Threads nearly matches X daily app users growth

Threads Is Catching Up as X Faces New Pressures: Mobile, Monetization, and Market Shifts

Threads is narrowing the distance with rival X in daily mobile engagement, according to new Similarweb data broken down in TechCrunch. The network is riding a surge in user growth, raising the stakes for creators and brand marketers tracking where to invest their resources for maximum reach.

The competitive landscape for text-based social networking is intensifying after the departure of X CEO Linda Yaccarino was announced in July 2025. With this leadership change, X faces increased pressure from emerging rivals and shifting user engagement trends.

Year-over-year, the Elon Musk-owned social network has seen its daily active user base decline by roughly 10% as of the second quarter of 2025, according to app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. While X’s user base is still 65% larger than Meta’s Threads and 10 times larger than Bluesky, its lead is eroding as growth trends favor competitors. Notably, X users spend an average of 31 minutes per day on the platform—nearly quadruple the 8 minutes seen on Threads—though 48% of X’s global monthly app users interact daily, versus 33% for Threads. Still, the gap is narrowing.

According to Similarweb, Threads reached 115.1 million daily active users on its iOS and Android apps in June 2025—an impressive 127.8% increase year-over-year. X, formerly Twitter, reported 132 million daily actives, but growth there has slumped, declining 15.2% over the same period. Sensor Tower’s data further notes that over the past year, Threads’ global app daily actives were up 160% year-over-year, fueled by frequent feature rollouts and integration with Meta’s other apps like Facebook and Instagram.

Compared to its rivals, Threads clearly leads Bluesky, which, despite a 372.5% year-on-year jump, logs just 4.1 million daily actives. Bluesky’s total user base now sits above 37 million. This growth, however, is not translating to comparable daily engagement on mobile—a sign of the difference in mainstream traction.

On the web, the picture shifts dramatically. X rules desktop with 145.8 million daily web visits globally, while Threads trails with 6.9 million and Bluesky sits just behind with 5.3 million. The disparity shows Threads' clear emphasis on mobile-first experiences, a strategy that has gained traction since launch, even as its web expansion draws little new engagement.

In the U.S., Bluesky outpaces Threads in web traffic, drawing 2.4 million average daily visits compared to Threads' 985,200 in June. Creators seeing strong engagement on Bluesky may be benefiting from this concentration of power users and news seekers, especially in a political year marked by high-profile user migrations.

Mobile, though, is tighter. Threads has 15.3 million daily U.S. app users, closing in on X at 22.9 million. Bluesky lags far behind with just 1.1 million U.S. actives on mobile, illustrating the uphill battle new entrants face against established giants in the day-to-day conversation game.

Meta officially claims 350 million monthly active users for Threads, while X, as a private entity, stopped reporting detailed numbers. Elon Musk most recently claimed X had 600 million monthly actives, but there’s no transparent, third-party verification. Regardless, daily engagement is now the most relevant metric as platforms compete for advertisers and viral moments.

Historically, Meta’s attempts at launching new social network apps have been more miss than hit, with past shutdowns including experimental launches like Tuned, Super, Move, Gaming, Hello, Neighborhood, Bulletin, Lasso, Moments, IGTV, and several others. Threads has bucked this trend by leveraging Instagram’s massive audience and Meta’s ecosystem to achieve considerable growth and engagement.

Bluesky’s initial jump in users was powered by users abandoning X over recent controversial moves—and its owner’s politics. Now, data shows that pace has slowed and web curiosity doesn't always lead to long-term app loyalty. Developers are betting that Bluesky’s open infrastructure could eventually attract a deeper, more technically-minded community interested in a different kind of platform control. For now, the mainstream battle for daily attention is unfolding between Meta and X.

X’s advertising ecosystem, though recently improved under the now-departed Yaccarino, remains turbulent. According to Sensor Tower, top U.S. ad spend categories on X for 2025 include media and entertainment (25%), shopping (22%), and gaming (7%), all of which have grown since 2022. Leading brands advertising on X now include Apple, Google, Verizon, and Dell, who joined the ranks of Samsung, Temu, State Farm, MGM, the NFL, Robinhood, Flutter, the NBA, Mihoyo, and Microsoft. U.S. ad spend on X was up 62% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, as reported by Guideline, though X still contends with the entrenched Meta-Google advertising duopoly.

Threads’ strong mobile performance is especially significant for creators and brands prioritizing organic reach. With Meta’s current monetization limited to ads, the platform will need to continue to innovate—not only to attract users but to sustain engagement. Recent feature additions, such as in-stream trending topic highlights, and Meta’s moves to bring video ads to Threads, highlight efforts to deliver a more dynamic, participatory environment. Threads further benefits from Meta’s decades-long expertise in building advertising tools and maximizing ad revenue, making it a compelling option for marketers.

For brands and influencers, this nearly even split in daily mobile activity means a renewed opportunity to test Thread-specific content and double down on what performs natively. It also means paid and organic strategies might diverge, as user behavior differs notably between mobile and web. Monitoring cross-platform trends—especially week-to-week feature rollouts and community updates—will be crucial, as underscored in the latest roundup of social media platform changes.

Marketers who once favored X for live events and trending conversations may find Threads’ momentum compelling, particularly as other Meta tools become better integrated. Creators invested in Bluesky or smaller platforms should watch for new bursts of cultural or technical relevance but may still face smaller, more fragmented audiences.

With mobile habits driving the headlines, the next six months will prove critical. If Threads can keep its growth pace and address web engagement, it has a chance to unseat X in the daily dialogue that shapes online influence. At the same time, user loyalty in social media remains unpredictable, and even strong numbers can shift with a single policy or product misstep.