---
title: ARPDAU: Revenue per Daily Active User Calculator
description: ARPDAU, average revenue per daily active user: daily vs period-weighted versions, ad plus purchase revenue, use in game economics and a free browser calculator.
url: https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpdau/
---

# Average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU)

Monetisation metric. Do they pay, and is it worth what they cost?

27 Arpd Revenue per daily active user Monetisation

Definition

## What is average revenue per daily active user?

**Average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) is one day's revenue divided by that day's active users, usually averaged over a week or a month.**

**Ad ARPDAU:** ad revenue only, divided by DAU.

Formula

## How to calculate ARPDAU

`ARPDAU = Daily revenue ÷ DAU`

**Daily revenue**

purchase, subscription and ad revenue for the day

**DAU**

unique users active that day

### Where definitions differ

| Variant | Formula | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted ARPDAU over a period | Total revenue in the period ÷ Sum of daily DAU | Weights busy days more; the recommended way to average. |
| Mean of daily ARPDAU | Average of each day's ratio | Gives quiet days equal weight; can differ from the weighted figure. |

Calculator

## ARPDAU calculator

> Interactive tool (metric calculator): runs in the browser at https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpdau/#metric-calc. Its text content follows.

**ARPDAU calculator**

**Example inputs: change them to your own numbers.** The examples only make the calculator show a worked answer; they are not benchmarks or targets. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

**ARPDAU (weighted)**

$0.10

**Track this automatically**

Send purchase revenue to your MMP so daily revenue per active user can be compared by channel.

- [Revenue tracking docs](https://docs.linkrunner.io/api-reference/revenue-tracking?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=metric-arpdau&utm_content=panel)
- [Events tab docs](https://docs.linkrunner.io/features/events-tab?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=metric-arpdau&utm_content=panel)

[Create a free account (25k installs free)](https://dashboard.linkrunner.io/sign-in?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=metric-arpdau&utm_content=panel)

Answer

## Why do games use ARPDAU instead of ARPU?

Game economies change daily with events, offers and ad placements, so a daily revenue metric shows the effect of a change within days. Multiplied by the average number of days a player stays, it also gives a quick [LTV](https://linkrunner.io/glossary/what-is-lifetime-value?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=metric-arpdau&utm_content=inline) estimate.

By vertical

## How ARPDAU differs by vertical

| [EdTech](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/edtech/) | Rarely used; monthly ARPU fits subscription learning better. |
|---|---|
| [Fintech](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/fintech/) | Rarely used. |
| [OTT and streaming](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/ott/) | Used for ad-supported tiers. |
| [Gaming](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/gaming/) | A standard live-ops metric. |

Pitfalls

## Common mistakes

- Averaging daily ratios and calling it the period ARPDAU.
- Comparing ARPDAU with and without ad revenue.

Related

## Related metrics

[25 Arpu Average revenue per user](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpu/) [13 Dau Daily active users](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/dau/) [30 Ltv Lifetime value](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ltv/) [21 Lvl Level progression rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/level-progression/)

FAQ

## Questions

**How do you calculate ARPDAU?**

Divide a day's revenue by that day's DAU. For a month, divide the month's revenue by the sum of daily DAU: $45k over 450k user-days is $0.10.

**Does ARPDAU include ad revenue?**

Usually yes in games, because many players never pay and earn revenue only through ads. Label the figure if you leave ads out.

**How does ARPDAU relate to LTV?**

A simple estimate multiplies ARPDAU by the expected number of active days per user, which comes from adding up the retention curve.

**Why do tools report different values for the same metric?**

Because definitions differ: what counts as active, which attribution window applies, whether organic users are included and how days are cut by timezone. Align the definition before comparing numbers.

**Which currency do the calculators use?**

The calculators show US dollars, but every formula works in any currency: enter your own figures in the currency you report in and read the results in that currency.

**What is the difference between a metric and a KPI?**

A metric is any measured quantity; a KPI is a metric a team has chosen as a target for judging performance. Most metrics here become KPIs only for the teams whose work moves them.