Meta-owned social platform Threads has surpassed Elon Musk’s X — formerly known as Twitter — in daily mobile usage, marking a significant shift in the fierce rivalry between the two microblogging apps.
Read More: Meta rolls out web version of Threads
According to market intelligence firm Similarweb, Threads recorded 141.5 million daily active users (DAUs) on iOS and Android as of January 7, 2026, compared with X’s 125 million. While X continues to retain an edge in web usage, the sustained uptick in Threads’ mobile users has been described as a long-term trend rather than a reactionary surge linked to recent controversies.
Similarweb reports Threads now leads X in daily mobile users: 141.5M vs 125M (Jan 7, 2026). Growth is driven by Meta cross-promotion, creator focus, and rapid feature rollouts like communities, filters, DMs, long-form posts, disappearing posts, and testing games. X still… pic.twitter.com/4AAh8FmMGq
— Marius Fanu (@mariusfanu) January 18, 2026
The report also noted that Threads’ momentum has been boosted by Meta’s extensive ecosystem. Through cross-promotion across Instagram and Facebook, alongside aggressive feature rollouts, Threads has steadily expanded its footprint. The app has added interest-based communities, enhanced filters, direct messaging, long-form posts, disappearing updates, and is now testing lightweight games aimed at improving user stickiness.
Meta previously disclosed that Threads surpassed 400 million monthly active users by August 2025, reaching 150 million DAUs by October the same year — metrics that underscored its capacity for sustained scale.
Meanwhile, X has faced mounting scrutiny after users exploited its AI chatbot Grok to generate non-consensual nude images, including those of minors. The episode prompted California’s attorney general to open an investigation, adding to ongoing probes in the United Kingdom, European Union, India and Brazil.
The controversy has also helped alternative platforms gain ground. The decentralised microblogging startup Bluesky has seen downloads rise sharply in recent weeks as users explore non-Meta and non-Musk platforms.
Read More: Musk says fight with Zuckerberg to be live-streamed on X
Despite X remaining more popular in the United States, analysts say the gap is narrowing and Threads’ mobile-first growth strategy appears increasingly aligned with user behaviour worldwide.