What is MAU?
MAU (Monthly Active Users) counts the number of unique users who engage with your app within a 30-day period. It's the standard metric for measuring total audience size and is commonly used in investor reporting, competitive analysis, and long-term growth tracking.
MAU Definition
MAU = Unique Users Active in 30 Days
Why MAU Matters
MAU is important because it:
- Measures total addressable engaged audience
- Standard metric for investor/board reporting
- Enables competitive benchmarking
- Forms basis for DAU/MAU stickiness ratio
- Smooths daily fluctuations for trend analysis
MAU Growth Benchmarks
| Growth Stage | Monthly Growth Rate | Annual Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Early Stage (0-100K) | 20-30% | 800-2000% |
| Growth Stage (100K-1M) | 10-20% | 200-800% |
| Scale Stage (1M-10M) | 5-10% | 80-200% |
| Mature (10M+) | 2-5% | 25-80% |
MAU vs. DAU: When to Use Each
Use MAU When:
- Reporting to investors or board
- Comparing with competitors
- Analyzing long-term trends
- Apps with weekly/monthly use cases
Use DAU When:
- Measuring daily operational health
- Calculating monetization metrics (ARPDAU)
- Apps requiring daily engagement
- Analyzing real-time product changes
The DAU/MAU Ratio
DAU/MAU (stickiness) shows what percentage of monthly users engage daily. A 50% ratio means half your monthly users return each day. Social apps target 50%+; games typically see 15-25%.
MAU Calculation Considerations
- Rolling vs. Calendar: Rolling 30 days is standard; calendar month varies in length
- Cross-platform: Deduplicate users across iOS, Android, web
- Active definition: Must match your DAU definition
- Bot filtering: Exclude automated/fraudulent traffic
Growing MAU
- Top of funnel: Increase user acquisition volume
- Retention: Improve D30+ retention rates
- Reactivation: Win back churned users
- Virality: Enable sharing and referrals
- Expand use cases: Give more reasons to return