Two caveats. Country revenue is paywalled, so revenue uses RevenueCat's regional medians for subscription apps, by user location. And the weights are ours, so we stress-tested them. Under equal weights, a revenue-heavy set, a games-style set and a set without reach, French, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified) never left the top four. Spanish (Mexico) stayed there in three of the four.
In which markets is localization table stakes?
In nine big markets, 92–98% of top-grossing iPhone apps support the local language (ASO Agency snapshot, September 24, 2026). France leads at 98%; Japan, Brazil and Spain sit at 97%, Mexico at 96%, Germany at 95%, China mainland and Taiwan at 93%, and South Korea at 92%. There, an English-only app is the odd one out among top earners.
Top-100 grossing iPhone apps that support the local language, Sep 24, 2026
Why does that matter? In 2020, CSA Research's "Can't Read, Won't Buy – B2C" study surveyed 8,709 consumers in 29 countries. Of those, 76% prefer buying with information in their own language, and 40% never buy from websites in other languages (CSA Research, 2020).
It wasn't always this crowded. In August 2012, only 40% of downloads among Brazil's top 200 apps came from apps with Portuguese content (Distimo, 2012). Today, 97% of Brazil's top grossers support Portuguese. The measures differ, but the direction is plain: being the only localized app is no longer an edge.
At the other end, Slovenia (18%), Croatia (27%), Slovakia (29%), Hungary (38%) and the Nordics (44–54%) tolerate English among top grossers. The free charts look different: Czechia's top-free list is 90% Czech-supporting, against 46% for top grossing. Global giants localize everywhere and fill the free charts. Paying users in these markets seem to accept English.
For the table-stakes markets, plan a full localization: metadata and screenshots, not just a keyword field. When you get there, localize your screenshots for the new market with native review.
Which languages multiply your keyword coverage across storefronts?
As of September 2026, English (U.K.) is indexed in 172 of 175 App Store storefronts, French in 32, Spanish (Mexico) in 19 and Arabic in 17. Japanese is indexed in one (ASO Agency Cross-Localization Explorer). On the App Store, a localization isn't a country. It's a keyword field plus visible metadata that can count in many storefronts at once.
The mechanism is cross-localization. Each storefront indexes a primary localization, and many index secondary ones. The U.S. indexes 10: English (U.S.) plus Arabic, both Chinese scripts, French, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Mexico) and Vietnamese. One trade-off: a secondary field is still the visible listing in its home market, so write it for those users.
How many storefronts index each localization
"Which country first?" is the wrong question. One localization can reach dozens of storefronts, and one storefront can index ten localizations. Score the localization by the storefronts it reaches. That's how Spanish (Mexico) beats Spanish (Spain) 19 storefronts to one.
| Choosing between | Pick first | Storefronts indexed |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Mexico) or (Spain) | Spanish (Mexico) | 19 vs. 1 |
| French or French (Canada) | French | 32 vs. 1 |
| Portuguese (Brazil) or (Portugal) | Portuguese (Brazil) | 2 vs. 1 |
| Chinese (Simplified) or (Traditional) | Depends on China access | 3 vs. 4 |
| English (U.K.), (Australia) or (Canada) | English (U.K.) | 172 vs. 2 vs. 1 |
So do English (U.K.) in week one: a second title, subtitle and keyword field, indexed almost everywhere. Treat Spanish (Mexico) and French as market-plus-coverage languages. Then use the Keyword Field Optimizer to pack each locale's 100-character keyword field without duplicate words.
Where does a localized download earn the most?
Outside North America, in Asia-Pacific and Western Europe. RevenueCat's 2026 medians put day-14 revenue per install at $0.28 in Asia-Pacific (Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand) and $0.25 in Western Europe. India and Southeast Asia sit at $0.08 (RevenueCat, 2026). North America leads at $0.38, rising to $0.55 by day 60.
Downloads point to different markets. In AppTweak's count for November 2024 to November 2025, India led both stores combined (19.1B installs) but ranked sixth on the App Store (1.1B) (AppTweak, Dec 2025).
| Region (where users are) | Median RPI, day 14 | Median RPI, day 60 |
|---|---|---|
| North America | $0.38 | $0.55 |
| Asia-Pacific (Japan, Korea, Australia, NZ) | $0.28 | Not published |
| Western Europe | $0.25 | $0.33 |
| Latin America, Middle East & Africa, rest of world | ~$0.10 | Not published |
| India & Southeast Asia | $0.08 | $0.11 |
RevenueCat covers 115,000+ subscription apps, so games sit outside it. On App Store downloads, Japan and Brazil (1.4B each) trail only the U.S. and China, ahead of the U.K., India, Russia, Germany, Vietnam and France (AppTweak).
Spending concentrates differently. In 2025, global in-app purchase revenue hit $167 billion, and U.S. consumers spent nearly $60 billion on apps and games (Sensor Tower, State of Mobile 2026). Sensor Tower's 2024 revenue leaders were the U.S., China and Japan (via GameDevReports). In Japan, iOS carries 66% of app sessions (Adjust data via GameDevReports, Sep 2026).
So rank by revenue per localized download, not population. Russia is seventh on App Store downloads, but it sits in RevenueCat's rest-of-world bucket, and our model can't see payment access there. Either way, size each market before you commit.
What does localizing one language cost, and when does it pay back?
Translating one language's App Store metadata costs roughly $110–$215, by our arithmetic. At Western Europe's $0.33 day-60 revenue per install, up to about 650 extra installs repay it. Translation is the cheap part.
Here's the arithmetic. A full App Store text set at maximum length is about 4,330 characters: name 30, subtitle 30, keywords 100, promotional text 170 and description 4,000 (Apple, 2026). That's roughly 720 words, priced at $0.15–$0.30 per word (Smartling, Sep 2026). The keyword field is 100 characters: App Store Connect Help still says 100 bytes, but saved-string tests show characters are enforced (Apple Developer Forums, 2022; Applyra, 2026). Our App Store keyword field guide has the evidence.
The real costs sit around it: keyword research in each new locale, native review, screenshots and upkeep on every release. That's why budgets run out after two or three languages. Here's what each localization tier really costs.
Localization pays back when incremental installs × revenue per install > one-time cost + upkeep. Every $1,000 of total spend needs about 1,800 extra installs at North America's $0.55 day-60 median, 3,000 at Western Europe's $0.33 and 9,100 at India and Southeast Asia's $0.11. Illustrative arithmetic, not a forecast.
And the famous "+128% downloads"? It comes from Distimo's September 2012 report on around 200 iPhone apps that added the native language that August, comparing one week after with one week before. Downloads rose over 128% and revenue about 26%, while iPad apps saw no significant download growth. Distimo itself wrote that crediting the language alone "is hard to tell." Treat it as direction.
So validate before paying for creative. Localize metadata first, watch that storefront's impressions and conversion, then test localized treatments with Product Page Optimization before commissioning screenshots.
How do all 50 App Store languages rank for localization?
French (4.00), Japanese (3.90) and Spanish (Mexico) (3.90) lead. Eight languages earn a full localization now, and seven are variants you adapt rather than translate. Eight more are growth markets to test with metadata, 16 are opportunistic and 10 are a watch list. English (U.S.) is the baseline. Every score comes from our six-factor model, with inputs as of September 24, 2026 (ASO Agency, 2026).
| Language | Score | Storefronts indexed | Local share of top grossers | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline (1) | ||||
| English (U.S.) | n/a | 2 | 100% | Base listing; also indexed in Japan |
| Tier 1 · Localize fully now (8) | ||||
| French | 4.00 | 32 | 98% | Full; widest reach after English |
| Japanese | 3.90 | 1 | 97% | Full, screenshots included |
| Spanish (Mexico) | 3.90 | 19 | 96% | Full; LatAm + U.S. |
| German | 3.55 | 4 | 95% | Full, despite high English |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | 3.45 | 2 | 97% | Full |
| Korean | 3.35 | 2 | 92% | Full |
| Italian | 3.35 | 2 | 89% | Full |
| Chinese (Simplified)* | 4.10 | 3 | 93% | Only if China access is clear |
| Tier 2 · Variants: adapt, don’t translate (7) | ||||
| English (U.K.) | 3.60 | 172 | n/a | Week one |
| Spanish (Spain) | 3.35 | 1 | 97% | Adapt from Spanish (Mexico) |
| French (Canada) | 3.15 | 1 | 91%† | Adapt from French |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 2.90 | 4 | 93% | Chinese route if China is gated |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | 2.85 | 1 | 94% | Adapt from Brazil |
| English (Canada) | 2.80 | 1 | n/a | Adapt from U.S. |
| English (Australia) | 2.55 | 2 | n/a | Adapt from U.K. |
| Tier 3 · Growth markets, metadata first (8) | ||||
| Arabic | 3.25 | 17 | 82% | Metadata; RTL screenshots later |
| Turkish | 3.10 | 2 | 87% | Metadata first |
| Russian | 3.00 | 3 | 80% | Metadata; check payments |
| Vietnamese | 2.95 | 2 | 78% | Metadata first |
| Indonesian | 2.75 | 1 | 81% | Metadata first |
| Thai | 2.75 | 1 | 84% | Metadata first |
| Dutch | 2.70 | 3 | 59% | Metadata first |
| Hindi | 2.50 | 1 | 47% | Metadata, if India matters |
| Tier 4 · Opportunistic: wait for traffic (16) | ||||
| Swedish | 2.40 | 1 | 54% | Wait for traffic |
| Catalan | 2.35 | 1 | 23%† | Extra keyword field in Spain |
| Ukrainian | 2.30 | 2 | 40% | Wait for traffic |
| Danish | 2.20 | 1 | 47% | Wait for traffic |
| Norwegian | 2.20 | 1 | 48% | Wait for traffic |
| Finnish | 2.20 | 1 | 44% | Wait for traffic |
| Polish | 2.15 | 1 | 71% | Best of Central Europe |
| Czech | 2.15 | 1 | 46% | Wait for traffic |
| Croatian | 2.15 | 4 | 27% | Four Balkan storefronts |
| Hebrew | 2.00 | 1 | 40% | Wait for traffic |
| Romanian | 2.00 | 1 | 42% | Wait for traffic |
| Greek | 2.00 | 2 | 35% | Wait for traffic |
| Malay | 1.95 | 1 | 47% | Wait for traffic |
| Slovenian | 1.95 | 1 | 18% | Wait for traffic |
| Hungarian | 1.80 | 1 | 38% | Wait for traffic |
| Slovak | 1.65 | 1 | 29% | Wait for traffic |
| Tier 5 · Watch list: India’s new languages (10) | ||||
| Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu | 1.95 | 1 (Urdu: 2) | 3–23% | Test one if India is core |
* Gated by China mainland requirements. Local share is measured in each language's main storefront (Arabic: Saudi Arabia). † Same-day pulls: French (any variant) among Canada's top grossers; Catalan among Spain's.
Re-weight it for your app: subscription apps should raise revenue, games should raise market size and localized competition. Or let our app localization service build the list from your own App Store Connect data.
What about the 11 languages Apple added in 2026?
Treat them as a watch list, not a launch list. On March 31, 2026, Apple added Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Slovenian, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, "especially" to reach India (Apple Developer News, 2026). Apple's App Store localizations table now lists all 10 South Asian languages for India, and Urdu for Pakistan too. Whether each one is actually search-indexed there hasn't been confirmed by public ranking tests yet.
That gives India 12 listed localizations, more than any other storefront: English (U.K.) as the default, plus Hindi and the 10 new languages. Listed isn't proven, so check whether a new locale actually ranks after an update, and treat it as a conversion test until it does.
India is also the most English-tolerant big market in our sample. Only 47% of its top grossers support Hindi, 18% are English-only, and support for the new languages runs from 3% (Odia) to 23% (Bangla). Yet Apple's shipment share there hit a record 9% in 2025, about 14 million iPhones (Counterpoint via TechCrunch, 2026).
The second surprise: proficiency predicts English tolerance only on average. Germany ranks 4th of 123 on the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 (score 615), yet 95% of its top grossers support German. Portugal, 6th, sits at 94% (EF EPI 2025). And the link shows only in grossing charts. For top-free apps, r = −0.11.
English proficiency vs. localized top grossers, 32 markets
How should you sequence localization over 12 months?
Go deep before wide: one market at a time, validated before you add the next. English (U.K.) goes first because it reaches 172 storefronts for the cost of an edit (ASO Agency Cross-Localization Explorer, 2026). Here's our default sequence for a U.S.-first app:
- Week 1: English (U.K.) metadata.
- Months 1–3: two Tier 1 languages, chosen by your own App Store Connect impressions and conversion gap. Metadata first, then localized test treatments.
- Months 3–6: full screenshots for the market that won.
- Months 6–12: custom product pages for each new market, then sibling variants such as Spanish (Spain) and French (Canada).
When your own data disagrees with the score, your data wins. The override is existing traffic × conversion gap ÷ localization effort. A market already sending impressions that convert poorly beats a higher-scoring market you've never seen.
Business model shifts the mix. Subscription apps should weight revenue per install. Games should weight market size and table stakes, which pulls Japanese, Korean and Chinese earlier. India-first apps should ship Hindi and English (U.K.) now, then test one South Asian language.
What are the limits of this ranking?
Five limits matter. languageCodesISO2A lists the languages in an app's binary, not its store metadata, so localized competition is a proxy. The charts are one day's top 100: a second India pull later the same day moved Hindi support from 47% to 48% and English-only apps from 18% to 15%. Revenue uses regional medians for subscription apps. The cross-localization map follows Apple's localization table, but Apple doesn't document which listed localizations are search-indexed. The weights are editorial.
Two questions stay open: do the new Indic locales index in India, and what does metadata-only localization lift in 2026?
Frequently asked questions
What language should I localize my app into first?
For most U.S.-first apps, English (U.K.). It needs no translation and is indexed in 172 of 175 storefronts (ASO Agency Cross-Localization Explorer, 2026). Then pick French, Japanese or Spanish (Mexico), whichever your own traffic favors: 96–98% of top-grossing apps in those markets support the local language (ASO Agency snapshot, September 2026).
How many languages does the App Store support?
Fifty localizations as of March 31, 2026, when Apple added Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Slovenian, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu to App Store Connect (Apple Developer News, 2026). Apple says the App Store serves 175 countries and regions (Apple Newsroom, June 2026).
Is app localization worth it?
Usually, for metadata. A full text set is about 720 words, roughly $110–$215 at $0.15–$0.30 per word (Smartling, 2026). At Western Europe's $0.33 median day-60 revenue per install (RevenueCat, 2026), about 650 extra installs repay it. The famous +128% download lift comes from a one-week 2012 Distimo study, so treat it as directional.
Should I use Spanish (Mexico) or Spanish (Spain)?
Spanish (Mexico) first. It's the primary localization in 16 storefronts and a secondary in three more, including the U.S.: 19 in total, against one for Spanish (Spain) (ASO Agency Cross-Localization Explorer, 2026). Adapt a Spain version from it later, since 97% of Spain's top-grossing apps support Spanish.
Should I localize into the new Indian languages?
Not first, unless India is your core market. Apple's localization table now lists all 10 for India (and Urdu for Pakistan), but no public test has yet confirmed that each one is search-indexed. Only 47% of India's top-grossing iPhone apps support Hindi (ASO Agency snapshot, September 2026). Start with Hindi and English (U.K.), then test one new language and check rankings.
How was this ranking built, and can I cite it?
Six weighted factors: market size, revenue per install, English gap, localized competition, cross-localization reach and cost, using AppTweak, RevenueCat, EF EPI 2025 and our own September 24, 2026 data. Yes, cite it as: ASO Agency, "Which Languages Should You Localize Your App Into First?", asoagency.io, September 24, 2026.
The bottom line
- Score localizations, not countries: one can count in up to 172 storefronts.
- Week one: English (U.K.), no translation needed.
- Tier 1: French, Japanese, Spanish (Mexico), German, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Italian, plus Chinese (Simplified) if you can clear China's requirements.
- Economics: revenue per install differs 5× by region, and translation is the cheap part.
Look up your top storefronts in the free Cross-Localization Explorer. For a scored market list built from your own App Store Connect data, book a free 30-minute call or start with the fixed-price ASO audit.
