What Is DAU/MAU Ratio?
The DAU/MAU ratio measures user engagement by dividing daily active users by monthly active users, indicating how frequently users return to the product.
DAU/MAU (Daily Active Users divided by Monthly Active Users) is a stickiness metric. A ratio of 0.5 (or 50%) means that on any given day, half of the monthly user base is active. Higher ratios indicate more habitual usage. Facebook famously targets a DAU/MAU ratio above 60%. For B2B SaaS, benchmarks are lower because not every product is designed for daily use.
The formula: DAU/MAU = Average Daily Active Users in a Month / Monthly Active Users. If 300 unique users are active in a month and the average daily count is 75, the DAU/MAU ratio is 25%.
DAU/MAU for CS Teams
This ratio tells CS teams how deeply embedded the product is in daily workflows. A product with a 50% DAU/MAU ratio is part of users' daily routines. A product with a 10% ratio is something users check occasionally. The implications for retention are significant: daily-use products have much higher switching costs than occasional-use products.
Track DAU/MAU at the account level. If one customer has a 40% ratio and another has 8%, the second is at much higher churn risk. The product is not embedded in their workflows, making it easy to drop without disruption.
Using DAU/MAU Thoughtfully
Not every product should target high DAU/MAU. A quarterly reporting tool that users open once a month during board prep is working as designed. Judging it by daily engagement misses the point. Match your expectations to your product's intended usage frequency.
For products that should have daily engagement, declining DAU/MAU is an early warning. If the ratio drops from 35% to 20% over two months, users are disengaging. That trend should trigger a CS investigation: is it a seasonal pattern, a product issue, a competitive threat, or a change in the customer's workflow?
DAU/MAU is most useful when combined with feature adoption data. Knowing that 30% of users are daily-active is helpful. Knowing that those users primarily use Feature A but not Feature B adds depth. The combination drives more targeted CS interventions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DAU/MAU ratio?
DAU/MAU divides daily active users by monthly active users to measure product stickiness. A higher ratio means users engage more frequently. It indicates how deeply the product is embedded in daily workflows.
What is a good DAU/MAU ratio for SaaS?
It depends on the product type. Daily workflow tools (messaging, project management) should target 30-50%. Weekly-use products target 15-30%. Periodic-use tools (reporting, analytics) may naturally sit at 5-15%. Compare against similar products, not consumer apps.
How does DAU/MAU predict churn?
Low or declining DAU/MAU indicates the product is not embedded in daily workflows, making it easier for customers to switch. Accounts with consistently low ratios are at higher churn risk because the product is not habitual.