Hong Life CalculatorsUnderstanding the DAU/MAU stickiness calculator — concept and principle
The DAU/MAU ratio, often called stickiness, tells you what share of your monthly users come back on a typical day. Product teams and investors use it to judge whether a product has become a habit or is something people try once and forget. It is especially useful for apps, games, social products and SaaS tools where repeat use drives revenue.
How it is calculated
- Stickiness (%) = average daily active users ÷ monthly active users × 100
- Active days per month (approx.) = DAU ÷ MAU × 30
DAU should be the average number of unique users active per day across the month, not a single peak day. MAU is the number of unique users active at least once in the same 30-day window. Both must use the same definition of "active" (for example, opened the app or completed a key action).
The principle
If every monthly user came back every day, DAU would equal MAU and the ratio would be 100%. If each user appeared on only one day of the month, DAU would be about MAU ÷ 30, roughly 3%. The ratio therefore measures how many days, on average, a monthly user is active. Multiplying the ratio by 30 converts it into that intuitive number: average active days per user per month. This works because the sum of daily active users over a month equals the total number of user-days, and dividing user-days by unique users gives days per user.
Worked example
- Inputs: average DAU 12,000, MAU 60,000.
- Ratio: 12,000 ÷ 60,000 = 0.20.
- Stickiness: 0.20 × 100 = 20%.
- Active days per month: 0.20 × 30 = 6 days.
So the typical monthly user opens the product on about 6 days a month.
How to read the result
There is no universal target because usage patterns differ by category. A messaging or social app is meant to be used daily, while a travel booking or tax app is naturally used rarely. In consumer apps, about 20% is often quoted as a solid level and 50% or more as exceptional, but compare yourself mainly with products of the same kind and with your own trend over time. A rising ratio usually means you are building habit; a falling ratio can mean new sign-ups are not sticking, even when MAU is growing.
Common mistakes
- Using a single day's DAU instead of the monthly average.
- Counting users with different definitions of "active" for DAU and MAU.
- Judging a weekly-use product (such as a payroll tool) by daily-use standards; WAU/MAU may fit better.
- Reading a high ratio as success when MAU is shrinking and only loyal users remain.
Frequently asked questions
What does a DAU/MAU of 20% mean?
An average monthly user is active about 6 days a month (0.20 × 30).
Should I use 30 or the exact number of days in the month?
The calculator uses 30 as a simple average. For a 31-day month the result changes only slightly.
Why might stickiness drop during a marketing campaign?
A campaign adds many new monthly users who have not formed a habit yet, which lowers the ratio temporarily.
Sources: Croll, A. & Yoskovitz, B., Lean Analytics, O'Reilly Media, 2013