DAU/MAU Ratio

Quick Definition

The ratio of daily active users to monthly active users, measuring how frequently users engage with a product.

What is DAU/MAU Ratio?

DAU/MAU ratio (also called stickiness) measures how often monthly users engage with your product daily. It's calculated by dividing daily active users by monthly active users.

A 50% DAU/MAU means the average monthly user opens your app 15 days per month. A 10% ratio means they use it only 3 days per month.

Why DAU/MAU Matters

High stickiness indicates a product that's woven into daily habits. These products have stronger retention, more engagement opportunities, and typically better monetization potential.

Social apps like Facebook and messaging apps like WhatsApp achieve 50%+ DAU/MAU. Most apps are happy with 20-30%. Below 10% suggests the product isn't forming habits.

DAU/MAU Benchmarks

• Social/Communication apps: 50%+ is expected.
• Productivity tools: 30-50% is strong.
• Entertainment/Gaming: 20-30% is typical.
• Utility apps: 10-20% may be acceptable depending on use case.

How to Calculate DAU/MAU Ratio Step by Step

Step 1: Define "active." An active user must perform a meaningful action — not just open the app. For a financial tool, "active" might mean viewing a report or categorizing a transaction. For a project management tool, it might mean creating or updating a task.

Step 2: Calculate average DAU over 30 days. Sum daily unique active users for 30 days, then divide by 30.

• Sum of daily active users over 30 days: 42,000
• Average DAU = 42,000 ÷ 30 = 1,400

Step 3: Calculate MAU. Count unique users active at least once in the same 30-day period. This is not the sum of DAU — it's unique users.

• MAU = 5,200

Step 4: Divide. DAU/MAU = 1,400 ÷ 5,200 = 26.9%. About 27% of monthly users return on any given day.

Step 5: Estimate average days of use. Stickiness × 30 = approximate engagement days per month. 26.9% × 30 ≈ 8 days/month.

Common mistakes founders make:

• Defining "active" too loosely (opening the app or receiving a notification shouldn't count)
• Using a single day's DAU instead of a 30-day average
• Comparing across product categories (a weekly-use tool shouldn't benchmark against a messaging app)

Formula

DAU/MAU Ratio = Daily Active Users ÷ Monthly Active Users × 100
Stickiness = DAU/MAU (same calculation, different name)

Example

Your app metrics:

• Daily Active Users (DAU): 15,000
• Monthly Active Users (MAU): 50,000

DAU/MAU = 15,000 ÷ 50,000 = 30%
On average, users engage with your app about 9 days per month. That's decent for most apps but would be low for social or communication tools.