MAU (Monthly Active Users) is the number of unique users who used a service at least once in a month. It is the headline metric for total user base size and growth trajectory, and the most widely cited figure when explaining fundraising or business performance.
Agree on the measurement standard first
When the definition wavers, MAU gets inflated. Lock down these criteria in advance.
- Unique users: count repeat visits as one user
- Activity threshold: a simple visit, or a core action completed?
- Time window: calendar month, or rolling last 30 days?
The same service can show very different MAU depending on the criteria. Always state the definition when comparing externally reported figures against internal analytics.
Read engagement intensity through the relationship with DAU
Size alone does not tell you whether growth is healthy. Divide Daily Active Users (DAU) by MAU to get Stickiness, which gauges return frequency.
| Stickiness | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 50% or higher | High-frequency service used almost daily |
| Around 20% | Typical level, visited 1-2 times per week |
| Below 10% | Low-frequency, used only a few times per month |
When stickiness is low, real usage can stagnate even as MAU rises.
Search and AI traffic drive MAU
A large share of new MAU comes from search channels. Growing organic traffic with SEO and lifting conversion rate drives MAU growth without ad dependence.
Recently, exposure in AI answers has also become an important traffic source. Managing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI citation share lets you acquire new users from both search and AI.
238lab designs SEO and GEO together to widen the traffic sources for MAU itself.
Notes
- MAU counts a user even if they use the service just once a month, so it easily overstates engagement intensity.
- Interpret it alongside retention, bounce rate, and stickiness.
- Track the share of returning active users, not just raw scale expansion.