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TG3 SaaS/Glossary/DAU MAU ratio
SaaS metrics glossary

DAU MAU ratio (stickiness).

The stickiness metric that tells you whether people use your product like a habit or a chore. Here is what the DAU MAU ratio is and when it actually matters.

Definition
The DAU MAU ratio divides daily active users by monthly active users to show how habitually people use your product, often called stickiness.

A ratio of 0.5 means the average monthly user shows up on half the days. High stickiness signals a habit. But the metric only makes sense for products meant for daily use and is meaningless for ones you touch monthly.

How to calculate it

How to calculate the DAU MAU ratio.

Stickiness = DAU ÷ MAU
DAUunique active users on a given day
MAUunique active users over the trailing month

Only use it if your product is meant for frequent use, see activation rate for the earlier signal.

Benchmarks

What a good DAU MAU ratio looks like.

A ratio above 0.2 is often cited as healthy and above 0.5 as excellent but it depends entirely on the product. A messaging app should be high. A tax tool used once a quarter should not and forcing the metric on it is meaningless.

The mistake is treating the DAU MAU ratio as a universal health metric. For products with a natural weekly or monthly rhythm, a low ratio is not a problem, it is the expected shape of healthy use.

How to improve it

How to use the DAU MAU ratio well.

01

Use it only for daily products

If your product is not meant for daily use, the ratio tells you nothing useful.

02

Build habit loops

For daily-use products, triggers and value moments that pull people back lift stickiness.

03

Watch the trend

A falling ratio on a daily product is an early churn warning worth acting on.

04

Pair with retention

Stickiness and cohort retention together tell a fuller story than either alone.

Common questions

Questions about dau mau ratio.

What is the DAU MAU ratio?+

Daily active users divided by monthly active users, a measure of how habitually people use a product, often called stickiness.

How do you calculate the DAU MAU ratio?+

Divide daily active users by monthly active users. A result of 0.5 means the average monthly user is active on half the days.

What is a good DAU MAU ratio?+

Above 0.2 is often called healthy and above 0.5 excellent but it only matters for products meant for daily use.

When is the DAU MAU ratio useless?+

For products with a natural weekly or monthly rhythm. A low ratio there is the expected shape of healthy use, not a problem.

Activation rateNet revenue retentionNorth star metricLifecycle marketing

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