# Sign Up vs Sign In: How Many Steps Does Each Take?

Source: Lazyweb Research
Published: 2026-07-07
Sample size: n=149
Tags: signup, onboarding, mobile, ux-patterns, experiments
HTML: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/signup-vs-signin-how-many-steps
Markdown: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/signup-vs-signin-how-many-steps.md

**Answer.** Across 149 signup flows and 118 signin flows tracked by Lazyweb Research, signup averages 6.2 steps versus 4.7 for signin — about 1.5 steps, or 32%, longer.[1][2] Median signup is 5 steps (range 2-16); median signin is 4 (range 2-15).

> Signup flows average 6.2 steps vs 4.7 for signin — 32% longer — across 149 signup and 118 signin flows (Lazyweb Research, July 2026).

## The finding

Signup flows average 6.2 steps (median 5, range 2-16) across 149 flows from 146 companies.[1] Signin flows average 4.7 steps (median 4, range 2-15) across 118 flows from 112 companies.[2] Signup is roughly 1.5 steps — about 32% — longer than signin.[3]

## Signup vs signin length

| Flow | Flows | Mean steps | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signup | 149 | 6.2 | 5 | 2-16 [1] |
| Signin | 118 | 4.7 | 4 | 2-15 [2] |

The extra ~1.5 steps in signup is where profile fields, consent, verification, and onboarding prompts accumulate.

## How to apply it

Treat 6 steps as the tracked norm for signup and ~5 for signin — if your signup runs to 10+ steps you are in the long tail (the max observed is 16).[1] Every step you can defer past account creation moves you toward the shorter end of the distribution. Because signin is where returning users live, keeping it near the 4-5 step median matters for reactivation, not just first-run conversion.[2]

## Caveats

Steps are counted per merged flow (positions via ROW_NUMBER, never raw step values), and flows are matched by name regex on flow titles.[1] The family's earlier '6.4 steps' sketch does not match the final pull; the correct signup average is 6.2.[1]

## The numbers

| Stat | Computed from |
| --- | --- |
| 6.2 steps avg (median 5, range 2-16), n=149 flows / 146 companies | signup_vs_signin_steps: signup |
| 4.7 steps avg (median 4, range 2-15), n=118 flows / 112 companies | signup_vs_signin_steps: signin |
| ~1.5 steps / 32% longer | signup_vs_signin_steps: 6.2 vs 4.7 = 1.5 diff, 1.5/4.7=32% |

## Methodology

Universe: 149 signup and 118 signin flows (name-regex merged) across tracked apps. Steps counted per canonical flow, July 2026. Caveat: flows matched by title regex; signup avg is 6.2 (not the 6.4 in the earlier family sketch).

## Sources & citations

- [1] Lazyweb Research analysis of 267 auth flows (149 signup + 118 signin flows across ~800 tracked apps), July 2026. Flow length = COUNT of steps per merged flow_canonical_id; signup vs signin split by name regex on flow titles; positions via ROW_NUMBER.

## Related questions

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- [What Percentage of Apps Offer Sign In With Apple vs Google vs Email?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/sign-in-with-apple-vs-google-vs-email-prevalence)
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