Free worksheet
Mobile onboarding benchmark template
Use this template to establish a defensible onboarding baseline, identify the step costing the most users, and compare a product release against an equivalent cohort. It deliberately avoids generic “good conversion” ranges: those figures are rarely comparable across apps.
How to use it
- Copy the definitions below into your analytics specification or spreadsheet.
- Record one completed baseline cohort before changing onboarding.
- After a release, compare the same entry event, window, platforms, and acquisition mix.
- Prioritise the step with both a meaningful loss count and a plausible product explanation.
1. Lock the cohort definition
Replace the example values before calculating any rate. A stable denominator makes week-over-week comparisons useful.
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cohort start | 2026-07-01 | Use the first day a user enters the funnel. |
| Cohort end | 2026-07-07 | Keep the comparison window the same each time. |
| Entry event | account_created | The event that puts a user into onboarding. |
| Activation event | first_project_created | The first meaningful product outcome, not merely a completed tutorial. |
| Conversion window | 7 days | Time allowed to reach activation. |
| Included platforms | iOS, Android | Do not silently mix a new platform into a baseline. |
| Acquisition segments | organic, referral, paid | Compare material mix changes before declaring a product win. |
2. Record step-level loss
For each ordered milestone, record the number that completed it and the people lost from the previous step. The example is illustrative only, not an industry benchmark.
| Step | Milestone | Completed | Lost at step | Cumulative conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | account_created | 1,000 | — | 100% |
| 2 | profile_completed | 760 | 240 | 76% |
| 3 | permission_granted | 570 | 190 | 57% |
| 4 | first_project_created | 420 | 150 | 42% |
3. Compare the release honestly
Relative change = (new cohort conversion − baseline conversion) ÷ baseline conversion × 100. Keep raw counts beside the percentage, then inspect the platform, app-version, and acquisition-source splits.
4. Check retention, not just completion
Split later retention between users who activated and those who did not. Higher completion is only meaningful when it helps more users reach lasting value.
Instrument the worksheet in your app
OnRamp turns meaningful onboarding milestones into a funnel, shows the step-level loss, and compares retention by onboarding outcome.