---
title: Segments and cohorts
description: "Understand when to use an Amplitude segment versus a cohort, and how to convert a saved segment into a cohort that stays in sync with the segment definition."
product: analytics
lang: en
last_updated: 2026-10-29
token_estimate: 294
---
# Segments and cohorts

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Segments and [cohorts](https://amplitude.com/docs/analytics/behavioral-cohorts) both narrow Amplitude analysis to a group, but they serve different purposes.

- **Segment**: An advanced filter for analysis. A segment returns the events that meet a set of user, session, or event conditions.
- **Cohort**: An audience. A cohort returns the set of users who met conditions in a fixed or dynamic date range. You can use a cohort as an analysis filter, but its primary use is activation in other Amplitude products or external tools.

A user-scoped segment automatically uses the date range of the chart or dashboard you apply it to. A cohort uses its own date range. Use a user-scoped segment when the filter should follow the chart's date range.

## Convert a segment to a cohort

You can convert a saved segment to a cohort in one step. During conversion, select the date range the cohort uses. Amplitude applies any later changes to the segment definition to the cohort automatically.