Sign Up vs Sign In: How Many Steps Does Each Take?
- By Ali Abouelatta
- n = 149
- Published
- Updated
- 2 min read
- signup · onboarding · mobile · ux-patterns · experiments
Short 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.source[1]number[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.source[1] Signin flows average 4.7 steps (median 4, range 2-15) across 118 flows from 112 companies.number[2] Signup is roughly 1.5 steps — about 32% — longer than signin.number[3]
Signup vs signin length
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).source[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.number[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.source[1] The family's earlier '6.4 steps' sketch does not match the final pull; the correct signup average is 6.2.source[1]
Real in-market screens
Screens from real, in-market apps, tracked by Lazyweb Research.
Product Hunt1206 × 2622opens the full image 
Nordvpn1125 × 2436opens the full image 
Manus1206 × 2622opens the full image 
Reelshort1206 × 2622opens the full image
The numbers
| # | Stat | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | 6.2 steps avg (median 5, range 2-16), n=149 flows / 146 companies | signup_vs_signin_steps: signup |
| [2] | 4.7 steps avg (median 4, range 2-15), n=118 flows / 112 companies | signup_vs_signin_steps: signin |
| [3] | ~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
- [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.
Source: Lazyweb Research — proprietary analysis of real, in-market app screens. Cite as Lazyweb Research, 2026-07-07.
Explore the evidence
- Full 45-frame August 2026 capture
- Three captured screens · August 2026