using <month1 or =month1 when measuring retention

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When measuring retention in Mixpanel, you have different options for how to define the time intervals. The choice between "On or After" (unbounded) and "On" (bounded) retention criteria depends on your specific use case.

This is Mixpanel's default retention calculation method, also referred to as "Month 1 or After" in your question. It calculates the percentage of users who come back on a specific time unit (day, week, month) or any time unit afterward. For example, if you're looking at Month 1 retention with the "On or After" criteria, it will count users who returned in Month 1 OR any month after that.Mixpanel recommends this for most businesses because: - It better shows how long you're holding onto users in an absolute sense - It's the opposite of overall user churn - Most products don't require users to come back in each specific time unit to achieve valueMixpanel Documentation explains that this is useful when you care about users eventually returning, not just in a specific time unit.

This is referred to as "=Month1" or "Month 1" in your question. It calculates the percentage of users who come back on a specific and exact time unit.For example, Month 1 retention with the "On" criteria will only count users who returned exactly in Month 1 (not before, not after).This is useful for: - Understanding high-level usage patterns - Products that rely on users returning in each and every time unit - Metrics like monthly active usersAccording to a Mixpanel Community post, "N-Day retention metrics (bounded) are more important when looking into metrics like monthly active users."

- Use "On or After" (unbounded) when you want to measure overall retention and don't care exactly when users return, just that they do eventually. - Use "On" (bounded) when the specific timing of return is important, such as for subscription-based products where you expect users to return at regular intervals.You can select your preferred retention criteria in the Retention report under the "Retention Criteria" section in the advanced menu.I hope this helps clarify the difference between these two retention measurement approaches in Mixpanel!

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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚

I understand you're looking for more clarity on the distinction between "<1 month" and "=1 month" retention groups in Mixpanel. Let me explain the difference.

In Mixpanel's Retention report, you have two main options for measuring retention intervals:

The "<1 month" notation refers to the "On or After" retention criteria. This means: - Users who come back within the first month OR any time after that period - This is cumulative and shows users who returned at any point after the initial action - It's Mixpanel's default calculation methodAs explained in the <https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/reports/retention#retention-criteria|Retention Criteria documentation>, "On or After" retention "calculates the percentage of users who come back on a specific time unit (e.g. day, week, month) or any time unit afterward."

The "=1 month" notation refers to the "On" retention criteria. This means: - Only users who come back exactly during the specified time period (the first month in this case) - Users who return before or after this specific period are not counted - This is more precise about when users returnThe documentation states that "'On' Retention calculates the percentage of users who come back on a specific time unit (e.g. day, week, month)."

- Use "<1 month" (On or After) when you want to know if users are retained in your product over time, regardless of exactly when they return. This gives you a better sense of overall retention and is the opposite of churn.- Use "=1 month" (On) when the specific timing of return is important to your business model, such as subscription services where you expect users to return at regular intervals.According to Mixpanel, "On or After" retention is better for most businesses because most products don't require users to come back in each specific time unit to achieve the product's value proposition.You can select your preferred retention criteria in the Retention report under the advanced settings menu.Does this help clarify the distinction between these two retention measurement approaches?<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXAINxxuATo|Learn to Use Mixpanel> has a video that explains these two retention calculations in detail if you'd like a visual explanation.

ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.