Mobile Social Media in 2025: Threads, X, and Bluesky Compared
Threads Closing the Mobile engagement Gap with X
Instagram’s Threads app is rapidly gaining ground on its chief competitor, X, particularly in mobile user engagement. By mid-2025, Threads achieved an extraordinary milestone of 115.1 million daily active users on iOS and Android platforms-a staggering growth of nearly 128% compared to the previous year. Even though X still leads with 132 million daily active users on mobile devices, it has seen a notable decline of over 15% year-over-year.
the Explosive Growth Trajectory of bluesky
Unlike these mainstream platforms,Bluesky-a decentralized social network-has experienced phenomenal expansion at a rate exceeding 370% annually as of June 2025. Despite this rapid increase, its daily active user count remains relatively modest at approximately 4.1 million worldwide. However, Bluesky’s total registered accounts surpass an impressive threshold of more than 37 million globally.
Political Shifts Driving User Migration Patterns
The surge in Bluesky’s adoption was significantly influenced by political events late last year when many users left X due to dissatisfaction with its owner’s association with former President Trump following the U.S. elections. This influx slowed earlier this year amid critiques that Bluesky has become predominantly left-leaning and somewhat insular-prompting some users to return to Threads or remain loyal to other networks.
Platform architecture and User Experience Insights
Bluesky distinguishes itself through an open-source infrastructure that empowers users with enhanced customization options and greater control over their social media experience-features that could underpin sustainable growth despite current challenges.
The rivalry between threads and X is especially fierce on mobile devices where advertising revenue plays a crucial role; Meta leverages Threads’ monetization strategy heavily focused on ads to compete effectively against X.
X’s Web Traffic Supremacy Amid Mobile Competition
while mobile engagement figures show a close contest between Threads and X, web traffic data reveals a different narrative: In June 2025, X attracted roughly 146 million average daily visits via web browsers globally compared to just under seven million for Threads-a ample advantage highlighting X’s dominance online beyond apps.
This places Threads marginally ahead of Bluesky’s estimated five million average daily website visits worldwide-indicating many casual visitors browse content without committing fully through app downloads or regular interaction.
Diverse Market Trends Within the United States
The U.S market presents distinct dynamics: Bluesky outperforms Threads in average daily website visits domestically (around 2.4 million versus less than one million), yet both trail far behind X’s commanding figure exceeding thirty-three million visits per day within the country.
On mobile platforms inside the U.S., competition tightens considerably; Meta’s Threads reports about fifteen point three million U.S.-based daily active users while X leads with nearly twenty-three million; simultaneously occurring bluesky lags significantly behind at just over one million national mobile actives.
Sustaining Growth Beyond Political Catalysts for Bluesky
The long-term viability of Bluesky depends less on temporary spikes caused by dissatisfaction elsewhere and more on fostering an open social ecosystem driven by technological innovation rather than reactive migration alone.
Users who join solely seeking alternatives may not stay if their expectations aren’t met promptly; however those invested in what bluesky builds technologically are likely to remain engaged as new features roll out continuously.
User Base Sizes Reflect Distinct Platform Approaches & Monetization Models
- Threads:An estimated
- X:Musk claims around
- Bluessky:A smaller but rapidly expanding niche platform emphasizing decentralization principles;
This competitive landscape illustrates how varying strategies-from centralized mass appeal (X) through hybrid models (Threads) toward decentralized innovation (Bluesky)-shape audience size and engagement trends across global markets.
As consumer preferences evolve alongside increasing regulatory scrutiny concerning privacy & content moderation issues further shifts are anticipated among these leading contenders vying for supremacy across both mobile applications and desktop environments alike.
