Southeast Asia App Search Demand 2026: Indonesia vs Vietnam vs Thailand (Real Data)
Last updated: 2026-08-20 · Original data: FoxData API search index snapshot
The 3-country search demand ranking
Indonesia leads Southeast Asia's app search demand in shopping and video; Vietnam leads in games. Based on the App Store search index (2026-08-20): game demand is highest in Vietnam (79), while Indonesia dominates shopping (56) and video (70) — Thailand trails in all three categories.
Full data: search index by country
| Keyword | Indonesia | Vietnam | Thailand | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| game | 76 | 79 | 72 | Vietnam |
| video | 70 | 53 | 49 | Indonesia |
| shopping | 56 | 47 | 45 | Indonesia |
| finance | 51 | 47 | 46 | Indonesia |
Search index = relative popularity of a keyword in the App Store, 0-100 scale. Source: FoxData API, 2026-08-20.
What this means for market entry
1. Indonesia = commerce + content consumption
Indonesia out-searches both neighbors in shopping (+9-11 pts) and video (+17-21 pts). For e-commerce and streaming apps, Indonesia's search demand is the strongest entry signal in SEA — consistent with its population scale and mobile-first commerce adoption.
2. Vietnam = gaming demand champion
Game search index 79 is the single highest reading in the dataset. Vietnam's younger demographic profile and strong esports culture make it the natural first market for gaming UA testing.
3. Thailand = the balanced, competitive market
Thailand shows steady demand across all categories (45-72) without leading any — a mature, competitive market where keyword coverage (not demand alone) decides winners. As shown in earlier parts of this series, Temu's 16,843-keyword coverage vs Shopee's 7,403 is a leading indicator there.
Methodology
- Data: FoxData API search index endpoint, snapshot 2026-08-20
- Scope: App Store (iOS), generic keywords, all categories
- Interpretation: index values are relative; compare across rows, not against absolute benchmarks
- Update cadence: run the same query weekly for trend tracking
import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://api.foxdata.com/apiv1/open-api/app/search-index-ranking",
json={"regions": ["ID", "VN", "TH"], "keywords": ["game", "shopping", "video", "finance"], "store": "AS"},
headers={"x-openapi-key": "<YOUR_LICENSE>"},
)
print(r.json()["data"]["result"])
FAQ
Which SEA country has the highest app search demand?
By category: Indonesia leads in shopping and video; Vietnam leads in games; Thailand leads in none but competes across all. For commerce apps, Indonesia (shopping index 56) is the strongest entry signal.
Is Indonesia a good market for video apps?
Yes — the video search index (70) is the highest category-country pair in this dataset, 17 points above Vietnam and 21 above Thailand.
How do I track app search demand changes?
Run a search-index query weekly per region and log to a sheet. One API call per week per keyword set is enough to catch demand shifts before they're visible in download charts.
What is a "search index" in app market data?
A normalized 0-100 measure of how often users search a keyword in the App Store within a region. It lets you compare demand across countries and categories on a common scale.
Discussion
Which market surprised you in this data? If you're running apps in SEA, does the demand picture match your acquisition experience? Comment below — I read every one.
Questions or collaboration? Reach me at benzhang568858050@gmail.com.
Source: FoxData API search index snapshot, 2026-08-20. Get API access at foxdata.com/en/app-data-api.
