Metrics · Product · Retention · Monthly · count · Updated 2026-07-21

What is Monthly Active Users?

Short answer: The count of unique users who perform a meaningful action in the product within a rolling 30-day window.

Definition

The count of unique users who perform a meaningful action in the product within a rolling 30-day window.

Formula

Count of distinct users with a qualifying event in the trailing 30 days

How to measure

Count distinct user IDs with at least one qualifying event within a rolling or calendar month.

Why track it

MAU is the standard scale metric reported externally, though it should be paired with DAU/WAU to avoid masking declining engagement depth.

Example

A social app reports 12 million MAU this quarter, up from 10 million the previous quarter.

FAQ

What is Monthly Active Users?
The count of unique users who perform a meaningful action in the product within a rolling 30-day window.
How do you calculate Monthly Active Users?
Count of distinct users with a qualifying event in the trailing 30 days
Why track Monthly Active Users?
MAU is the standard scale metric reported externally, though it should be paired with DAU/WAU to avoid masking declining engagement depth.
What is Monthly Active Users? Definition, formula, and growth use · Cofounderbase