Threads surges past 400 million users, closing the gap on X

Two years after its launch as Meta’s answer to Twitter (now X), Threads has crossed a major milestone — surpassing 400 million monthly active users (MAUs). The achievement, confirmed this week by both Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, marks a 50 million jump since April and signals that the platform is steadily gaining ground on its chief rival.

In April 2025, Threads stood at 350 million MAUs, up from 320 million at the start of the year. If the current pace holds, Meta could add more than 100 million monthly users to Threads this year alone — pushing it closer to X’s self-reported 600 million MAUs.

While former X CEO Linda Yaccarino and Elon Musk claim the platform’s audience is growing, independent data paints a different picture. Market intelligence from Similarweb shows X’s daily active mobile users declined 15.2% year-over-year in June 2025, while Threads’ mobile audience surged 127.8% to 115.1 million daily users. On the web, however, X still dominates with 145.8 million average daily visits, compared to just 6.9 million for Threads.

The gap in mobile usage is narrowing fast, suggesting that Threads could soon become the go-to real-time social platform for many users. Industry observers note that some of X’s recent controversies have failed to drive users to alternative platforms like Bluesky — which has stalled at 38 million total users — and may instead be sending them directly to Threads.

Threads’ growth has been fueled by a rapid rollout of new features, including direct messaging independent of Instagram, fediverse integration, spoiler tags, custom feeds, AI-powered enhancements, and more. These updates, while incremental individually, collectively demonstrate a shift in Meta’s approach: tailoring the platform in response to user feedback rather than sticking to a rigid, top-down vision.

The platform’s leadership is also evolving. Next month, executive Connor Hayes will take over Adam Mosseri’s day-to-day oversight of Threads, while still reporting to him — a change that could influence its trajectory and pace of innovation.

Despite X’s ongoing dominance in total audience size, the trend lines suggest a changing of the guard could be on the horizon. Threads is steadily carving out its place as a real-time conversation hub, appealing to users and influencers looking for a more dynamic, feature-rich alternative.

As Mosseri put it, “This started as a zany idea to compete with Twitter, and has evolved into a meaningful platform that fosters the open exchange of perspectives. I’m grateful to all of you for making this place what it is today.”