Not every install becomes a habit - and in 2025, that difference matters more than ever.
The app stores feel endless. Attention is scattered. And without true activity, expansion turns into churn dressed up as success. In a market where the cost of each new install keeps climbing, daily active users (DAU) and monthly active users (MAU) have become the real heartbeat of product success.
DAU and MAU aren’t just numbers on a chart. They’re signals — showing who showed up, how often, and whether your product has earned a spot in someone’s routine.
So the real question is this: how to increase active users in 2025? Not with gimmicks. Not with tricks. But with systems that turn small moments into repeat engagement.
That’s what this guide is here to unpack. It’s not about chasing logins. It’s about building a kind of flow, that pulls people back naturally. From a smooth first step to the pull of a daily habit. From a single nudge to a moment that feels worth remembering. That’s where real DAU and MAU progress takes shape. And along the way, you’ll see how companies use personalized missions, community rewards, and real-time signals to build apps people return to again and again — not just apps they try once and forget.
Understanding DAU and MAU
Before you grow something, you need to know what you’re measuring and why it matters.
So what is daily active users in practice? It’s the daily pulse - proof your product still matters in someone’s routine. And the question every team asks is how to increase daily active users without turning the product into noise.
MAU stretches that signal across a month, showing not just who arrived, but who stayed. Thinking about how to increase monthly active users is less about campaigns and more about creating reasons to come back - week after week. Together, they offer a snapshot of how often people return - and how deep the habit really runs.
But activity alone isn’t the goal. It’s what that activity represents. A high DAU/MAU ratio (also known as stickiness) suggests your app is embedded in everyday life - not just downloaded and forgotten.
So, what qualifies someone as “active”?
That depends on your product. For a budgeting app, it could be logging an expense. For a fitness tracker, opening the app or completing a workout. The key is defining active behavior in a way that aligns with real value, and that’s the answer to how to calculate daily active users without falling for vanity clicks.
What does MAU stand for in practice? It's not just a count - it's a contract. A user choosing you again within a month means your product passed the second test. Not just curiosity, but usefulness.And when you track average daily active users, you're not just seeing popularity - you're tracking patterns. Peaks, plateaus, drop-offs. All of it is data with a heartbeat. And that heartbeat? It’s what keeps your business alive.
Strategies to Increase DAU and MAU
There’s no hack for how to grow active users, only behaviors that make engagement stick.
In this section, we’ll walk through nine proven strategies to grow your monthly active user base and deepen daily app usage. These aren’t just ideas - they’re grounded in how people behave, how markets move, and how real teams are making things stick.
Some of what follows helps you make a better first entrance. Some helps you stay in the room, long after the spotlight fades. But all of them share one goal: turning downloads into habits and habits into traction.
Let’s dive in.
Some users visit once. Others return again and again - not out of obligation, but because something clicked.
In 2025, DAU and MAU grow not through gimmicks but through clarity, connection, and small, repeatable wins. And most of those wins don’t feel like engagement tricks. They bring the tone of care.
1. Improve user onboarding and first-time experience
You don’t get loyalty on day one - but you do earn attention.
Most people decide whether to return within minutes. Not because your app isn’t good, but because the start felt like work. First impressions don’t have to impress, they just have to come across as clear, human, and doable.
That’s why Enable3 turns onboarding into a quiet momentum builder. Instead of dumping tasks, it invites members into action:
→ Set up your profile, earn a boost.
→ Complete your first task, unlock your journey.
Tiny steps. Real movement. And just enough reward to make them want to come back.
2. Use targeted push notifications & in-app messaging wisely
Push should act like a nudge - not a shout.
The best messages don’t just ask for attention. They arrive when something almost happened. Enable3 helps brands send messages that actually make sense - not because they’re scheduled, but because they’re felt.
→ “Finish this mission to keep your streak.”
→ “One step left for your weekly reward.”
It’s not about frequency. It’s about relevance - the kind that gets swiped open, not away.
3. Gather feedback and iterate product improvements
DAU and MAU are output metrics. But the real signal? It’s what audience doesn’t say - unless you ask.
The drop-offs, the frustrations, the missing pieces. You won’t find them in a dashboard. You find them in conversations.
Enable3 makes those conversations natural. Ask for input. Reward honesty. Show that feedback leads somewhere.
Because when people feel like their voice shapes the product, they don’t just engage - they invest.
4. Personalise experiences
When everything feels generic, nothing feels worth staying for.
Personalization goes beyond tech — it’s about relevance, the quiet sense of “this was made with me in mind”.
Enable3 lets you create those moments with Missions that shift based on who’s watching.
→ A new user sees a gentle guide.
→ A power user sees a real challenge.
→ A quiet user gets a soft return path.
It’s not magic. It’s simply noticing - and responding in kind.
5. Build community and collaboration features
People don’t just stick around for features. They stay for each other.
Adding community doesn’t always mean forums or chat feeds. Sometimes, it’s just the sense that others are walking the same path - and you’re not alone.
Enable3 builds that path with Social Missions:
→ “Share your milestone.”
→ “Join a drop. Invite a friend.”
Not because it helps the algorithm. But because it’s satisfying to be part of something that moves together.
6. Gamify your app with rewards, streaks and leaderboards
Habits form when effort feels like progress.
Gamification isn’t points for the sake of it. It’s structure, a pattern you don’t want to break. When you gamify your app with streaks, small rewards, or limited-time challenges, you create urgency — anchors that make showing up today feel more important than leaving it for tomorrow.
Enable3 gives brands that rhythm -
→ Tap to Earn.
→ Hold to Earn.
→ Streaks that quietly say: “still here.”
The best games don’t just reward skill. They reward showing up.
7. Keep content fresh with updates
Even the most loyal user drifts when there’s nothing new to discover.
Freshness doesn’t have to mean big launches. Sometimes it’s a small mission. A new reward. A time-limited challenge. Just enough to say: “we’re still moving.”
Enable3 helps you deliver that momentum without rebuilding your roadmap.
→ Seasonal loops.
→ Weekly drops.
→ New spins on familiar flows.
Because even routine needs a refresh. That freshness is often the simplest answer for how to increase users on app without relying only on paid traffic.
8. Optimise performance & user experience
Nothing ruins DAU like friction.
Slow loads. Crashes. Broken logic. Most users won’t tell you. They’ll just stop coming.
The fastest way to grow DAU and MAU? Make things work. Make things run smoothly. And when that baseline is strong, every new feature has room to shine.
Enable3 complements this with micro-rewards tied to smooth use:
→ “You’ve completed 3 stable sessions - here’s a boost.”
UX isn’t bonus points. It’s the whole scorecard.
9. Re-engage dormant users through retargeting
Just because someone stopped doesn’t mean they’re lost.
Most churn doesn’t come with drama. It comes with silence. That’s why the best re-engagement works like recognition - not marketing.
Enable3 lets you reach out with purpose:
→ “Pick up where you left off.”
→ “Your streak’s paused - not broken.”
When people feel remembered, they return not out of guilt, but because something real still waits for them.
Tools and Analytics for Measuring Active User Growth
Metrics matter. But only if they mean something.
In the race for more members, it’s easy to stare at DAU and MAU like scoreboard numbers. Up? Good. Down? Panic. But real progress lives deeper - in the layers behind those lines. In the patterns that whisper long before they scream.
Start with the basics:
Daily Active Users (DAU): how many people show up each day - not just download, but do something that counts.
Monthly Active Users (MAU): who came back, not once, but again - the ones who stayed in orbit. When people talk about MAU monthly active users, it may sound repetitive, but in analytics it’s clarity — a clean signal of who returned within 30 days.
DAU/MAU ratio: your stickiness score. Anything above 20% says, “you’re building a habit.” Anything below that says, “you’re still just an app on a phone.” Looking at a monthly active users app report is one of the clearest ways to see if those habits are forming, or slipping away.
But that’s just the surface. The good stuff comes next.
Session duration reveals depth. But it’s not just length — quality matters too. Did that time create value, or was it just idle scrolling?
Feature adoption shows direction. Which parts are magnetic, and which parts never get a second glance?
Event funnels tell you where people start to drift - not with a slam, but with a slow fade.
Silent churn signals like skipped missions, repeated stalls, or a drop in engagement cycle.
Because activity goes beyond motion, it becomes memory. And the best products make people want to return - not because they have to, but because they miss it when it’s gone.
This is where Enable3 becomes more than a tracker.
It’s not just a dashboard. It’s an active engagement system. You’re not staring at metrics wondering what to do - you’re designing automated responses that meet users in the moment:
A streak about to break? Send a nudge.
A new feature ignored? Trigger a mission.
A loyal user slipping? Offer a comeback challenge - no guilt, just grace.
And the best part? It’s all modular. No-code if you need it. API-first if you don’t.
So you’re not just watching your numbers. You’re building the reasons they go up - in real time, for the right people, at exactly the right moment.
Because growth isn’t a dashboard. It’s a signal your audience gets - when everything flows, and nothing pushes too hard.
How Enable3 Can Increase DAU/MAU
Some products chase attention. Others earn presence. The difference is in the system behind them. Enable3 was built not as a bolt-on engagement trick, but as a core engine that keeps DAU and MAU moving in flow.
Most tools react after audience leaves. Enable3 works differently. It sits inside the flow, nudging and rewarding in real time.
Try a new feature? There’s a mission for that.
About to slip away? You’ll get a gentle prompt back.
Here every day? The streak is noticed, and it feels good to keep it alive.
They don’t feel like popups or tricks. They feel like small journeys, tuned to the moment, that make activity happen without force. At the center of it all are simple mechanics - small steps that quietly become habits. Tap to Earn gives that instant spark - one touch, one reward, just enough to keep the flow moving. Hold to Earn leans into consistency, giving weight to return visits and making them feel like part of a longer story. And streaks? They’re not pressure, they’re pattern, a quiet reminder that showing up still matters. Together, they create flow, a sense that progress is happening, that the app fits into life without forcing its way in. And for teams asking how to increase MAU, that flow is the answer: steady, simple, repeatable.
Enable3 also adapts to who the user is in that moment. For newcomers, the path starts softly. Onboarding that rewards curiosity instead of overwhelming. Experienced players don’t see the same thing; they unlock richer missions and layered rewards that match their pace. And dormant members? They’re not bombarded with noise. They’re noticed, and invited back with intent. Every touchpoint is tied to a real action, not guesswork. That’s why people don’t feel managed, they experience being understood.
And behind it all is flexibility. Teams can launch new activations in minutes, test engagement paths without waiting on releases, and experiment with behaviors as easily as they would with content. So what does that mean for DAU and MAU? It means your app responds like it’s alive, not static, not reactive, but responsive and worth returning to. Enable3 doesn’t just improve app MAU metrics; it transforms how DAU and MAU are earned, turning raw numbers into signals of trust. You stop guessing why people stay and start designing for it. Retention stops feeling engineered and becomes real.
Common Pitfalls and Best Practices
When DAU and MAU dip, it rarely happens overnight.
It starts in the quiet: a missed notification, a mission that lands flat, a moment where the user needed something - and nothing showed up. These aren’t failures. They’re blind spots. And the difference between brands that grow and brands that stall often comes down to how early they notice.
Common pitfalls
Generic messaging. If every user sees the same prompt, most will tune it out.
Overused rewards. If everything earns points, nothing feels meaningful.
Late reactions. By the time you notice churn in your dashboard, it’s already happened.
Complex setups. Tools that require dev tickets for every change don’t move fast enough.
Best practices
Design for rhythm, not one-time wins.
Give users something that feels earned, not handed out.
Use Missions not just to activate, but to listen.
Layer your engagement strategy - short loops for habit, long arcs for commitment.
And most importantly? Keep it human. The best DAU/MAU scaling doesn’t feel like marketing. It comes across care. A product that notices. A message that lands. A reward that arrives not because a user is valuable - but because they were valued.
FAQs
What is considered a good DAU/MAU rate for different types of apps?
It depends on your product - but as a rule of thumb:
Social apps: 50–60%
Utility tools: 20–30%
Niche B2B: even 10–15% can be solid
What matters more than the number is the trend. If it’s rising, you’re building something worth returning to. If it’s flat, you might be visible - but not vital.
How often should I send push notifications without annoying users?
There’s no magic number. The better question is: does the message add value?
If it reminds, supports, or celebrates - send it.
If it nags or repeats - skip it.
Enable3 helps you avoid the guesswork by sending nudges tied to actual behavior - not just calendars.
How do I define an “active user” for my specific product or industry?
Start with value.
What action signals that someone actually used your product?
Not just opened - but engaged.
That might be a login, a completed flow, a shared result. Make it meaningful - then build around that.
Which metrics should I track in addition to DAU and MAU to measure engagement and retention?
Stickiness (DAU/MAU)
Session duration
Mission or feature completion rate
Return frequency per user
Silent churn indicators (drop in streaks, skipped milestones)
Each one tells part of the story - together, they show whether users are passing through or staying by choice.
What are the biggest mistakes companies make when trying to boost DAU/MAU?
Chasing numbers without thinking about meaning
Overloading users with offers instead of experiences
Ignoring what users already do well, and trying to force something else
Forgetting to listen - especially to the quiet exits
Which tools can help me track and improve my daily and monthly active users?
The usual suspects: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Firebase - they show you the data.
But tools like Enable3 go further. They let you act on it, in the moment.
Trigger missions, test rewards, respond to drop-offs - not after the fact, but as they unfold.
Because tracking is important. But building what happens next? That’s where the energy compounds.
Make Your App a Daily Habit
Enable3 gives you customizable missions and retention loops to turn occasional users into regulars
