How to measure mobile app performance: 10 metrics every business should track in 2025.

It's not enough to just build a great app. You need to understand how it's performing. Mobile app performance goes beyond simple download numbers; it involves a deeper look into how users interact with your app, where they get stuck, and why they stay or leave. By tracking the right mobile app performance metrics, you can gain a complete picture of your app's health and identify opportunities for mobile app performance optimization.

What are mobile app analytics?

Mobile app analytics capture, measure, and analyze customer behavior and experience while users interact with your mobile application. Mobile app analytics tools reveal insights on customer pain and friction points, allowing you to improve the customer/user experience.

There are two types of mobile applications: native and hybrid. Native apps are specifically developed for a mobile operating system (i.e., Android or iOS). Native and web apps combine to form hybrid applications. Hybrid applications are connected to the company’s website but connect to the mobile platform’s capabilities once installed, operating similarly to a native app. However, they’re restricted to the website’s navigational elements.

A mobile-first design approach is essential for customer satisfaction for both native and hybrid app development. This approach is vital for usability, user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), and to keep pace with mobile device popularity.

Why mobile performance is more critical than ever.

The role of mobile apps is shifting. While they've always been a channel for commerce, the latest data from our 2025 Mobile Benchmark shows that consumers are increasingly using their phones for self-service, research, and support.

• Mobile traffic continues to rise: Mobile traffic now accounts for 77% of all digital traffic, a 5% increase from last year.
• The rise of self-service: The data points toward self-service with 38% of consumers using their mobile device for self-service tools at least once a day—a significant jump from 24% in 2024.
• The new battleground is utility: Technical stability is now considered table stakes. To earn that coveted home screen real estate, an app must provide continuous, support-oriented value long after the initial conversion is complete.

This shift means digital brands need to take a close look at their mobile journeys to identify when, how, and even where consumers are turning to mobile for help. Understanding these new behaviors is the key to creating an app that users will not just download, but keep and use regularly.

With this context in mind, here are 10 key metrics every business should track to effectively measure and improve their mobile app performance.

1. Daily and monthly active users (DAU & MAU).

These metrics provide a foundational understanding of your app's engagement. Daily active users (DAUs) measure the number of unique users who open your app each day, while monthly active users (MAUs) track this over a 30-day period. The ratio of DAU to MAU gives you a stickiness ratio, which reveals how consistently users are returning. A high stickiness ratio indicates a highly engaging and useful app.

2. Cost per install (CPI).

This metric helps you understand the efficiency of your marketing efforts. Cost per install (CPI) is calculated by dividing your total ad spend by the number of new app installs attributed to that campaign. Tracking CPI is essential for ensuring your user acquisition strategy is cost-effective and sustainable. It directly impacts your overall cost of customer acquisition.

3. Stickiness ratio.

As mentioned above, the stickiness ratio is calculated by dividing your DAUs by your MAUs and multiplying by 100. This metric is a powerful indicator of user loyalty and engagement. A high ratio suggests that users find your app so valuable that they are using it on a very frequent basis.

4. Retention rate.

The retention rate shows the percentage of users who return to your app after their initial install. A high retention rate is critical because acquiring new users is significantly more expensive than retaining existing ones. Tracking this metric helps you understand the long-term value your app provides and is a key indicator of app health.

5. Churn rate.

The churn rate is the inverse of the retention rate. It measures the percentage of users who stop using your app over a given period. A high churn rate can signal that users are encountering significant friction or that your app is not meeting their needs. Analyzing churn is a crucial step in mobile app performance testing to identify and fix problems that cause users to leave.

6. Exit rate.

The exit rate measures the specific point in your app where users are dropping off. By identifying the screens or features with the highest exit rates, you can pinpoint problematic stages in the user journey. For example, if a high percentage of users are exiting on a particular screen during the onboarding process, it's a strong signal to investigate that specific step for potential usability issues.

7. Customer lifetime value (CLV).

Customer lifetime value (CLV) estimates the total revenue a customer will generate for your business over the entire period of their relationship with your app. This metric helps you understand the long-term profitability of your user base and can inform how much you should be willing to spend on acquiring and retaining them.

8. App crashes.

Poor stability is a surefire way to lose users. App crashes, freezes, and errors directly impact the user experience and are a primary reason for uninstalls. Monitoring app crashes is a fundamental part of mobile app performance testing and is crucial for maintaining a reliable and trustworthy application.

9. App load time and latency.

Users expect fast and responsive apps. App load time measures how quickly your app opens, while latency measures the time it takes for the app to respond to a user's command. Slow load times and high latency can cause user frustration and lead to a high exit rate. These technical performance metrics are vital for ensuring a smooth user experience.

10. User journey analytics.

Understanding the full user journey—from their first interaction to their last—is key to creating a truly optimized app experience. This metric involves tracking how users navigate through your app, which features they use, and which paths they take. By mapping out the user journey, you can identify friction points, improve navigation, and create more personalized experiences.

Beyond the mobile app metrics.

Tracking the right metrics is essential, but it’s only half the battle. The true differentiator for brands today is moving beyond what is happening in your app to understanding the why behind your customers' behavior. Given that mobile has become a primary channel for self-service and support, a deep understanding of the user journey is no longer optional—it's the key to providing a seamless, helpful, and engaging experience.

Don't just measure your app's performance; understand it. By embracing a deeper, more contextual view of your user behavior, you can transform your mobile app from a transactional tool into a vital support channel that keeps customers coming back.