In short
Weekly active users (WAU) is the number of unique users who perform a meaningful action in a product during a seven-day period. It suits apps that people use a few times a week rather than every day. Teams track WAU alongside daily and monthly active users to see how often people return.
Why it matters for apps
Not every app is a daily app. For products such as fitness, banking or mobility apps, a weekly rhythm can be healthy, and WAU measures it better than daily numbers.
- Right rhythm: WAU matches the natural usage pattern of many apps, so it gives a fairer view of engagement than DAU.
- Ratios: WAU divided by MAU shows how many monthly users come back every week.
- Common mistake: Counting app opens or logins. Define "active" as a meaningful action, such as a workout logged or a payment made.
- Design choice: Pick one primary active-user metric that fits your product, and keep the definition stable over time.
Industry examples
A gym app tracks WAU because most members train two or three times a week, not every day (hypothetical).
A bike-sharing app measures WAU to see how many riders use bikes every week for commuting (hypothetical).
Build it with StriveCloud
StriveCloud is not an analytics tool, so you measure WAU in your product analytics. StriveCloud adds weekly reasons to return: weekly time challenges, weekly streak stats, leaderboards paired with them, and weekly tiers.
Want to try this? See app engagement software
Frequently asked questions
What does WAU mean?
WAU stands for weekly active users: the number of unique users who take a meaningful action in a product within a seven-day period.
When should you use WAU instead of DAU?
Use WAU when people naturally use your product a few times a week, such as fitness, banking or mobility apps. DAU would make those apps look less engaged than they are.
How do you calculate the WAU to MAU ratio?
Divide weekly active users by monthly active users. The result shows what share of your monthly users also come back in a given week.