At a glance
New vs Returning Users is a retention metric tracked from PostHog data. It splits your active audience into first-time visitors and people who have been seen before, shown as a share of the whole. The balance is a direct read on where your growth comes from: a store leaning heavily on new users is acquisition-driven and fragile, while a healthy returning share means the audience you paid to acquire keeps coming back.
| What it counts | The split of active users into new and returning, shown by share, for the period. |
| Sample type | Backend API data from PostHog, derived from first-seen versus prior-seen users on the standard data refresh. |
| Why it matters | The new-to-returning balance tells you whether growth is durable. Too few returning users means every month starts from scratch. |
| Reading the value | Read the two shares. A rising returning share usually signals improving loyalty and retention. |
| Currency | count |
| Time window | 30D |
| Alert trigger | - |
| Sentiment key | ph_new_vs_returning |
| Roles | owner, marketing |
Calculation
Calculated automatically from your PostHog data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading.Worked example
A representative reading of New vs Returning Users for a typical merchant on PostHog. Suppose the donut shows 68% new and 32% returning over 30 days. After a post-purchase email programme launched on 20 Mar 26, the returning share climbs to 41% while total active users hold steady. That shift means the same traffic is now producing more repeat visits, a healthier mix even without more acquisition spend. Cross-reference D30 Retention and Stickiness to confirm the returning users are genuinely sticking. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to trace upstream causes; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq.Sibling cards merchants should reference together
| Card | Why merchants reach for it |
|---|---|
pos_new_users | Audience sibling: count of new users. |
pos_returning_users | Audience sibling: count of returning users. |
ph_retention_d30 | Retention sibling: 30-day return rate. |
ph_stickiness | Retention sibling: DAU as a share of MAU. |
ph_mau | Executive sibling: monthly active base. |
Reconciling against the vendor’s own dashboard
Where to look in PostHog’s own dashboard: In PostHog, a trend insight broken down by the new-versus-returning user property gives this split. Align the date range and any filters with the Vortex IQ profile. PostHog decides “new” by first-seen date, so a user is new only on their first appearance. Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:| Reason | Direction | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| New definition. “New” is based on first-seen date; identity merges can reclassify users. | Variable | Allow for identity stitching. |
| Window length. A longer window reduces the new share as more users become returning. | Variable | Match the window length. |
| Filter scope. Channel or device filters change the mix. | Variable | Align the filters. |