Activation Rate
Activation rate measures the percentage of new users who complete key actions that indicate they've experienced product value.
- Activation rate is the percentage of signups who reach a defined activation milestone—the moment when users experience meaningful value from your product.
- Common Mistakes:
- Defining activation too early (e.g., just logging in) or too late (e.g., becoming a power user).
- Not having a clear, measurable activation milestone.
- Comparing activation across different user segments without accounting for different value moments.
- Ignoring the time dimension—how quickly users activate matters.
- Focusing only on activation rate without optimizing time-to-activation.
- Not revisiting activation definition as product evolves.
Definition
Activation rate is the percentage of signups who reach a defined activation milestone—the moment when users experience meaningful value from your product.
Clear value proposition and smooth onboarding experience.
Room for onboarding improvements.
Significant friction preventing users from experiencing value.
Formula
Activation Rate (%) = Activated Users / Total New Signups × 100
Variables
Users who completed the activation milestone (e.g., first report created, invite sent).
All users who created accounts in the period.
Examples
Weekly activation rate
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| New signups this week | 200 |
| Users who created first dashboard | 85 |
- 1Activation rate = 85 / 200 × 100
- 2Activation rate = 42.5%
Track in Daymark
Data Sources
Required Fields
- user_id
- signup_date
- activation_event
- activation_date
Sample Questions
- What is the current activation rate?
- Show activation rate trend over the last 3 months
- Calculate time to activation for new users
- What percentage of users activate within 24 hours? 7 days?
- Compare activation rates by signup source
- Which activation steps have the highest drop-off?
- Show activation rate by user persona
Dashboard Template
Weekly activation percentage
How long until users activate
Onboarding step completion
Compare signup week cohorts
Common Mistakes
- •Defining activation too early (e.g., just logging in) or too late (e.g., becoming a power user).
- •Not having a clear, measurable activation milestone.
- •Comparing activation across different user segments without accounting for different value moments.
- •Ignoring the time dimension—how quickly users activate matters.
- •Focusing only on activation rate without optimizing time-to-activation.
- •Not revisiting activation definition as product evolves.
FAQ
Choose the earliest moment when users experience real value—first report run, first invite sent, first task completed, etc.
40-60% is strong for most products. Below 30% suggests onboarding issues.
Ideally yes, but some products need multiple sessions. Track both first-session and 7-day activation.