DAU / WAU / MAU (Active Users)
DAU (Daily Active Users), WAU (Weekly Active Users), and MAU (Monthly Active Users) measure how many unique users performed a meaningful action in your product within the given time period.
Formula
In depth
'Active' must be defined for your product — not just 'logged in.' Active means completing the action that delivers your core value. For a messaging app, active = sent a message. For a fitness app, active = logged a workout.
The DAU/MAU Ratio (also called the 'stickiness ratio') tells you how habitual your product is: - 50%+: daily habit products (Facebook, WhatsApp) - 10–25%: weekly habit products (LinkedIn, Notion) - <10%: monthly or occasional tools
Your target DAU/MAU depends on your product type. A weekly planning tool doesn't need 50% DAU/MAU — 15–20% is healthy. A messaging app below 40% has a problem.
Common trap: counting page views or logins as 'active.' This inflates the number and hides real engagement problems.
Real example
If your app has 10,000 MAU but only 1,500 DAU, your stickiness ratio is 15%. For a project management SaaS (weekly tool), this is acceptable. For a consumer social app, this signals engagement problems.
Related terms
Churn Rate
Churn rate is the percentage of customers (or revenue) that cancels or doesn't renew in a given time period. It's the single most important retention metric for subscription businesses.
Product-Market Fit (PMF)
Product-market fit (PMF) is the degree to which a product satisfies a strong market demand — the state where your product is so valuable that users naturally recommend it and return to it.
North Star Metric
A North Star Metric (NSM) is the single, primary metric a company uses to measure the core value it delivers to customers — and by extension, predict long-term business health and growth.
Product-Market Fit (PMF)
Product-Market Fit (PMF) is the degree to which a product satisfies a strong, existing market demand — evidenced by users who actively seek it out, return to it, and recommend it to others without being asked.
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