ARPU: how to use Average Revenue Per User effectively

A guide to ARPU: definitions, segmentation ideas, and how ARPU interacts with retention and LTV.

Updated 2026-01-05

Definition

ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) is revenue divided by average active users in a period. It's useful for tracking monetization and pricing performance over time.

Formula

ARPU = revenue / average active users

How to segment ARPU

  • By plan/tier to see packaging performance.
  • By acquisition channel to understand lead quality and upsell potential.
  • By geography to reflect different pricing and payment behaviors.

Pair ARPU with retention

  • ARPU + churn roughly determines LTV in simple models.
  • If ARPU rises but churn rises too, you may be pricing out the wrong segments.
  • Look for stable ARPU growth without degrading retention cohorts.

More in saas metrics

ARR: how to think about Annual Recurring Revenue