Who We Are

AppGrooves was co-founded in 2011 by Niren Hiro (former CEO at Crowdstar, former VP at Admob) and Naoki Shibata (former Computer Science researcher at Stanford University, former Executive Officer at Rakuten).

We offer AppGrooves, consumer-facing app discovery media, as well as SearchMan, the leading App Analytics Data & Technology company with over 100,000 companies actively using our solutions to help them succeed in the App economy.

Our investors include 500 Startups, Digital Garage, and several internet luminaries whose experience includes Disney, Google, Yahoo, Gree, Ricoh, Hatena, and Rakuten.

What We Do & Why We Do It

At AppGrooves, we collect, review, and rank the best apps on the market, so you don't have to. Our data-driven algorithm combined with editorial content make your app discovery process easier on every level. Find exactly what you want when you want it without wading through tons of information you don’t need.

Surprisingly enough, many people don’t realize just how many things can be done with apps! Consider us a best-of list for improving your everyday life. Finding the best educational apps for your kids, manage your day-to-day grocery shopping, instantly discover your perfect dinner menu, track your daily exercise routine and progress, keep your favorite reading list on your phone, make your selfies even more beautiful, and so much more. The possibilities are endless!

With more than 7 million apps in existence, it can be extremely hard to find the apps that best match your wants and needs in the App Store and Google Play Store. That’s where we come in! We are committed to help our readers find the best apps, no matter the genre. Between our comprehensive Best 10 app rankings in over 600 categories, our weekly digest of trending apps called The Weekly App Authority, and our extensive library of helpful articles, you’ll find content here unlike anywhere else online.

• 2011

  Founded

• 11

  Active Contributors

• 10,968

  Apps Reviewed

• 1,170

  Total Articles

How & Why We Are Better

AppGrooves is not just another app review site. We recommend only the apps and games we truly believe to be the best!

How can I trust AppGrooves?

Here is our process:

First, we built an algorithm to analyze the 7 million apps in the App Store and Google Play Store databases. Our algorithm, combined with Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning, understands what each app can do, which apps are trending, and why users love or hate each app by analyzing user reviews, number of downloads, ratings, and more.

Since 2012, we have also provided SearchMan, an analytics service for app developers. The data and technology we gather and build with SearchMan makes it possible to run big data analysis at scale. This means that, unlike other sites, we can bring you a lot more information at significantly faster, more efficient speeds.

Second, our editorial team reviews each app and decides whether it should be featured in our best 10 rankings. This team also writes reviews and articles for apps to match readers’ demands. Our editorial team is independent; we make decisions based on our data and the quality of each app, not by the requests of app developers or advertisers.

In other words, our data-driven algorithm filters only the best apps (apps with 4-stars or more and a significant number of positive reviews) and our editorial team digs deeper into each app to make your app discovery experience much easier!

Editorial Guidelines

We have more than 100 pages in our internal editorial guidelines, but here are the basics:

1. Focus on how apps & games can improve the user’s life. We’re not just listing features of each app or game. These apps should meet and exceed the user’s wants and needs.
2. Feature only high quality apps & games. When we review an app or write an article, we include only the best apps. These are apps with 4-stars or more and a significant number of positive reviews.
3. Avoid medical, financial or legal advice. We are passionate about apps and games, so we feature apps and games we deeply love. We will not offer any advice in the medical, financial, or legal domains, as this requires a variety of expertises and licensing. We will not give you advice we cannot fully stand behind.
4. Peer-review process. App reviews and articles will not be published unless reviewed by 2 or more of our experienced editors. This peer-review system is commonly used in academic journals and guarantees the quality of our content.
5. Total transparency. We try to describe why and how we choose featured apps and games as much as possible, which requires lots of investment in our technology and dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of hours dedicated by our editorial team.

Can’t I find all of this in the App Store or Google Play Store?

Think of it this way: if the App Store and Google Play Store are the Amazon of apps, AppGrooves acts as the ConsumerReports or Wirecutter of the mobile apps world.

App Store and Google Play Store have only 50 categories, which makes it hard for you to find all the best apps and games you want and need unless you are well-versed in each and every brand. AppGrooves provides 600 categories as well as enables you to filter apps by your desired feature(s).

If you have previously checked the rankings of the App Store and Google Play Store, you already know most downloaded apps, or apps with larger sales, may not be the best apps for you in many cases. And, unfortunately, sometimes these rankings can be cheated by app developers and advertisers. Our best 10 rankings are built to offer you only the best apps or games with absolutely zero interference from outside sources.

App Store and Google Play Store also have a very limited amount of editorial reviews, which makes it nearly impossible for you to make an informed decision unless you read hundreds of reviews by users. We write reviews for apps in the form of 3 easy-to-read bullet points as well as comprehensive articles to make your decision easier.

Are the apps & games listed in AppGrooves safe to use?

We only list apps and games listed in the App Store and Google Play Store. This means that all apps and games on our site have been reviewed and verified by Apple and/or Google.

How does AppGrooves make money?

Currently we do NOT make any money. When we get big enough, we may run ads. When we do, we will make it clear that what you’re seeing is an ad. The most important thing to us is the trust we have from readers! If we were to recommend something because of bias, laziness, or greed, readers like you wouldn’t support our work.