What is DAU/MAU Ratio?
A product stickiness metric expressing daily active users as a fraction of monthly active users - indicating how frequently the average user returns each month.
The DAU/MAU ratio measures product stickiness by expressing Daily Active Users as a percentage of Monthly Active Users. It answers the question: of everyone who used the product at least once this month, what fraction came back today? A high DAU/MAU ratio indicates that users find the product valuable enough to return frequently, which correlates strongly with long-term retention and LTV.
Formula
DAU/MAU = (Daily Active Users / Monthly Active Users) x 100%A DAU/MAU of 50% means the average user engages with the product 15 days per month. The theoretical maximum is 100% (users return every day). Active user definitions vary - standardise on a meaningful engagement action (not just login) such as creating content, sending a message, or completing a core workflow. Weekly Active Users / Monthly Active Users (WAU/MAU) is a useful intermediate metric.
Industry Benchmarks
- Consumer social apps (Facebook, TikTok): DAU/MAU above 50%
- Good consumer product: DAU/MAU of 20-30%
- B2B SaaS tools: 10-25% is typical (daily use not expected)
- Productivity apps: 25-50% DAU/MAU is excellent
- Below 10% DAU/MAU signals low engagement or unclear core use case
When to Use DAU/MAU Ratio
- Measuring the impact of product changes on daily engagement before they affect retention metrics
- Comparing engagement across user cohorts, features, or acquisition channels
- Setting engagement targets for gamification, notification, and re-engagement campaigns
- Benchmarking against competitor apps to assess relative stickiness
- Defining "active" as simply logging in rather than completing a meaningful action, which inflates DAU/MAU without reflecting real product value
- Optimising DAU/MAU through manipulative notifications or dark patterns rather than genuine product improvements
- Comparing DAU/MAU across product categories with different inherent use frequencies (daily task app vs annual tax software)
- Track DAU/MAU by feature to identify which parts of the product drive the highest engagement - build more of what brings users back
- A declining DAU/MAU over 4-8 weeks often predicts a churn spike 1-2 months later, giving you time to intervene
- Use WAU/MAU alongside DAU/MAU to understand whether users who engage weekly but not daily are still finding value
Related Terms
Free DAU/MAU Ratio Calculator
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