The question “Which app intelligence platform is best?” is missing its most useful word: for.
For a small studio improving its own app, analytics and store optimization may matter most. For a team examining markets or acquisition strategies, broader intelligence and consistent historical data may matter more. Appfigures and Sensor Tower both operate across app intelligence, but their product packaging should be evaluated against your actual job.
Their public sites describe broad capabilities. That is a starting point for a shortlist, not evidence that the exact data, country or workflow you need is available at a price you can justify.
Make a sample report before a purchase
Sketch the report you want to produce every month. Name the apps, countries, periods and metrics. Include the decisions the report should support. Then ask each product to supply enough sample access or documentation to judge that task.
Pay particular attention to definitions. An own-app analytics connection and a competitor estimate do not have the same provenance. Missing history and zero activity are not interchangeable. A revision to an estimate can change a chart without a corresponding change in the underlying business.
Examine the operating fit
Who will maintain the report? Can they export what they need? Are API access and redistribution included? How will they explain uncertainty to colleagues who see only the finished chart?
For a small studio, the best purchase may be a narrower package or no new subscription yet. For a repeated, important research process, paying for appropriate coverage and support may be sensible.
Bring your report to the evaluation. Otherwise you may leave with a very capable tool and a new weekly responsibility you never intended to hire.