ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User) is a metric that measures the average revenue generated per user who actively engages with an app or platform on a given day. It is particularly popular in mobile gaming and high-frequency consumer apps because it ties monetization performance directly to daily engagement levels. For example, if a gaming app earns $5,000 on a day when 10,000 users are active, the ARPDAU is $0.50.
How is ARPDAU Calculated?
ARPDAU = Total Daily Revenue / Number of Daily Active Users (DAU)
ARPDAU is typically tracked as a daily metric and averaged over a period (e.g., 7-day or 30-day rolling average) to smooth volatility. It is most meaningful when tracked alongside DAU trends — a rising ARPDAU on declining DAU may still mean falling total revenue.
ARPDAU vs. ARPU vs. ARPPU
ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) uses the total active user base (monthly or annual) as the denominator, making it a broader metric. ARPDAU uses daily active users, making it more sensitive to engagement fluctuations. ARPPU (Average Revenue Per Paying User) excludes non-paying users entirely, revealing how much paying customers contribute on average. ARPDAU is best for apps with high daily engagement and varying monetization rates.
Why ARPDAU Matters
ARPDAU helps product and monetization teams understand how effectively they convert daily engagement into revenue. A high DAU with low ARPDAU suggests monetization opportunities are being missed. Improving ARPDAU requires either increasing the spend of existing users (through better in-app purchase mechanics or targeted offers) or increasing the proportion of users who engage with monetized features each day.
How to Improve ARPDAU
Strategies to improve ARPDAU include: personalized in-app offers triggered by behavioral events, time-limited promotions to drive urgency, progressive disclosure of premium features at high-engagement moments, push notifications that re-engage lapsed daily users, and RFM-based segmentation to identify and reward highest-value daily users with exclusive content or offers.
FAQs
What is a good ARPDAU for a mobile game?
ARPDAU benchmarks vary significantly by game genre and region. Casual games may target $0.02–$0.05, while mid-core and hardcore titles can achieve $0.10–$0.50+. Hypercasual games typically have lower ARPDAU but very high DAU. The key is understanding your monetization model and improving ARPDAU relative to your own baseline.
How is ARPDAU used in mobile game analytics?
In mobile gaming, ARPDAU is a core KPI used to evaluate the daily monetization efficiency of the game. It helps developers identify which features, events, or updates drive revenue spikes, and informs decisions about pricing, offer design, and in-game economy balancing.
How does push notification timing affect ARPDAU?
Sending push notifications at optimal times — when users are most likely to open the app and engage with monetized features — directly increases DAU and creates purchase opportunities. AI-driven send-time optimization, like that available in Netcore's push notification platform, ensures messages reach users at the highest-engagement moments to maximize ARPDAU.
Take Action
Boost ARPDAU with Netcore’s App Push Notifications and behavioral segmentation — deliver personalized offers to daily active users at the perfect moment.
