Is Threads really ahead of X in daily users? Check details

Meta’s social media app Threads is continuing to grow, with more daily users and higher engagement, while X (formerly Twitter) is seeing a drop in usage, according to recent reports. Threads is now even surpassing X in daily mobile activity, showing a shift in how people use social media.

Threads Gains Mobile Users

Data from Similarweb shows that Threads had around 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android in early January 2026. X, on the other hand, had about 125 million daily mobile users. This shows that more smartphone users are choosing Threads over X. Experts say this trend has been growing since late 2025, not just appearing suddenly.

The integration of Threads with Meta’s wider ecosystem, especially Instagram, has made it easier for people to join and use the app every day. This has helped Threads gain an advantage in mobile engagement, an area X has long dominated.

X Faces Declining Engagement

Meanwhile, X’s user activity is under pressure. Reports show that both mobile and desktop usage are declining year over year. Even though X still has a larger total number of registered users, daily engagement has dropped, especially outside major news events. Some analysts suggest that recent updates focused on artificial intelligence and feed algorithms have not boosted daily mobile usage as expected.

Different Roles for Each Platform

Threads is attracting users looking for community conversations and mobile-first interactions, while X remains a hub for breaking news and real-time updates. Daily mobile usage is important because it affects advertising, content reach, and creator earnings.

By daily mobile metrics, Threads is gaining an edge with advertisers and content creators, while X faces challenges in keeping its users engaged. However, Threads still lags behind X in total web traffic, where X sees higher activity, especially during live events.

Monthly Active Users

When looking at monthly active users, Threads reports 400 million, while X claims 600 million. However, analysts are cautious about X’s figures, as the platform has historically struggled to grow beyond a plateau of around 336 million monthly users since 2018.

X even reclassified itself as a News app on Apple’s App Store to avoid comparisons with Facebook, though this strategy isn’t possible on Android.

What This Means

The shift in daily mobile users is significant because it influences advertising and content creation. Threads is currently leading in mobile engagement, which could help it attract more brands and creators. X, however, still performs strongly for web-based news and live events.

The competition between Threads and X is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether Threads’ growth will continue or if X will adapt to reverse its declining engagement. Mobile usage will likely remain the key battleground in this race.

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