A recent report from market intelligence firm Similarweb has revealed an interesting shift in the landscape of mobile app usage. According to Similarweb, Meta’s Threads app is now surpassing Elon Musk’s X in terms of daily usage on mobile devices. While X still holds the lead on the web, Threads has been steadily gaining traction on iOS and Android, with a notable increase in daily active users over the past few months.
As of January 7, 2026, Threads boasted 141.5 million daily active users on mobile, compared to X’s 125 million. This growth trend seems to be driven by various factors, rather than just a reaction to recent controversies surrounding X. In light of concerns over the platform’s use of AI to create non-consensual deepfake images, California’s attorney general has launched an investigation into X’s AI, Grok. This has resulted in a surge in app installs for social networking startup Bluesky.
On the other hand, Threads’ rise in mobile usage can be attributed to cross-promotions from Meta’s other social apps like Facebook and Instagram, a focus on creators, and the rapid introduction of new features. From interest-based communities to better filters, DMs, long-form text, and disappearing posts, Threads has been consistently rolling out enhancements to attract and retain users.
Meta officially reported in August 2025 that Threads had surpassed 400 million monthly active users, with a subsequent update in October of the same year stating that Threads had reached 150 million daily active users. The growth trajectory has been ongoing for several months, with Similarweb noting a 127.8% year-over-year growth for Threads on mobile devices as of June 2025.
While X continues to lead Threads in the U.S., the gap is narrowing, with X seeing a decline in daily active users over the past year. Additionally, Threads has struggled to gain traction on the web, with X maintaining a steady audience of around 150 million daily web visits compared to Threads’ 8.5 million.
Overall, the data paints an intriguing picture of the shifting dynamics in the mobile app landscape, with Threads making significant strides in daily mobile usage while X faces challenges and scrutiny over its AI practices. It will be interesting to see how these trends evolve in the coming months and how both platforms adapt to changing user preferences and regulatory scrutiny.
