Which App Store Languages Should You Localize To First? (Data-Driven Picks)

App Store has 39 storefronts in 28 distinct languages. Trying to localize everything before you have install data is expensive (per-shot cost compounds) and usually wrong (the wrong markets for your category).

Below is the actual revenue distribution + category-specific advice on order. Pick 3-5 from the top of the relevant list, ship them, and use App Store Connect data to add more later.

The global App Store revenue distribution (2026)

Apple's annual ecosystem report puts global App Store gross revenue at ~$110B. Per-country share:

1. United States — 28% of global revenue (English)
2. China — 24% (Simplified Chinese)
3. Japan — 11% (Japanese)
4. Germany — 4.5% (German)
5. United Kingdom — 4% (English, already covered by US)
6. France — 3.5% (French)
7. South Korea — 3% (Korean)
8. Canada — 2.5% (English/French — already covered)
9. Australia — 2% (English)
10. Russia — 1.5% (Russian)

Default starter pack (any category)

If you have no install data yet, ship in this order:

1. English (US) — your base, 28% of revenue
2. Japanese — 11%, English-dependent users hate English UIs (huge install rate gap)
3. German — 4.5%, conservative buyers who especially demand localized UI
4. French — 3.5%, similar to German
5. Simplified Chinese — 24%, BUT comes with regulatory complexity (see below)

China: yes-but-actually-no

China is 24% of revenue and the obvious second pick. But:

• ICP filing required for any app distributed in China since 2024
• Apple's review for China-distributed apps is 2-3× longer + stricter
• Censorship review covers content, not just the app — your screenshots can't show banned imagery
• VPN / messaging / productivity apps frequently rejected outright

If your app fits China (consumer / utility / fitness) — ship Simplified Chinese. If it's enterprise / dev tools / anything sensitive — skip until you have a China-specialist legal advisor.

Category-specific picks

Productivity / SaaS

Top-converting locales: English, German, Japanese, French, Spanish. Skip China — productivity apps face heavy review there. Skip Korean unless your app fits the Naver / Kakao ecosystem.

Fitness / Health

English, German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil). Heavy demand in EU and Latin America. Add Russian if your app handles Cyrillic content well.

Finance

English, German, French, Japanese, Korean. Skip China (regulatory). Skip Russian (Western payment ecosystem incompatible). Currency display localization is critical here — not just text.

Entertainment / Games

English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish. Asia-Pacific dominates gaming spend. Add Portuguese (Brazil) and Russian if your game has casual mass-market appeal.

Education / Kids

English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian. Education apps overweight EU + Latin America. Skip Asia unless your content is universal (math, music).

Creator / Photo / Video

English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese. Creator economy is global; Asia + Latin America are accelerating fastest in 2026.

When to expand beyond 5

Once you have 60-90 days of install data:

1. App Store Connect → Analytics → Sources → Country breakdown
2. Look at TWO metrics: Impressions (where you appear in search) AND Conversion Rate (where you convert)
3. If a non-localized country has high impressions but low conversion (1-2%) → localize next. The visibility is there; the language barrier is killing conversion
4. If a localized country has high conversion (6%+) → consider doubling down with App Store Search Ads in that locale
5. If a country has low impressions AND low conversion → not your audience, deprioritize

What to actually localize

Each locale costs you something to maintain. Prioritize what moves install rate, not what's easy:

• MUST localize: app name (where allowed), subtitle, screenshot headlines, in-phone UI text, keywords
• SHOULD localize: app description first paragraph, what's-new release notes
• DON'T BOTHER (yet): full description body — most users never read it

Cost math by approach

5-shot launch into 5 locales:

• Hire human translators per shot: $250-750 (DeepL Pro + freelancer)
• Stock screenshot tool with translation add-on: $20-50 extra/locale = $100-250
• ASOshots Indie ($29/mo): all 32 locales available, your 60-shot/mo budget covers 5 locales × 4 shots × 2 quality tiers = 40 shots, $0 marginal

Per-locale cost compounding is why most indie devs ship English-only — and why ASOshots was built around AI hook generation + auto-localization at the same per-shot price.

Action plan: what to do tomorrow

1. If you have NO install data: ship English + Japanese + German + Spanish + Portuguese (Brazil). Five locales covers ~50% of revenue.
2. If you HAVE install data: open App Store Connect → Sources → Country, find the top 5 by impressions, localize those.
3. Re-evaluate every 90 days. The right 5 in month 1 won't be the right 5 in month 12.