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Why we picked it Most active-user counts quietly measure app opens, which is exactly the dishonesty this question is trying to avoid. This piece is blunt that opening an app or logging in does not count, and that every product has to name the specific value action that means a user actually got what they came for. It also walks through when DAU, WAU, or MAU is the right window based on your natural usage rhythm, which is the second half of doing this honestly.
Monthly active users (MAU): Definition, formula, and 2026 benchmarks
From Mixpanel blog by Mixpanel
- Define active by a meaningful value action, not a raw open or login; name the specific event that signals the user got value.
- Match the window to natural frequency: daily-use products lean on DAU, asynchronous and content or scheduling tools often read truer on WAU, and genuinely occasional tools on MAU.
- A weekly cadence is the honest middle for a low-frequency product, because measuring it daily invents false churn every weekend and measuring it monthly loses too much resolution.