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Cohorts: Group Users by Behavior

Cohorts are groups of users that share a set of properties or perform a similar sequence of events. Mixpanel lets you visually define cohorts, view the users in them, compare them in analysis, and share them across your organization.

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What are Cohorts?

Cohorts represent user segments based on who they are or what they do: Demographic Cohorts:

• US Users - Users from the United States
• Premium Subscribers - Users with premium plans
• Mobile Users - Users on mobile devices

Behavioral Cohorts:

• New Users - Signed up in the past month
• Power Users - Used app on 5 of last 7 days
• Dropped-Off Users - Signed up but didn’t return
• High-Value Customers - Spent over $500 lifetime

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Use Cases

Cohorts enable powerful segmentation and targeting:

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Analysis and Insights

• Compare power users vs casual users
• Track new user growth over time
• Analyze retention by acquisition channel
• Identify high-value customer behaviors

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Marketing and Messaging

• Target campaigns to specific user segments
• Re-engage churned users
• Personalize messaging by user type
• Exclude existing customers from acquisition ads

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Product Development

• Test features with beta user cohort
• Measure feature adoption by segment
• Understand different user personas
• Prioritize based on segment size

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Creating Cohorts

There are three main ways to create cohorts:

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1. From a Report

Click any data point in Insights, Funnels, or Retention:

1. Click a bar, point, or segment
2. Select View Users
3. Click Save as Cohort
4. Name your cohort

Example: In a funnel report, click users who dropped off at checkout to create a “Checkout Abandoners” cohort.

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2. Using the Cohort Builder

The Cohort Builder lets you define precise conditions: Filter by Event Behavior: Example: Users who watched more than 10 videos in the last 7 days Filter by First-Time Actions: Example: Users who watched a video for the first time in the past 30 days Chain Multiple Conditions: Example: Power users who are also premium subscribers

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3. From a CSV File

Upload a list of user IDs to create a cohort: Use Cases:

• Random sample selections
• External data sources
• Lists from other tools
• Custom user groups

Steps:

1. Create CSV with two columns:
   • Column 1: $distinct_id values
   • Column 2: Property value (e.g., “inCohort” = “yes”)

2. Go to Users → Add/Edit Profile → Import from CSV

3. Map columns:
   • Column 1: $distinct_id
   • Column 2: Your property name

4. Create cohort using the new property

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Cohort Conditions

Build sophisticated cohorts with multiple condition types:

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Event-Based Conditions

Basic Event Filters:

• Users who did [event] more than X times
• Users who did [event] in last N days
• Users who did [event] at least once ever

Property Filters:

• Users who did [event] where [property] = [value]
• Users who did [event] where [property] > [number]

Sequence Filters:

• Users who did [event A] and then [event B]
• Users who did [event A] but not [event B]

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Profile-Based Conditions

User Properties:

• Users where [property] equals [value]
• Users where [property] is set
• Users where [property] > [number]

Historical Properties: With historical properties, specify when the property had a value: Example: Users who had “Plan” = “Trial” in the last 30 days

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Combining Conditions

AND Logic:

• All conditions must be true
• Creates more specific segments
• Example: Premium users AND active in last 7 days

OR Logic:

• Any condition can be true
• Creates broader segments
• Example: Watched video OR purchased item

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Using Cohorts in Analysis

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Visualize Cohort Size Over Time

In Insights, select a cohort as a metric:

• See how cohort grows or shrinks
• Track power user population
• Monitor churn cohorts
• Measure acquisition success

Example: Track “Active Premium Users” cohort size daily

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Filter by Cohort

Apply cohorts as filters in any report:

• Focus analysis on specific user segment
• Exclude test users or employees
• Analyze beta users separately
• Compare before/after feature access

Example: Filter all reports to “New Users” (signed up in last 7 days)

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Compare Cohorts

Breakdown metrics by cohorts:

• Power Users vs Casual Users engagement
• Free vs Premium conversion rates
• iOS vs Android retention
• Geographic segment performance

Example: Compare retention for “Organic” vs “Paid” acquisition cohorts

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How Cohorts are Computed

Cohorts are computed dynamically when you use them: Process:

1. Run query to compute current cohort membership
2. Run analysis query filtering to those users

Implications:

• Always Fresh - Cohort membership updates with new data
• Point-in-Time - Uses current membership, not historical
• Performance - Large cohorts may slow queries

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Cohorts vs Funnels for Sequences

When analyzing event sequences, should you use cohorts or funnels? Use Cohorts When:

• You want current users who did sequence
• Comparing user characteristics
• Using in other reports as a filter

Use Funnels When:

• You care about conversion window
• Measuring time to convert
• Tracking conversion rate trends

Example: Cohort: Users who watched comedy video AND subscribed (ever)

• Shows users who did both
• No time relationship
• Static snapshot

Funnel: Watch comedy video → Subscribe (30-day window)

• Measures conversion rate
• Tracks time to convert
• Dynamic trending

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Managing Cohorts

Access all cohorts in Lexicon → Cohorts

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Sharing Cohorts

Visibility Options:

• Private - Only you can see it (default)
• Specific People - Share with selected teammates
• Organization - Everyone in project can use it

Best Practices:

• Share core cohorts organization-wide (New Users, Power Users)
• Add clear descriptions for shared cohorts
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Document cohort definitions

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Exporting Cohorts

CSV Export:

• Download user list from Cohort Builder
• Contains user IDs and basic properties
• Use for external analysis

Cohort Sync:

• Push to native destinations (Segment, Braze, etc.)
• Use webhooks for custom destinations
• Automate marketing campaigns
• Sync with ad platforms

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Deleting Cohorts

In Lexicon → Cohorts:

1. Click ”…” next to cohort
2. Select Delete
3. Confirm deletion

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Real-World Examples

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Example 1: Power Users

Definition:

• Users who used app on 5+ of last 7 days
• AND total sessions > 20
• AND Last seen within 7 days

Use Cases:

• Compare power user behavior vs average
• Test new features with engaged users
• Identify behaviors that drive engagement

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Example 2: Churned Users

Definition:

• Users who signed up
• AND did NOT use app in last 30 days
• AND last seen between 31-90 days ago

Use Cases:

• Re-engagement campaigns
• Win-back messaging
• Churn analysis

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Example 3: High-Value Customers

Definition:

• Users where Lifetime Revenue > $500
• AND Purchase count > 5
• AND Last purchase within 90 days

Use Cases:

• VIP treatment programs
• Loyalty rewards
• Cross-sell campaigns

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Example 4: Activation Cohort

Definition:

• Users who signed up
• AND completed profile
• AND invited 1+ friends
• AND created first project
• Within 7 days of signup

Use Cases:

• Track activation rate trends
• Compare activated vs non-activated retention
• Optimize onboarding flow

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Example 5: Trial Conversion

Definition:

• Users where Current Plan = “Trial”
• AND Trial Start Date between -7 and 0 days
• AND did NOT convert to paid

Use Cases:

• Trial conversion campaigns
• Identify conversion blockers
• Compare trial behaviors

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Tips for Effective Cohort Usage

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Common Questions

Q: Can I create cohorts for users who dropped off in a funnel? A: Yes! In a Funnels report, click the drop-off segment and select “View Users” → “Save as Cohort”. Q: How do I find users who did Event A but NOT Event B? A: In the Cohort Builder:

• Add condition: Users who did Event A
• Add condition: Users who did NOT do Event B
• Combine with AND logic

Q: Why is my cohort size changing? A: Cohorts are dynamic and recompute with current data. Use specific date ranges in conditions to create more stable cohorts. Q: Can I combine multiple cohorts? A: Yes! Create a new cohort with conditions:

• User in Cohort A AND User in Cohort B (intersection)
• User in Cohort A OR User in Cohort B (union)

Q: How do I exclude a cohort from analysis? A: Add a filter: “User NOT in [Cohort Name]“

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Next Steps

• Use cohorts in Insights for segmented analysis
• Compare cohorts in Funnels
• Track cohort retention in Retention
• Learn about Cohort Sync for marketing automation