KPI for Apps: How to Adjust Your Growth Strategy When Vanity Metrics Stop Working
Today’s Tip: Most apps are tracking the wrong KPIs… here’s how to rethink your strategy in 2025 (and the exact KPIs I recommend using instead).
If you’re building or scaling an app, your dashboard is probably packed with metrics that look impressive… but don’t tell you anything useful.
DAUs, MAUs, download spikes, screen time, sessions — most of it is noise if you’re not clear on what phase you’re in and what you’re optimizing for.
This means, in 2025, one of three things will happen to apps that keep using surface-level KPIs:
1. You keep chasing installs – and slowly realize most of those installs churn within 7 days. Your growth looks good on paper, but LTV is tanking.
2. You keep optimizing retention – but forget to tie it to revenue. Your usage metrics look solid, but monetization stays flat.
3. You overhaul your KPIs – and finally align your team around metrics that drive long-term growth, product-market fit, and compounding revenue.
Let’s talk about how to do that.
Here’s where I think app KPIs are headed (and where your focus should be if you want to win this year):
The obvious: There are some KPIs that are still essential, but only when paired with the right context. Think:
Retention (Day 1, 7, 30)
Session Length
Feature Adoption
Crash-Free Sessions
The problem? Most teams track these… but don’t act on them.
The non-obvious: You need one or two north star KPIs tied directly to user value. For example:
# of successful workouts completed (fitness app)
# of invoices sent (freelancer tool)
# of repeat orders (commerce app)
These are the KPIs that actually tell you if users are getting what they came for.
The sleeper: The most overlooked KPI for apps is Time to First Value (TTFV) — how long it takes a new user to hit the first “aha” moment.
Optimizing this one number often drives a bigger impact than anything else, especially in onboarding.
Here’s how I’m advising product teams to play it this year
Cut the noise: You don’t need a 12-metric dashboard. Pick 3 KPIs that directly map to value delivery, retention, and monetization. Make these your team’s heartbeat.
Track KPIs by cohort: Stop averaging your metrics across all users. It hides problems. Instead, look at them by acquisition channel, user type, or plan tier.
Use KPIs to shape roadmaps: Your metrics should be decision tools, not reporting tools. If your KPIs don’t influence what gets prioritized in your next sprint, they’re useless.
The big takeaway is this… KPIs are only powerful if they drive focus and action
If your team looks at metrics once a week and says “cool”… nothing will change.
If your team obsesses over the right KPIs and makes decisions from them… you’ll ship faster, learn faster, and grow smarter.
Also, let this be a reminder: revenue is not a lagging indicator — it’s a proof point that your KPIs are aligned with customer value.
PS – If you want a curated list of the most effective KPIs for apps (by stage, category, and business model), book a FREE Zoom call with me.
People also read:
How to Launch an App That Succeeds: Why the MVP Isn't Enough Anymore
QA Process Steps That Can Save $50K+ and Avoid Embarrassment
The easiest way to answer: “How long does it take to make an app?”