Quick Answer (TL;DR)
Session Duration measures average time spent per session. The formula is Total time in sessions / Number of sessions. Industry benchmarks: SaaS: 5-15 min; Gaming: 20-40 min. Track this metric when measuring depth of engagement.
What Is Session Duration?
Average time spent per session. This is one of the core metrics in the engagement metrics category and is essential for any product team serious about data-driven decision making.
Session Duration measures how deeply users interact with your product after the initial activation. Strong engagement is the bridge between activation and retention --- users who engage deeply are far more likely to stick around and eventually pay (or pay more).
Understanding session duration in context --- alongside related metrics --- gives you a more complete picture than tracking it in isolation. Use it as part of a balanced metrics dashboard.
The Formula
Total time in sessions / Number of sessions
How to Calculate It
Track timestamps for each event. If you measure five cases with durations of 2, 4, 5, 8, and 11 hours, the median is 5 hours. Use the median rather than the mean to avoid skew from outliers.
Benchmarks
SaaS: 5-15 min; Gaming: 20-40 min
Benchmarks vary significantly by industry, company stage, business model, and customer segment. Use these ranges as starting points and calibrate to your own historical data over 2-3 quarters. Your trend matters more than any absolute number --- consistent improvement is the goal.
When to Track Session Duration
When measuring depth of engagement. Specifically, prioritize this metric when:
You are building or reviewing your metrics dashboard and need engagement indicators
Leadership or investors ask about engagement performance
You suspect a change in product, pricing, or go-to-market strategy has affected this area
You are running experiments that could impact session duration
You need a quantitative baseline before making a strategic decision
How to Improve
Reduce unnecessary steps. Map the process from start to finish and eliminate anything that does not directly contribute to the outcome. Fewer steps means faster completion.
Build habit loops. Design triggers (notifications, emails, integrations) that bring users back to perform the core action on a regular cadence. Habits drive sustainable engagement.
Improve feature discovery. Users cannot engage with features they do not know exist. Use contextual tips, progressive disclosure, and smart defaults to surface relevant capabilities at the right time.
Study power users. Your most engaged users reveal the product's highest-value workflows. Analyze their behavior patterns and find ways to guide other users toward similar usage.
Common Pitfalls
Using averages instead of medians. Time-based metrics are often skewed by outliers. A few extremely slow cases can inflate the average and mask the typical experience. Use medians for a more accurate picture.
Confusing activity with value. High engagement numbers can mask users who are struggling rather than thriving. Pair engagement metrics with satisfaction and outcome metrics.
Measuring without acting. Tracking this metric is only valuable if you have a process for reviewing it regularly and a playbook for responding when it moves outside acceptable ranges.
Related Metrics
DAU/WAU Ratio --- proportion of weekly users who use the product daily
Sessions Per User --- average number of sessions per user per period
DAU/MAU Ratio (Stickiness) --- proportion of monthly users who use the product daily
Pages/Screens Per Session --- average number of pages viewed per session
Product Metrics Cheat Sheet --- complete reference of 100+ metrics