What is the difference between DAU and MAU?

DAU counts unique active users on one day. MAU counts unique active users over a 30-day period.

What is a good DAU/MAU ratio?

It depends on how often the product should be used. Daily-use products aim high, while weekly-use tools will be lower by design. Track your own trend first.

What counts as an active user?

Someone who performs a meaningful action that reflects real value, such as completing a task, not just opening the app. Define it and keep it consistent.

DAU and MAU: Daily and Monthly Active Users Explained

Daily active users (DAU) is the number of unique people who use your product on a given day. Monthly active users (MAU) counts unique users over a 30-day period. Dividing DAU by MAU gives a stickiness ratio that shows how often people come back.

By Javier Alonso, Founder & CEO. Updated 2026-10-25.

Formula

DAU/MAU (stickiness): Average DAU over the month ÷ MAU × 100%

DAU: daily active users

DAU counts unique users who performed a meaningful action on a single day. It suits products meant for daily use, such as messaging, social or productivity apps.

MAU: monthly active users

MAU counts unique users who were active at least once in a 30-day window. It gives a broader view of reach. Products used weekly often track WAU, weekly active users, as their main measure.

Define "active" carefully

The most important decision is what counts as active. Opening the app or loading a page is a weak definition and inflates the numbers. Choose an action that reflects real value, such as sending a message, completing a task or confirming a booking. Write the definition down and keep it consistent, or your trend becomes meaningless.

Worked example

A habit-tracking app has 12,000 MAU. Its average DAU over the month is 3,000.

DAU/MAU = 3,000 ÷ 12,000 = 25%. On a typical day, a quarter of monthly users come back.

As a rough guide, social and messaging apps often aim much higher, while a tool used weekly by design will naturally show a lower ratio. Compare your ratio with how often the problem actually occurs for your customers.

Common mistakes

Counting logins or page views as activity.
Comparing DAU/MAU across products used at different frequencies.
Reporting MAU growth while retention falls. New sign-ups can hide users leaving. Pair active users with cohort retention, as described in product-market fit.

For your role

Investors: Ask how "active" is defined before comparing DAU or MAU between companies.

Primary sources

16 More Startup Metrics — Andreessen Horowitz

Common questions

What is the difference between DAU and MAU?: DAU counts unique active users on one day. MAU counts unique active users over a 30-day period.
What is a good DAU/MAU ratio?: It depends on how often the product should be used. Daily-use products aim high, while weekly-use tools will be lower by design. Track your own trend first.
What counts as an active user?: Someone who performs a meaningful action that reflects real value, such as completing a task, not just opening the app. Define it and keep it consistent.