App analytics, in plain words
The terms analytics tools, the App Store, Google Play and RevenueCat use for your app, each said the way you'd tell a friend, with how it's worked out and where the number comes from.
People
- Daily active users (DAU)Daily active users (DAU) is the number of different people who used your app on a given day.
- Monthly active users (MAU)Monthly active users (MAU) is the number of different people who used your app at least once in the last 30 days.
- Stickiness (DAU/MAU)Stickiness is how often your monthly users come back: daily active users divided by monthly active users.
- RetentionRetention is the share of new people who come back to your app after a given number of days, such as the next day, a week later or a month later.
- CohortA cohort is a group of people who started using your app at the same time, followed together to see how they behave.
- ChurnChurn is the share of people, or paying subscribers, who stop using or paying for your app in a period.
- SessionA session is one visit to your app, from the moment someone opens it until they leave it.
- EventAn event is one thing that happened in your app and was recorded: an open, a screen, a tap on a button, a purchase.
- FunnelA funnel is a series of steps people take toward a goal, showing how many make it from each step to the next.
- Conversion rateA conversion rate is the share of people who take the next step, such as visitors who download your app or downloads that turn into a sale.
- AttributionAttribution is working out where each person came from before they installed your app: a search, a link, an ad or another app.
The stores
- ImpressionsImpressions count how many times your app was shown in the App Store, in search results, on the Today, Games or Apps tabs, or on its own page.
- Product page viewsProduct page views count how many times people opened your app's page in the store to look at its screenshots, description and reviews.
- DownloadsDownloads count how many times people got your app from the store; first-time downloads count new people, redownloads count people getting it again.
- UninstallsUninstalls, which Apple calls deletions, count how many times people removed your app from their device.
- Ratings and reviewsRatings are the one-to-five stars people give your app in the store; reviews are the ratings that come with written words.
Money
- ProceedsProceeds are the money you keep from a sale after the store's commission and, where they apply, taxes.
- Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is how much your active subscriptions bring in per month, with yearly and weekly plans spread out to a monthly amount.
- Active subscriptionsActive subscriptions are the paid subscriptions that are running right now and haven't expired.
- Average revenue per user (ARPU)Average revenue per user (ARPU) is how much money your app makes per person in a period, counting everyone, not only those who paid.
- Lifetime value (LTV)Lifetime value (LTV) is the total money you can expect from one paying person over all the time they keep paying.
- Trial conversionTrial conversion is the share of people who start a free trial and go on to pay when it ends.
- Renewal rateRenewal rate is the share of subscriptions that renew when their period ends, instead of being cancelled or failing to pay.
- Billing issuesA billing issue is a renewal that failed because the payment didn't go through, often because a card expired.
- Refund rateRefund rate is the share of purchases that were paid back to the buyer.
- PaywallA paywall is the screen in your app that asks people to pay, usually listing the plans and what they unlock.
When things go wrong
