Daily Active Users (DAU)
DAU is useful for products where daily usage is expected, but the activity definition must reflect meaningful value. Calendar day boundaries, time zones, identity merging, bots, and background events can materially affect the result. Teams often compare DAU with WAU or MAU and examine the DAU/MAU ratio to understand usage frequency rather than judging the number in isolation.
What is Daily Active Users (DAU)?
Daily Active Users (DAU) is the number of distinct users who perform the product’s defined active behavior during a single day.
Why it matters
DAU is useful for products where daily usage is expected, but the activity definition must reflect meaningful value. Calendar day boundaries, time zones, identity merging, bots, and background events can materially affect the result. Teams often compare DAU with WAU or MAU and examine the DAU/MAU ratio to understand usage frequency rather than judging the number in isolation.
Example
A messaging app counts a user as active on a day when they send or read a message, then deduplicates multiple events from the same person.