A name whose site shut down a year ago is still being searched: SeatGuru changed hands on the App Store, but it hasn't made much money
What it is A flight seat-map app: enter a flight number to see each row's legroom, whether the seats recline, and which are next to the restroom. It uses the defunct brand name SeatGuru directly.
Why it took off The original SeatGuru shut down in October 2025, but many people still search the name. The app took the empty name slot in the store, then localized its subtitle by country. Travel Top Grossing charts in small countries have a low bar: one or two sales is enough to chart, and it hasn't sold much.
CHow you could follow it Don't chase the seat-map niche. Copy the keyword method instead: find products that were shut down or delisted but are still searched, then use a generic term plus "alternative" in store search and multilingual subtitles, and make sure the function is genuinely better than the alternatives.
- Data (updated daily) · launched 2026-10-23 · US store rating 3 · charted in 11-08 of 18 stores
iOS · best category chart rank · by store US storeAustraliaUKData 2026-10-31 → 2026-11-08 (9 days, 9 observations). Lower rank is higher; gaps mean it wasn't charted that dayiOS · rating count · US store Data 2026-11-01 → 2026-11-08 (8 days, 8 observations). Apple doesn't publish download counts; rating growth is a proxy for downloads.
The flight seat-map website SeatGuru, which ran for 24 years, shut down in late October 2025. A year later, a small London AI music-tools studio put a seat-map app up under that name. Searching "seatguru" on the App Store now puts it first, and it has reached the Travel Top Grossing charts in 14 countries. Yet only 2 people worldwide have rated it, averaging 1.5 stars. This piece covers what it borrowed, why the charts look good but don't prove it makes money, and which parts of this playbook you can use.
A website shut down, but people still search for it
On 2025 Oct 31, TripAdvisor shut down SeatGuru, and the URL redirected to the TripAdvisor homepage. The site had been the frequent flyer's seat tool since 2001: enter a flight number to see which rows have room to stretch, which seats don't recline, and which rows sit by the restroom. On the day it closed, someone posted "Seat Guru is officially gone" on Reddit r/Flights, and One Mile at a Time, LoyaltyLobby, The Points Guy, and NerdWallet all wrote tributes and "alternatives lists."
People didn't stop searching just because the site closed. As of Oct 2026, sites still publish Q&A like "Does SeatGuru still work?" and "How to look up a flight number on SeatGuru," and in Oct 16 travel blogs were still writing SeatGuru tutorials. On TikTok, an old video tagged #seatguru has 1.31M views, another 630K.
The original SeatGuru app had long been delisted, so the name sat unused on the App Store.
Who took the name
On 2026 Oct 23, "SeatGuru: Flight Seat Maps" went live on the App Store. The developer is Music AI Studio Ltd, a small London studio whose main product is Stem Split, an AI track-separation app (1400 US ratings, charting in the Music Top Grossing lists of dozens of countries).
The developer has 8 apps, and the strategy is to use Stem Split's revenue to fund a batch of small tools whose names are the search terms: CleanTok (cleaning up TikTok reposts), PokeAlert (Pokémon card restock alerts), Cutie Maps (pink maps, launched Oct 20), and then SeatGuru (Oct 23). Each targets a term people are already searching, and each has a paywall offering weekly, annual, and lifetime plans.
The app itself is a standard seat-map tool: enter a flight number or scan a boarding pass to see the aircraft type, then a row-by-row list of legroom, seat width, recline, power and Wi-Fi, flagging rows with no window and rows next to the restroom and galley, scoring each seat with reasons, and working offline. The only thing it adds over the old SeatGuru is "which side of the plane gets the sun." The description's last line, "Flying somewhere we don't cover yet? Tell us," suggests the airline and aircraft coverage is still incomplete.
Pricing: free to download, Pro weekly $4.99, annual $29.99 (3-day trial), lifetime $19.99. Lifetime costs less than the annual plan.
Where its users come from: search the brand name, then rename it per country
On Nov 6, a search for "seatguru" on the US App Store put it first, with two other seat-map apps in second and third: SeatMap: Flight Seat Info (7 ratings) and AeroLOPA (3 ratings).
It also changed the subtitle in each country, writing "aircraft seat map" in the local language: Portugal gets "SeatGuru: Mapa de lugares," Austria and Germany get "SeatGuru: Sitzplan Flugzeug," Brazil "Mapa de assentos," Spain "Mapa de asientos." Its two best rankings are in the localized countries: Portugal (Travel Top Grossing #15) and Austria (#22).
No other source turns up. Searching TikTok for "seatguru app" returns only videos about the old website, none about this app. Nobody on X has mentioned it in the past month. The developer's website promotes only Stem Split, and SeatGuru's page is 404. Roundups of "SeatGuru alternatives" don't list it. Its users are probably limited to people searching the brand name in the store (inferred).
The charts look good, but sales are small
Looking only at the charts, it seems to be climbing: it has charted in 10-31 in 3 country, 11-02 in 9, and 11-06 in 14 (App Store charts). But all of these are Travel category Top Grossing charts, and it has never reached an overall chart in any country.
The ranking pattern is "jump up, then drop over a few days": Austria went #10-31 to #24,11-05, fell to #149,11-06, then climbed back to #22; New Zealand #10-31, #15,11-03, #64,11-04, then back to #15; India #11-02, #18,11-06, #101. This looks like someone bought a batch that pushed it up, not steady daily sales. On a small country's Travel Top Grossing chart, one $19.99 lifetime or $4.99 weekly sale is enough to reach the top 50.
Similar apps show the same pattern: AeroLOPA has only 4 ratings in the UK but ranks #53 on Travel Top Grossing; SeatMap: Flight Seat Info ranks #3 in Senegal and #18 in New Zealand with only single-digit ratings. In small-country grossing charts, a position says nothing about revenue in this category.
It has only 2 ratings worldwide, 11-03 from one US user and 11-06 from another, averaging 1.5 stars with no written reviews. Estimated lifetime in-app purchases are only a few dozen (estimate, not verified). On the same developer's Stem Split, reviews repeatedly complain that "nothing works without paying," and SeatGuru's low ratings are probably also a paywall that appears too early (inferred).
Who it's competing with
After SeatGuru shut down, the niche filled up right away:
| Competitors | Where | What the new SeatGuru app has over the competition |
|---|---|---|
| AeroLOPA | A website for years, an iOS app launched 2026-08 | The widely recognized top alternative, with cabin maps drawn to scale, recommended by every list |
| SeatMaps.com | Web | 740 airlines, 3299 aircraft types, free |
| SeatMap: Flight Seat Info | iOS, listed 2026-06 | A small developer tool with almost the same playbook, launched 4 months earlier, charted in Travel Top Grossing in 36 countries |
| Planepoints | iOS, listed 2025-11 | Real-time seat availability |
| ExpertFlyer, SeatMaestro, AwardFares, and others | Web | Live seat data or a frequent-flyer ecosystem |
| Airline apps and Google Flights built-in seat maps | Shown while booking | Free, real-time, most accurate |
| SkyWindow: Window Seat Views | iOS, listed 2026-10-29 | Only covers "which side has the window view and which gets the sun," which overlaps with its only new feature |
None of its features are things other apps lack. The only thing it has that others don't is the name.
How long the name will last
The "SeatGuru" trademark most likely still belongs to TripAdvisor (not verified). One complaint from the trademark holder to Apple could get the app renamed or delisted, and then its only traffic source is gone. So this is fast traffic that could vanish at any time.
If it were you
One-line verdict: the app itself isn't worth following. The seat-map niche is already crowded, free alternatives abound, and it hasn't made much money. What's worth learning is the name-finding method: after a well-known product shuts down or is delisted, people still search its name, but the spot in the store is empty.
Who it suits: individuals or small teams that already have a ready-made paywall and publishing pipeline and can ship several small tools a month. Music AI Studio is like this: if one name doesn't stick, it's no loss.
Who it doesn't suit: people who want a long-term product that grows through word of mouth. A borrowed name can't hold retention, and it can be taken back at any time.
How to do it:
- Look for "dead but still searched" names: tools big companies dropped, apps shut down after an acquisition, delisted old apps. The test is simple: after the shutdown, people still write "Does X still work?" and "X alternatives," and there's a pile of old content about it on Google or TikTok.
- Don't use someone else's registered trademark as your app name. Use a generic term plus a description ("seat map," "Seat Map") to catch the search, and put "X alternative" in the subtitle and keywords. That's more stable than taking the name outright.
- Copy its localization: write the subtitle in the local language for each country. Its best rankings came in Portugal and Austria, where it changed the name.
- Features have to be noticeably better than the alternatives. A name alone won't keep people around; this one has a 1.5-star rating.
How it gets users: mostly App Store search. Brand term plus a local-language category term, and it shows up once in "XX alternatives" articles and Reddit threads.
When to be early: the first year or two after the original shut down, while search volume is still there and the store slot is still open. After that, searchers scatter to the alternatives. The term SeatGuru is already taken now, so grabbing it later is too late.
What would mean we got it wrong: if it's asked to rename or is pulled within 3 months, the brand-name-squatting route is dead and it has to fall back to generic terms. If its rating stays in single digits and its chart rank keeps bouncing up and down, the dead brand's search volume can't support a paid app. On the other hand, if its US and UK ratings steadily climb into the dozens or hundreds, the term is pulling more traffic than estimated, and it's worth hunting for the next name like this.
Research notes: competitor table, acquisition evidence, full research report
- Competitors
Name Where Launched Scale How it differs from this one AeroLOPA Web Web for years; iOS App 2026-08-26 Top alternative after SeatGuru shut down, endorsed by the SeatGuru founder; UK App 4 ratings, Travel Top Grossing #53 Has real data accumulated and backing; this app only took over the SeatGuru name SeatMaps.com Web Years 740 airlines, 3299 aircraft types with seat maps Far broader coverage, free web version SeatMap: Flight Seat Info (TravelScript) iOS 2026-06-23 Charted in Travel Top Grossing in 36 storefront, best #3 (Senegal), single-digit ratings Also a paid seat-map tool from a small developer, but uses a generic name and doesn't ride a brand Planepoints - Live Seat Maps iOS 2025-11-27 Charted in 17 storefront, UK 15 ratings Focuses on live seat availability; this app focuses on static cabin maps and seat ratings ExpertFlyer / SeatLink / SeatMaestro / SeatCompare.ai / AwardFares seat maps Web Years / since 2025 Recommended in alternative lists from The Points Guy, AwardFares, and others Web tools with live seat data or frequent-flyer ecosystems Airline apps / Google Flights built-in seat maps Big-company features Always present Covers every booking customer Free, live; this app only adds ratings, rating reasons, and the sun-side view SkyWindow: Window Seat Views (BinSoft) iOS 2026-10-29 Just launched Only does window views / sun seats, overlapping this app's sun-side feature - Where users come from
- Inference App store search: squatting the dead brand term SeatGuru: SeatGuru 2025-10-31 shut down (per Wikipedia, One Mile at a Time, The Points Guy), but 2026-10 searches and Q&A pages for "how to use SeatGuru" are still everywhere online; this app is the only App Store listing with SeatGuru in its title
- Confirmed Localized-title ASO: Portugal "SeatGuru: Mapa de lugares", Austria "Sitzplan Flugzeug", Brazil "Mapa de assentos", Spain "Mapa de asientos". The best ranks came in the renamed Portugal (15) and Austria (22) storefronts (appstore library app_profile).
- Inferred Ads / creators / media / social: TikTok search results are all videos about the old website. x-radar found no mentions in 30 days. Official site /seatguru/ is 404. No ads, creator deals, or press coverage found.
SeatGuru: Flight Seat Maps (iOS 6824291797) research report
Date: 2026-11-06. Data sources: our appstore library (agent-im server, app_profile / app_day / review, 2026-10-31 to 11-06), Apple lookup API and store pages, Jina/Exa web search, TikHub TikTok search, x-radar.
One line
A small London studio, Music AI Studio Ltd (its main product is the AI stem-splitting app Stem Split), listed this flight seat-map app on 2026-10-23, directly using a famous brand name that's already dead: "SeatGuru". The original SeatGuru (owned by TripAdvisor, operating for about 25 years) 2025-10-31 shut down. Based on current data, it hasn't really "taken off": globally it has only 2 ratings (US, average 1.5). Its chart positions all come from Travel Top Grossing charts in small countries, where the bar is low and a handful of in-app purchases can get it charted.
1. What the data actually shows
- Ratings: US 2 (11-03 #1, 11-06 #2), average 1.5; all other storefronts 0 (appstore library app_day; Apple lookup 11-06).
- Charting: only in the Travel category Top Grossing chart, never the overall chart. Number of countries charted: 10-31 is 3, 11-06 is 14 (data card).
- How the ranks move: the classic "one purchase jumps it up, then it slides over the next few days." For example, Austria 10-31 #24 → 11-05 #149 → 11-06 back to #22; New Zealand 10-31 #15 → 11-03 #64 → 11-04 #15; India 11-02 #18 → 11-06 #101 (appstore library app_day). In every storefront, a single purchase every few days pushes it up. It's not selling consistently.
- Pricing: free to download, Pro has three tiers: weekly $4.99, annual $29.99 (3-day trial), and lifetime $19.99 (US store page). The lifetime tier is cheaper than the annual one. In small countries, selling one lifetime or weekly purchase is enough to climb into the top 50 of Travel Top Grossing.
- Comparison: legitimate competitors look the same. The official AeroLOPA app has only 4 ratings in the UK, yet ranks #53 in Travel Top Grossing. SeatMap: Flight Seat Info ranks #3 in Senegal and #18 in New Zealand, with 0–1 ratings (appstore library app_profile, 11-06). So seat-map apps in small-country top-grossing charts say almost nothing about how much revenue they make.
- Verdict: the recall scoring treats "charting in 14" as a growth signal, but it's actually low-bar category charts plus per-country localized names for ASO creating the illusion. Estimated global lifetime in-app purchases: only a few dozen, unverified.
2. Why it took off: timing and riding the name
- Brand vacuum: SeatGuru shut down 2025-10-31, and its URL redirects to TripAdvisor (Wikipedia "SeatGuru" entry; One Mile at a Time, "End Of An Era: SeatGuru Officially Shuts Down"; Reddit r/Flights "Seat Guru is officially gone"; The Points Guy, "SeatGuru is dead: Here are the best alternatives"). A year after the shutdown, plenty of people still search the term: 2026-10 citizendailypost still has Q&A pages like "Is SeatGuru no longer available?" and "How to use SeatGuru?", and Mighty Travels 2026-10-16 still publishes "SeatGuru flight number check" (Exa search). On TikTok, old #seatguru videos get high views, e.g. one from abbie.cheeseman at 1.31M and one from pointsbyj at 630K (TikHub).
- The SeatGuru name is open in the App Store: the original app is delisted, so this app uses SeatGuru as its title and catches people searching "seatguru" in the store. Titles are also localized per language for local ASO: Portugal "SeatGuru: Mapa de lugares", Austria/Germany "SeatGuru: Sitzplan Flugzeug", Brazil "Mapa de assentos", Spain "Mapa de asientos" (appstore library app_profile). The best-performing storefronts, Portugal (#15) and Austria (#22), are exactly the ones with localized names.
- Where the traffic came from: no evidence found of ads, creators, press coverage, or X discussion. A TikTok search for "seatguru app" returns only videos about the old website, none about this new app. x-radar found nothing relevant in 30 days. The developer's site musicaistudio.app only promotes Stem Split, and the /seatguru/ page is 404, with only terms and privacy pages. Users most likely came from organic store searches for the brand term. This is an inference.
- Why people stay or pay: no evidence. The 2 ratings average 1.5, which suggests early users were unhappy, though the review text wasn't collected. The description says "Flying somewhere we don't cover yet? Tell us," which suggests limited aircraft and airline coverage.
3. Competitors (the space is crowded since SeatGuru shut down)
| Competitors | Platform | Launched | Scale | How it differs from this one |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroLOPA (web + app) | Web / iOS | Web for years; app 2026-08-26 | Top alternative; claims endorsement from the SeatGuru founder and draws seat maps to scale. App has few ratings (UK 4) | AeroLOPA has real data accumulated and backing; this app only took the name |
| SeatMaps.com | Web | Years | 740 airlines, 3299 aircraft types with seat maps | Coverage far exceeds this app |
| SeatMap: Flight Seat Info(TravelScript) | iOS | 2026-06-23 | Charted in Travel Top Grossing in 36 storefronts, best #3 (sn) | Also a tool from a small developer with nearly the same approach, 4 months earlier |
| Planepoints - Live Seat Maps | iOS | 2025-11-27 | Charted in 17 storefront, UK 15 ratings | Focuses on live seat availability; this app focuses on static cabin maps, seat ratings, and the sun-side view |
| ExpertFlyer, SeatLink, SeatMaestro, SeatCompare.ai, AwardFares seat maps | Web | Years / since 2025 | Recommended in alternative lists from The Points Guy, AwardFares, and others | Web tools with live seat data or frequent-flyer ecosystems |
| Airline apps / Google Flights built-in seat maps | Big-company features | Always present | Covers every booking customer | Free, most accurate data; this app only adds ratings and rating reasons |
| SkyWindow: Window Seat Views(BinSoft) | iOS | 2026-10-29 | Just launched | Only covers "which side has window views / sun", overlapping this app's sun-side feature |
4. Differentiation
- Features: draws cabin maps per aircraft, writes legroom, seat width, and recline for each row, marks rows near lavatories and galleys, flags the sun side, scans boarding passes, works offline, and scores each seat with reasons. Apart from the sun side, SeatGuru, AeroLOPA, and SeatMaps all had these features long ago.
- The only truly different thing is the name: it's the only app in the App Store called SeatGuru. If it has any traction, it comes from the name, not the features.
- Risk: the "SeatGuru" trademark most likely still belongs to TripAdvisor (not verified). Apple could delist it or require a rename after a trademark complaint. So this approach works fast, but it can disappear just as fast.
5. Developer playbook (parts worth borrowing)
Music AI Studio Ltd (London, developer ID 1796160577) has 8 apps: Stem Split (2025-02, US 1426 ratings, charted in Music Top Grossing in dozens of storefronts, the main earner), AI Headshot Generator, LiveMic, DualCam, CleanTok (2026-05), PokeAlert (2026-09), Cutie Maps (2026-10-20), and SeatGuru (2026-10-23). The approach is to use Stem Split's revenue to fund a batch of small tools whose keywords are the names themselves, each targeting one search need (TikTok repost cleanup, Pokémon card restock alerts, pink maps, a shut-down brand name), all with paywalls offering weekly, annual, and lifetime plans. Stem Split reviews repeatedly complain "nothing works without paying" (tr/in/th/vn storefront reviews, appstore library review). SeatGuru's 1.5 ratings probably reflect the same paywall experience. This is an inference.
6. Visibility
Almost no one knows about it: no press or X coverage, no public revenue figures, and nobody on TikTok mentions the app. Roundup lists of "SeatGuru alternatives" (The Points Guy, AwardFares, travel-dealz) don't include it.
7. Uncertain
- Real download counts and in-app purchase numbers (Apple doesn't disclose them; likely very few).
- Where it ranks for "seatguru" in App Store search (the iTunes search API call failed today, so unverified).
- Whether anyone is buying Apple Search Ads on "seatguru" (our ad library only tracks products on its list, so not finding ads doesn't mean there are none).
- Whether TripAdvisor will take it down or force a rename over the trademark.
- Full text of 2 low-star reviews.