What is activation rate? Formula and how to choose the activation event

What is activation rate?

Activation rate is the share of new users who reach the first moment of real value: the report with their own data, the first project shared, the first order received. It sits between acquisition and retention in AARRR, and it is often where the largest losses are.

activation rate = new users who did the activation event within N days ÷ new users

The window matters. "Activated within 1 day" and "within 14 days" are different numbers; pick one and keep it.

Choose the event by testing it

A good activation event predicts that people stay. Compare candidates (sample data, users who signed up in September):

Connecting a data source separates staying users from leaving ones far better than the others; opening settings says almost nothing. With 540 of 1,800 sign-ups doing it, activation rate is 30%.

Common mistakes

• Choosing an easy event that almost everyone does; it cannot predict anything.
• Moving the window between reports.
• Mixing cohorts: count users by sign-up date, not by the date they activated.
• One number for all channels: activation often differs widely by source and plan.

Activation rate in TapCub

Set the activation event on the AARRR tab of All-platform analytics › Configuration › Business settings; it starts empty. Business › AARRR growth then counts new users in the period who do it during the period or within 7 days after it ends. If activation is left empty, the stage falls back to sign-up. See onboarding metrics and time to value.

See also: App onboarding.