Meta’s Threads is quietly achieving what once seemed unlikely: surpassing X (formerly Twitter) in daily mobile usage. According to new data from market intelligence firm Similarweb, Threads now has more daily active users on mobile devices than X, signaling a meaningful shift in how users engage with text-based social platforms.
As of January 7, 2026, Threads recorded 141.5 million daily active users across iOS and Android, compared to 125 million daily mobile users on X. While X still maintains a strong lead on the web, the mobile crossover is significant, particularly given that mobile remains the primary channel for social media consumption globally.
A Long-Term Shift, Not a Short-Term Reaction
Importantly, Similarweb notes that Threads’ rise does not appear to be a knee-jerk reaction to recent controversies surrounding X. In recent months, X has faced backlash over the misuse of its integrated AI chatbot, Grok, which users reportedly employed to generate non-consensual explicit images, including those involving minors. These revelations have prompted investigations by regulators in multiple regions, including California, the UK, the EU, India, and Brazil.
While these issues contributed to negative attention around X — and a short-term boost in app installs for rival platform Bluesky — Threads’ growth trajectory predates these events. Instead, the data suggests a steady, sustained increase in engagement that has been building over several months.
Meta’s Distribution Advantage Pays Off
One of Threads’ biggest advantages lies in Meta’s ecosystem. Unlike X, which operates largely as a standalone platform, Threads benefits from deep integration with Instagram and Facebook. The app is consistently promoted to Meta’s billions of existing users, significantly lowering the cost of user acquisition and encouraging habitual use.
Threads has also leaned heavily into creator tools and rapid feature development. Over the past year, the platform has introduced interest-based communities, advanced content filters, direct messaging, long-form posts, disappearing content, and even experimental features such as casual in-app games. These additions have gradually transformed Threads from a minimalist Twitter alternative into a more flexible social product.
For many users, this steady expansion of functionality has made Threads a more “complete” experience for daily mobile use, rather than just a backup or secondary app.
Mobile vs Web: Two Very Different Battles
Despite Threads’ mobile success, X remains dominant on the web. Similarweb data shows X averages around 145 million daily web visits, compared to just 8.5 million daily web visits for Threads across Threads.com and Threads.net combined.
This disparity reflects different usage patterns. X has long been entrenched as a real-time news and discussion platform for journalists, policymakers, and professionals who often access the service via desktop. Threads, by contrast, has positioned itself more squarely as a mobile-first, lifestyle-oriented social app, aligned with how Instagram users already consume content.
The contrast suggests that Threads is not necessarily replacing X outright, but rather redefining how and where text-based social engagement happens.
What the Numbers Say About User Habits
Meta’s own disclosures support Similarweb’s findings. In August 2025, Meta announced that Threads had crossed 400 million monthly active users. By October, the company reported 150 million daily active users, indicating strong repeat engagement rather than one-off signups.
Similarweb previously reported that Threads achieved 127.8% year-over-year growth in daily mobile users by mid-2025, steadily narrowing the gap with X. While X still leads in the United States, the margin has been shrinking, with X reportedly having half the U.S. daily active users it did a year earlier.
Combined, these trends point to a platform that users are increasingly opening daily — not just testing and abandoning.
Implications for the Social Media Landscape
Threads overtaking X on mobile marks a symbolic moment in the evolution of social platforms. It underscores how distribution power, product iteration, and ecosystem integration can outweigh brand legacy. For Meta, it validates its strategy of embedding new products into existing networks rather than building from scratch.
For X, the data highlights a growing challenge: maintaining relevance and daily engagement in a mobile-first world, especially amid regulatory pressure and brand instability.
While the long-term outcome remains uncertain, one thing is clear — the competition for real-time conversation is no longer one-sided. Threads has moved beyond being “the Instagram text app” and is now a serious player in the global social media ecosystem.
As mobile usage continues to shape how people communicate, the battle between Threads and X may ultimately be decided not by headlines, but by habits.
