Threads Surges Past 400 Million Active Users: What’s Driving Its Explosive Growth?

Launched in the latter part of 2023, the social media platform Threads, a direct rival to X, initially struggled to establish itself in Europe. Created as an alternative to X, especially given the controversial changes following its acquisition by Elon Musk, Threads is now poised to become the next big social media platform, akin to Twitter.

Mark Zuckerberg has openly stated his goal: to reach one billion users. Although that target is still a distant dream, recent growth trends indicate that Threads is increasingly becoming a formidable opponent to X.

Steady Growth Compared to X…

Threads captured attention with a record-breaking launch, achieving 100 million sign-ups in just a few days, and amassing over 100 million active users by the end of 2024.

Since then, the platform has continued to grow its user base. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, recently shared some good news about Threads. According to his update, the social network now boasts over 400 million active monthly users, an increase of 50 million since the previous spring.

This growth is particularly noticeable on mobile devices. Data from Similarweb indicates that in June 2025, Threads had 115.1 million daily users on iOS and Android, marking a 128% increase from the previous year. X still leads with 132 million daily mobile users, but has seen a decline of over 15% during the same period. In the United States, the gap narrows even further: Threads has 15.3 million daily active users compared to X’s 22.9 million.

However, the contrast is stark on the web. X recorded 145.8 million daily visits in June, whereas Threads had only 6.9 million. This significant difference highlights that the real competition is happening on mobile platforms, where Meta is focusing its efforts.

A Distinct Market Position…

The rising popularity of Threads isn’t just due to its integration into the Meta ecosystem. The platform has carved out its own identity, distinctly different from X.

According to Meta, about two-thirds of the posts are purely textual, and daily users follow fewer than half of the same accounts they do on Instagram. This uniqueness has facilitated the growth of thematic communities, ranging from literature enthusiasts to sports and music fans, creating an atmosphere many find more welcoming than other networks.

Functionally, Threads continues to enhance its features, including private messaging, customized feeds, and an API for developers, alongside continuous improvements to its algorithm.