Monthly Active Users (MAU)

What Are Monthly Active Users?

Monthly Active Users (MAU) counts the total number of unique users who open an app at least once during a 30-day period. Like DAU, each user is counted only once regardless of how many times they use the app within the month. MAU provides a broader view of an app’s user base compared to daily metrics and is commonly used to assess overall reach and market penetration.

MAU and App Store Performance

MAU is a critical metric for understanding an app’s long-term growth trajectory. App store algorithms take into account the size and activity of an app’s user base when determining rankings and recommendations. A growing MAU indicates that the app is successfully acquiring new users while retaining existing ones. When combined with DAU, the stickiness ratio (DAU divided by MAU) reveals how habitually users engage with the app on a daily basis.

Using MAU for Strategic Decisions

Product and marketing teams rely on MAU to evaluate the effectiveness of user acquisition campaigns and retention strategies. Tracking MAU alongside revenue metrics helps calculate average revenue per user (ARPU) and lifetime value (LTV). Significant changes in MAU often prompt deeper investigation into acquisition channels, onboarding flows, or competitive dynamics. Segmenting MAU by cohort or acquisition source allows teams to identify which channels deliver the most engaged long-term users.