What is MAU?
MAU, or Monthly Active Users, is a key metric that measures the number of unique users who engage with an app over 30 days. In mobile marketing and app analytics, MAU offers insights into an app’s user base and overall popularity, revealing how well it attracts and retains users monthly. Unlike other metrics focused on app downloads or installs, MAU emphasizes active engagement, meaning it only counts users who open and interact with the app within the specified timeframe.
Why is MAU Important?
For mobile marketers, MAU is crucial because it reflects both reach and engagement, indicating long-term app viability. High MAU numbers suggest that users find value in the app and return consistently, while a declining MAU could signal issues with user retention, app performance, or relevance. Tracking MAU over time helps identify patterns in user behavior, understand which features are most engaging, and determine if marketing campaigns are effectively reaching and retaining the target audience. Many companies use MAU as a benchmark for growth or as a factor in determining the success of new updates and features.
Calculating MAU
MAU is typically calculated by identifying unique users who interact with the app at least once during 30 days. This can include users who log in, perform certain actions, or open the app. Unique identifiers like user IDs or device IDs ensure that each user is counted only once, even if they log in multiple times.
MAU vs. DAU
MAU is often compared with DAU (Daily Active Users), which tracks unique user engagement daily. Both metrics are valuable, but each serves different purposes. While DAU offers insights into short-term engagement, MAU is a longer-term view, highlighting monthly retention and user loyalty. Together, they provide a comprehensive understanding of an app’s health. For instance, calculating the DAU/MAU ratio helps determine “stickiness,” or how frequently monthly users return on a daily basis.
Using MAU in Mobile Marketing
MAU is pivotal in informing marketing strategies, user acquisition efforts, and product decisions. Mobile marketers analyze MAU trends to gauge the impact of campaigns, understand user retention, and pinpoint the best-performing acquisition channels. If MAU spikes after a campaign, it’s likely the campaign reached a broad audience, while a sustained increase in MAU over time suggests successful retention.
As a powerful metric, MAU enables mobile marketers and app developers to focus on downloads and building sustained, meaningful engagement—which is essential for app growth and longevity.