Threads Surpasses X in Mobile Usage as Users Embrace Meta's Platform
Meta's social networking app, Threads, has overtaken X in daily mobile usage, according to recent data. This shift highlights changing user preferences in the social media landscape.
Mobile Usage Figures Show Clear Lead
New data from Similarweb reveals that Threads recorded approximately 141.5 million daily mobile users in early January 2026. During the same period, X witnessed about 125 million daily mobile users. While X still attracts a larger audience on desktop browsers, these numbers indicate that many users now prefer Threads for their everyday mobile social media routine.
Steady Growth Driven by Strategic Choices
Threads' growing popularity appears to be driven by Meta's longer-term strategic decisions. The app receives frequent promotion across Facebook and Instagram, making it easily discoverable for existing users. Meta has also focused strongly on creators and regularly introduced new features to keep the platform engaging.
Over the past year, Threads has expanded significantly beyond simple text posts. The platform now offers topic-based communities, enhanced content controls, direct messaging capabilities, longer posts, disappearing content, and early tests of interactive features like games. These additions have transformed Threads into an app that users check multiple times throughout the day rather than occasionally.
User Growth Reflects Sustained Momentum
Meta has already disclosed that Threads surpassed 400 million monthly users in 2025. The number of daily active users reached 150 million by the end of that year. These figures reflect steady, sustained growth rather than a sudden temporary boost.
Contrasting Platform Strengths
The wider trend has been building for months. Throughout 2025, Threads continued to close the gap with X on mobile devices. In the United States, X still maintains more daily users, but that lead has diminished significantly compared to previous years.
On desktop browsers, however, X continues to hold a strong position. It attracts a large number of daily visits through web browsers, while Threads generates far less traffic on the web. This contrast underscores how Threads has developed primarily as a mobile-first platform, whereas X remains more evenly distributed between mobile and desktop usage.
Broader Context of Platform Shifts
This change does not appear to be a sudden reaction to recent controversies associated with X. Those incidents, which involved misuse of an AI feature built into the platform, have drawn regulatory scrutiny in several countries and prompted some users to explore alternatives. In the short term, newer platforms like Bluesky have also benefited from this shift in user interest.
The data suggests that Threads' transformation into a comprehensive social platform with diverse features has resonated with mobile users. As social media habits continue to evolve, Threads' mobile-first approach appears to be gaining significant traction among daily users.
