DAU/MAU Ratio
How sticky a product is - daily actives over monthly actives, a quick read on how often users come back.
- Term
- DAU/MAU ratio
- Formula
- Daily active users ÷ monthly active users
- Measures
- Stickiness / engagement frequency
- Higher
- Users return more often
Forms & parts of speech
Definition in plain terms
The DAU/MAU ratio is a product-engagement metric that divides daily active users (DAU) by monthly active users (MAU). It measures stickiness - how frequently the people who use a product in a given month come back on any given day.
The ratio is often expressed as a percentage, and intuitively it approximates the share of monthly users who are active on an average day, or roughly how many days a month the typical user engages.
A high DAU/MAU ratio indicates a product people return to frequently, often a sign of a habit-forming, deeply engaging product - the kind associated with daily-use apps. A low ratio suggests users come back only occasionally.
It's a widely used gauge of engagement, especially for consumer apps and products where frequent use is the goal.
Why it matters to growth leaders
The DAU/MAU ratio is a key engagement metric for growth leaders, particularly in products where frequent, habitual use drives value.
Stickiness, which the ratio measures, is closely tied to retention and long-term growth: users who engage frequently are far more likely to stay, convert, and refer others, so a rising DAU/MAU ratio often signals a healthier growth foundation than user-count growth alone.
For a growth leader, it's a useful complement to acquisition metrics, because it reveals whether the users being acquired actually stick and engage rather than churning quietly.
The caveat worth understanding is that the ratio's relevance depends on the product: for an app meant for daily use, a high DAU/MAU is essential, but for a product naturally used less often, a lower ratio is normal and not a problem. Read in context, DAU/MAU is a sharp lens on engagement quality.
The ratio divides daily active users by monthly active users, measuring stickiness - how often the people who use the product in a month return on a given day.
A high ratio means users come back most days, the sign of a habit-forming, deeply engaging product; a low ratio means they return only occasionally.
The growth leader finds the DAU/MAU healthy and rising, which reveals that the acquired users aren't just signing up and drifting away but genuinely engaging frequently - a far better signal of a strong growth foundation than user-count growth alone.
The leader also reads it in context, knowing the ratio's bar depends on the product: for a daily-use app a high DAU/MAU is essential, while for a product naturally used less often a lower ratio is normal. Using DAU/MAU as a complement to acquisition metrics
the growth leader sees whether growth is building durable, engaged usage or just adding users who quietly churn the engagement-quality lens that acquisition numbers alone can't provide.
Formula
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin & history
The DAU/MAU ratio became a standard stickiness gauge for consumer and daily-use products; by relating daily to monthly engagement, it reveals how habitually users return and complements acquisition metrics with a read on engagement quality.
Etymology: source.
Usage trends
Search interest for this term over the last five years:
Common questions
- What is the DAU/MAU ratio?
- Daily active users divided by monthly active users — a measure of stickiness showing how frequently users return, where a higher ratio indicates more engaged, habitual use.
- What does the DAU/MAU ratio tell you?
- Roughly how many days a month the average user is active and how sticky the product is; a high ratio signals a habit-forming product, a low one suggests occasional use.
- Is a high DAU/MAU always the goal?
- No — it depends on the product. For daily-use apps a high ratio is essential, but for products naturally used less often a lower ratio is normal and not a problem.
Related tools & calculators
Resources & people to follow
- referenceWikipedia — active users
- referenceProduct-growth and analytics practice
- referenceRGM analysis — DAU/MAU reveals whether acquired users stick and engage; read in product context, it's a sharp lens on engagement quality
Curated, non-competitor resources verified per term.
Related training
- moduleMarketing analytics
Disciplines
Areas of marketing where dau/mau ratio is a core concern: