Mission accomplished: Threads has surpassed X (Twitter) on smartphones

Whatever your opinion of Threads, it’s hard to ignore the recent data that paint a striking picture in the social media landscape.

When the platform from Meta was launched hastily in 2023, many observers labeled it with skepticism: it seemed a cynical move, designed almost exclusively to capitalize on the growing public discontent with the management of X (the former Twitter) by Elon Musk.

Moreover, for months it wasn’t clear what exactly Threads’ identity was or whom it was really aimed at. However, a new analytical report from Similarweb seems to have quieted the doubts, certifying a historic overtaking: Threads now appears more popular than its main rival.

X loses its popularity on smartphones

According to the analysis provided by the digital intelligence company Similarweb, the battle for supremacy between the two platforms has seen a decisive turning point.

Last year, Threads briefly surpassed X in the number of daily active users on mobile devices, only to see the two performance curves converge again for a period. However, October marked the start of a more pronounced gap, which has consolidated in the following weeks.

The latest report shows an increasingly robust lead for Mark Zuckerberg’s app. According to data recorded about two weeks ago, Threads reached the impressive figure of 141.5 million daily active users. By contrast, X’s iOS and Android apps stood at 125 million daily active users.

This gap indicates that, at least as far as smartphone usage is concerned, public preference is shifting tangibly toward Meta’s new offering.

The Web stronghold and the Instagram factor

It is, however, necessary to maintain a balanced perspective when analyzing the full picture. While Threads dominates on the mobile front, X remains undeniably the most popular platform for users accessing via web, a fact that suggests cultural and informational relevance remains deeply rooted.

Forbes data from September showed 140.7 million daily active users on X.com, compared with a nearly negligible figure for Threads’ web version, standing at 7.7 million.

This discrepancy underscores the different natures of the two platforms, but one cannot ignore the driving force behind Threads’ growth: the integration with Instagram.

Unlike X or the decentralized Bluesky competitor, Threads was born from the limb of a much larger social media giant. Meta has implemented an aggressive strategy that channels Instagram users to Threads and vice versa, a tactic that greatly boosts traffic levels on both platforms, all under the ubiquitous aegis of Facebook.

A growing trend amid the controversies surrounding X

Threads’ rise above X does not appear to be a one-off spike, but rather a reflection of a long-term upward trend.

However, it is hard not to notice how this shift in users is taking place in tandem with a series of scandals that have hit Elon Musk’s platform.

Recently, X has been at the center of a serious controversy regarding its chatbot, Grok, accused of generating non-consensual deepfake images, including photos of minors, triggering outrage and concern among users and advertisers.

These upheavals have had repercussions that go beyond Threads’ sole advantage. Even Bluesky, another Twitter clone, recorded a notable spike in downloads right at the height of the deepfake controversy.

According to a report from the data company Appfigures, cited by TechCrunch, Bluesky saw a 50% increase in daily downloads compared with the period before the crisis of its competitor.