Determining Month-over-Month Active Users Without Cohorts
What is the best way aside from creating cohorts to determine MAUs for the current month who were also MAUs for the previous month?
What is the best way aside from creating cohorts to determine MAUs for the current month who were also MAUs for the previous month?
Hi Shane, Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
You can do this in an Insights report using MAU metrics and a formula—no cohorts needed.
Steps: 1. Create an Insights report. 2. Add your “active” event(s), set Measurement to Unique Users, then choose MAU from the XAU options. [Users; MAU guide] 3. Click Metrics → Formula. Create: - A = MAU for current month (date range = current month) - B = MAU for previous month (duplicate the metric and set date range = previous month) - C = Users who are MAU in both months: use Compare to past or overlapping date ranges won’t give the intersection directly, so use the advanced Uniques control to assign users by last (or first) segment only if you’re breaking down—however, the knowledge sources do not explicitly document a built-in intersection function in Insights formulas.
Given the docs, Mixpanel doesn’t explicitly document an intersection operator between two MAU windows in Insights. If you need the exact overlap (users who were MAU in both current and previous month) without cohorts, the knowledge sources do not provide a confirmed, built-in way to compute that directly in Insights formulas. [Users; Insights advanced]
Alternative within Retention: - Use a Retention report with birth = Any Event (or your “active” event), retention event = same, unit = month, criteria = “On or After” (or “On” if you strictly want next month), interval_count = 2. This measures users active in month N who return in month N+1, which approximates “MAU last month who were also MAU this month.” [Retention quick start; Retention criteria]
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
I’m sorry, but the knowledge sources don’t document a way to compute the intersection of two MAU windows via an Insights formula (there’s no “AND/intersection” operator for MAU metrics). Insights formulas support only basic arithmetic across metrics, not user-set intersections. [Insights advanced; Users]
Best documented workaround (no cohorts): use a Retention report with: - Returning criteria: Monthly - Birth event: your “active” event - Return event: same “active” event This measures “MAU last month who were also MAU this month.” [Track User Retention]
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
You can’t build that “A = current-month MAU, B = previous-month MAU, C = intersection” setup in a single Insights formula—formulas only do arithmetic across metrics and don’t support per-metric date ranges or user-level intersections. The docs don’t show a way to specify different date ranges per metric inside one formula, nor an “AND” operator to get the overlap of two XAU windows. [Insights advanced; Users]
Best supported approach (no cohorts): use a Retention report - Birth event: your “active” event - Return event: same “active” event - Time unit: Month - Retention mode: “On” (month N users who also return in month N+1) or “On or After” if you want a looser definition. [Track User Retention]
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.