How to use the retention rate calculator
Take one group of users who installed or signed up on the same day, called a cohort. Enter how many there were, then how many of them were active again on day 1, day 7, and day 30. The calculator shows classic retention for each day and compares day 1, day 7, and day 30 with the all-app medians Adjust published in April 2024: 26%, 13%, and 7%.
Games keep fewer users than most apps. GameAnalytics puts the 2025 median for mobile games at about 22% on day 1 and just under 4% on day 7, so judge a game against those numbers instead. App retention benchmarks has the full tables and sources.
The formulas
Day N retention = users active on day N / new users on day 0 x 100
Lost between day 1 and day 7 = (active on day 1 - active on day 7) / active on day 1 x 100
Day 7 users kept on day 30 = active on day 30 / active on day 7 x 100This is classic retention: a user counts only if they were active on exactly that day. Rolling retention also counts users who came back on any later day, so it is always higher. What is retention rate? explains both.
A worked example
An illustrative app gets 1,000 new users on Monday. 260 come back on Tuesday, 130 are active a week later, and 70 a month later. That is 26% day 1, 13% day 7, and 7% day 30 retention, exactly the Adjust all-app medians. Half of the day 1 users are gone by day 7, and 54% of the day 7 users are still there on day 30.
What the numbers tell you
- Low day 1 retention points at onboarding, a slow first session, or users who did not expect what they got from your ads or store page.
- A big drop from day 1 to day 7 means the first sessions do not build a habit. Daily goals, streaks, and reminders help.
- Compare by install source. A cheap source with poor retention can cost more per retained user than an expensive one. The LTV and CAC calculator turns retention into money.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good day 1 retention rate?
Across all app categories, Adjust reported a median of 26% in April 2024. For mobile games, GameAnalytics put the 2025 median at about 22%.
What is a good day 7 retention rate?
Adjust’s all-app median is 13%. For mobile games, the 2025 median from GameAnalytics is just under 4%, and the top 10% reach 11% to 12%.
Should I use classic or rolling retention?
Use classic retention when you compare with published benchmarks, because most of them use it. Rolling retention is useful to see how many users are still around at all.
How many users do I need for a reliable number?
The more the better. With a few dozen users, one person changes the result by several points, so wait for a few hundred before you act on it.