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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryStrategy & FrameworksPirate Metrics (AARRR)

Strategy & Frameworks

Pirate Metrics (AARRR)

Dave McClure's 2007 startup framework tracking Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Pirate Metrics, or AARRR, is Dave McClure's 2007 startup framework tracking Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue. Named for how the acronym sounds, it breaks growth into stages so teams can find where users drop off. It helps prioritize experiments on the stage with the biggest constraint on growth.