Why DAUs & MAUs Are Vanity Metrics (& What to Track Instead)
Hey Leaders!
Every few weeks, someone shows me a dashboard packed with DAUs, MAUs, signups, pageviews, all rising like they’re on Red Bull. And every time, I ask: “Okay, cool. But what are these users actually doing?”
Most people can’t answer that.
I’ve been there. I used to obsess over DAUs too. Until I realized I was tracking a bunch of people who opened the app once, scrolled for 30 seconds, and bounced. It felt like growth, but it was just noise.
Here’s a story from my Airtel-Wynk Music (Airtel Digital) days that changed how I think about growth.
When DAUs Lied to Me…
Back when I was leading retention for Wynk Music, our dashboards looked great.
Every day, DAUs and MAUs ticked up. We’d high-five, run a promo, and watch the numbers jump again.
But we had a problem: hardly anyone came back the next week.
Most users would open the app once, maybe from an ad or promo, listen to a random track, then vanish.
What we missed? The moment that actually made someone stay.
Turns out, the real win wasn’t the first session. It was when someone played a song from their personalized playlist. That moment, that click, when the app finally felt like their music app. That’s what Casey Winters calls the “Aha Moment.”
What is an Aha Moment (and how to find it)
According to Reforge, the Aha Moment is the first time a user experiences the core value of your product in a way that’s meaningful to them, and within a time window where it can stick.
Here’s how to define it:
Start with the core action: What’s the one thing your product does that people come for? Is it watching a reel, placing a food order, or saving a project?
Layer it with context: Doing the action once doesn’t mean it clicked. What were the surrounding behaviors? Was it repeated? Did it follow setup or onboarding?
Time-box it: This moment should ideally happen in the first session or within 24–48 hours. If it’s delayed, retention drops fast.
Back it with data: Look for user cohorts that retain well, and ask: What did they do early on that others didn’t?
And then? Track that moment like your business depends on it.
Because it does.
The ‘Aha’ Moment for Top Apps:
These aren’t vanity milestones. These are actions that signal value, habit, and the chance of long-term use.
Quick Learning: Track What Actually Matters
The big takeaway? Don’t chase vanity metrics. Track what actually drives retention.
If you're in OTT, media, or running a marketplace, DAUs are just the surface. You can keep buying users and feeding the top of the funnel, but if your core product value isn’t clear in the first session, you’re leaking users faster than you can get them.
Two basic metrics I always recommend:
Stickiness Ratio = DAU / MAU → Are users coming back frequently?
Day N Retention → Are they coming back on Day 1, Day 7, Day 30?
Stop tracking eyeballs. Start tracking habits.
What’s Trending Right Now?
🗞️ Spotify Just Launched a “Daylist” Retention Feature
They’re now serving personalized playlists that update every few hours based on mood, time of day, and behavior. Not only does it feel magical, it hooks users into coming back daily. Retention isn’t a feature. It’s a feeling.
🗞️ Reddit’s DAU War: From IPO to Reality
Reddit flaunted 73M DAUs during its IPO. But now, investors are asking tougher questions: how long are users staying? Are they posting or lurking? Engagement depth is becoming the new metric of credibility.
🗞️ Apple’s Vision Pro App Engagement is Dropping
Early usage was high, but without strong “Aha” features, usage is declining. It’s a reminder: novelty wears off. Habit doesn’t.
They’ve leaned hard into habit-building with streaks, reminders, and AI tutoring. It’s not just gamification, it’s behavior science built into product flow.
What We’re Doing at Propel.
At Propel, we help teams track what actually drives revenue, not what makes slides look nice.
We help brands define their Aha Moment using product data and real customer sessions.
We go beyond retention curves and build Stickiness Dashboards: What’s your product’s grip on users, and where does it slip?
We rewire onboarding so it forces the Aha moment to happen early and often.
We clean up analytics and build proper cohort models that tell the truth (not vanity).
If you’re guessing your metrics, or worse, trusting Google Analytics for retention, you’re already behind. And, If you’re trying to figure this out for your own product...
I’d love to jump on a QUICK CALL, walk through your numbers, and help you spot what actually matters.
Wrap-Up: DAUs Don’t Pay the Bills
DAUs and MAUs are easy to grow. Just run a few campaigns.
Retention isn’t about volume, it’s about value.
The only metric that matters is the one tied to a real habit.
If you don’t define your Aha Moment, your user will define their exit.
The good news? It’s fixable.
If you’re ready to clean your dashboard and focus on what really matters, start here.
Hope you enjoy the reading!
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