Threads’ growth is mainly driven by Meta’s strong promotion across Instagram and Facebook
Meta’s text-based platform Threads is now more popular than Elon Musk’s X on mobile devices, according to data from market research firm Similarweb.
As of January 7, Threads recorded about 141.5 million daily active users on Android and iOS, compared with 126.2 million for X. While X still leads on desktop web use, Threads continues to grow steadily on mobile.
Threads first overtook X on September 5 and has maintained momentum since then.
This rise does not appear linked to recent controversies around X. The platform recently faced criticism after its AI tool, Grok, was used to create fake and non-consensual images.
These incidents led to investigations in places like California, the UK, the EU, India, and Brazil. The controversy also helped smaller rival Bluesky gain new users.
Threads’ growth is mainly driven by Meta’s strong promotion across Instagram and Facebook, along with frequent new features.
Over the past year, Threads added communities, better content filters, direct messaging, long posts, disappearing content, and even tested games.
In the US, X retains a narrow lead with 21.2 million daily users, but Threads is closing the gap quickly after posting 41.8% growth. On the web, however, X remains dominant with 149.4 million users, far ahead of Threads’ 8.9 million.