Threads Surpasses X in Daily Mobile Users

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Meta’s Threads has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing Elon Musk’s X in terms of daily mobile users, according to fresh insights from market intelligence firm Similarweb.

A report by TechCrunch, published on Sunday, highlighted that Threads reached 141.5 million daily active users on both Android and iOS as of January 7, 2026. In contrast, X managed to record around 125 million daily mobile users during the same timeframe.

However, the scenario differs considerably when it comes to web usage. Data from TechCrunch shows that X still leads in browser activity, with approximately 145.4 million daily web visits recorded by X as of January 13, compared to Threads’ mere 8.5 million daily visits.

TechCrunch described this development as part of a gradual trend, rather than a reaction to recent controversies surrounding X. The report indicates that Threads’ mobile user growth has been bolstered by Meta’s capacity to funnel users from its larger platforms, notably Instagram and Facebook, coupled with routine feature enhancements that foster daily participation.

Threads has evolved from merely a text-based feed, introducing tools and experiments like interest-focused communities, enhanced content filters, direct messaging, long-form posts, disappearing posts, and early-stage game testing within the app.

Recently, Meta disclosed its own engagement metrics, announcing that Threads had surpassed 400 million monthly active users in August 2025. TechCrunch later noted that by October 2025, Meta reported 150 million daily active users.

This shift in usage patterns coincides with intensifying regulatory scrutiny on X regarding its AI chatbot Grok, particularly concerning the production of harmful or non-consensual sexual imagery. Concerns about sexual deepfakes, especially involving minors, have caught the attention of regulators in multiple regions.

In the U.S., California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigation into xAI’s Grok, focusing on the proliferation of non-consensual explicit deepfake content targeting women and children, as stated by the California Department of Justice.

Similarly, in the U.K., media regulator Ofcom has initiated a formal inquiry into X under the Online Safety Act, assessing whether the platform has fulfilled its legal obligations to avoid illegal and harmful content.

TechCrunch emphasized that the rise of Threads is not a result of a single event prompting user migration but rather a steady evolution in user behavior, where X remains robust on the web while Threads is increasingly favored on mobile.