Finding customers and growing
Activation rate
Activation rate is the share of new sign-ups who reach the first action that shows they got real value, often called the aha moment, instead of trying once and leaving.
Also called activation
Looking this up for a class, a job, or something you want to build? If it is the last one, nommi reads your idea before you spend months on it.
You define it for your own product, such as making a first list in a task app. A low rate means people leave before they see why the product exists. That is a different problem from nobody hearing about you, and it needs a different fix.
What recent RevenueCat data says
The first day matters: in RevenueCat's 2026 report on subscription apps, 55% of all 3-day trial cancellations happened on the first day. The report does not measure activation, only when trials end.
- Share of 3-day trial cancellations that happen on the first day: 55%.
Source: RevenueCat, State of Subscription Apps 2026. More than 115,000 subscription apps on RevenueCat, not all apps. As of 5 November 2026.
When this shows up
Example, not a real founder: plenty of people visit, a good share sign up, and very few come back. The sign-up flow asks for a lot of setup before anything useful happens, so most people leave before the payoff.
What to do next
Name the one action that means a new user got value. Then watch a few new users try to reach it, and note where each one stops.
Go deeper
Flat for months. Should you pivot or keep pushing?
A read on whether people find, use, return to and pay for your product, or a note when there is too little to judge.
Read the guideOr go straight to the tool