Meta’s Threads has surpassed X in total active users as of January 2026, marking a major shift in the competitive landscape for text-based social platforms. Threads now counts about 320 million active users worldwide, with roughly 143 million active mobile users, according to Forbes, citing Similarweb data. The milestone reflects rapid growth after a strong surge in late 2025.
More than 30 million users joined Threads in December 2025 alone. The increase came as X faced declining engagement following policy changes and continued controversy tied to its ownership. User growth on Threads continued without aggressive marketing efforts.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the user milestone on January 3. He said Threads grew organically and benefited from direct integration with Instagram, which simplified onboarding for existing users.
Threads has recorded steady gains while X continues to lose daily active users. Estimates show X's daily active users fell about 11.9% year over year in January. Over the same period, Threads increased active users by roughly 38%.
Mobile data shows a narrowing gap in the United States. In the first 13 days of January, X averaged 21.2 million daily mobile users. Threads followed closely with 19.5 million users on US mobile devices.
Year-over-year trends show sharper contrasts. X mobile usage declined 18.4%, while Threads mobile usage jumped 41.8%. These shifts reflect changing user behavior during routine engagement periods.
X continues to dominate web-based usage despite overall declines. Similarweb data shows X averaged 149.4 million daily web users worldwide in early January. Threads recorded only 8.9 million daily web users over the same period.
This gap highlights different usage patterns between platforms. Threads' growth remains strongest on mobile, where Instagram integration drives discovery and activity. X still draws large audiences during major news events.
Even so, both US and international user counts on X have declined since 2024. Traffic spikes still occur around breaking news, yet baseline engagement continues to trend lower.
Brands have started shifting toward Threads due to its advertiser-friendly environment. Reports link this movement to concerns around content moderation and leadership direction at X. Ad revenue trends support this shift.
About 68% of X's revenue comes from advertising. In 2024, X generated $2.5 billion in ad revenue, which marked a 13.7% year-over-year decline. Advertiser hesitation has played a role in that drop.
Analysts project Threads could generate about $11.3 billion in revenue. Meta continues refining platform features based on feedback while competing directly with X’s core functions. Can Threads sustain this momentum as competition intensifies?
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Threads has surpassed X in total active users as mobile growth accelerates and advertiser interest shifts. Data shows steady gains for Threads alongside declining engagement and ad revenue at X. The platform’s Instagram integration continues to drive adoption as competition in text-based social media intensifies.