How does an event-based segment differ from a behavioural cohort?

In most tools the mechanism is the same and the difference is convention. Cohort usually implies a group anchored to a shared starting point and followed over time, while segment implies a condition reapplied across reports. Take your tool's own label as the guide rather than the general sense of the words.

Event-based Segment

Intermediate

Updated Jul 11, 2026 Shahin editorial 2 min read

PronunciationEN/ɪˈvɛnt beɪst ˈsɛɡmənt/

An event-based segment is a group of users defined by what they did, such as performing a given event a set number of times within a time window.

The definition has four parts: the event itself, a count condition, a time window, and optionally a filter on that event's properties. Those four parts are what separate it from a property-based segment, which relies on user attributes such as city or plan and does not look at behaviour at all. Behavioural definitions are usually dynamic: membership is recomputed as new events arrive, so users enter and leave without anyone editing the definition, and comparing a segment's size on two dates compares two different populations. The common mistake is defining the segment on the very event being studied as the outcome, which yields a group guaranteed to convert and proves nothing.

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