Quick Answer (TL;DR)
Monthly Active Users (MAU) measures unique users active in a 30-day window. The formula is Count of unique users per month. Industry benchmarks: Varies by product. Track this metric universal engagement baseline.
What Is Monthly Active Users (MAU)?
Unique users active in a 30-day window. This is one of the core metrics in the engagement metrics category and is essential for any product team serious about data-driven decision making.
Monthly Active Users (MAU) measures how deeply users interact with your product after the initial activation. Strong engagement is the bridge between activation and retention --- users who engage deeply are far more likely to stick around and eventually pay (or pay more).
Understanding monthly active users (mau) in context --- alongside related metrics --- gives you a more complete picture than tracking it in isolation. Use it as part of a balanced metrics dashboard.
The Formula
Count of unique users per month
How to Calculate It
Aggregate the relevant events over your chosen time period (daily, weekly, or monthly). For example, if you count 12,500 events in a week, your monthly active users (mau) is 12,500 per week. Track this consistently to identify trends.
Benchmarks
Varies by product
Benchmarks vary significantly by industry, company stage, business model, and customer segment. Use these ranges as starting points and calibrate to your own historical data over 2-3 quarters. Your trend matters more than any absolute number --- consistent improvement is the goal.
When to Track Monthly Active Users (MAU)
Universal engagement baseline. Specifically, prioritize this metric when:
You are building or reviewing your metrics dashboard and need engagement indicators
Leadership or investors ask about engagement performance
You suspect a change in product, pricing, or go-to-market strategy has affected this area
You are running experiments that could impact monthly active users (mau)
You need a quantitative baseline before making a strategic decision
How to Improve
Build habit loops. Design triggers (notifications, emails, integrations) that bring users back to perform the core action on a regular cadence. Habits drive sustainable engagement.
Improve feature discovery. Users cannot engage with features they do not know exist. Use contextual tips, progressive disclosure, and smart defaults to surface relevant capabilities at the right time.
Study power users. Your most engaged users reveal the product's highest-value workflows. Analyze their behavior patterns and find ways to guide other users toward similar usage.
Common Pitfalls
Treating this as a standalone number. No metric tells the full story alone. Always analyze this metric in context alongside related metrics to get an accurate picture.
Confusing activity with value. High engagement numbers can mask users who are struggling rather than thriving. Pair engagement metrics with satisfaction and outcome metrics.
Measuring without acting. Tracking this metric is only valuable if you have a process for reviewing it regularly and a playbook for responding when it moves outside acceptable ranges.
Related Metrics
Weekly Active Users (WAU) --- unique users active in a 7-day window
DAU/MAU Ratio (Stickiness) --- proportion of monthly users who use the product daily
Daily Active Users (DAU) --- unique users active in a single day
DAU/WAU Ratio --- proportion of weekly users who use the product daily
Product Metrics Cheat Sheet --- complete reference of 100+ metrics