Meta’s Threads overtakes X in daily mobile users, new data reveals

Meta Threads

• Threads surpasses X with 141.5M mobile daily active users as of Jan 2026.
• Meta's cross-promotion and new features drive Threads' steady mobile growth
• X leads Threads in daily web visits: 150 million vs. 8.5 million

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Meta’s Threads has overtaken X in daily active users on mobile platforms, according to a new report from market intelligence firm Similarweb. The data shows that while X still commands a larger audience on the web, Threads is now ahead on iOS and Android after months of steady growth, as per a report by TechCrunch.

As of January 7, 2026, Threads recorded 141.5 million daily active users across iOS and Android. By comparison, X had around 125 million daily active users on mobile devices. The shift appears to reflect longer-term usage trends rather than a sudden spike tied to recent controversies surrounding X.

Those controversies include the misuse of X’s integrated AI model, Grok, to generate non-consensual nude images of women, in some cases involving minors. The issue has triggered an investigation by California’s attorney general, following similar probes in regions including the UK, the EU, India, and Brazil. The fallout has also benefited alternative platforms, with decentralised social network Bluesky seeing a rise in app installs in recent days.

However, Similarweb’s data suggests that Threads’ mobile growth predates these events. Instead, the gains are likely being driven by Meta’s aggressive cross-promotion across Facebook and Instagram, where Threads is frequently surfaced to existing users. The platform’s increasing focus on creators and its rapid rollout of new features have also played a role.

Over the past year, Threads has introduced interest-based communities, improved content filters, direct messages, support for longer posts, disappearing content, and has recently been spotted testing games. Together, these updates appear to be encouraging more regular, habit-based usage on mobile, as per the report.

Meta’s own figures support this broader trend. In August 2025, the company said Threads had crossed 400 million monthly active users. Two months later, it reported that the platform had reached 150 million daily active users.

Growth has been building for some time. Similarweb reported last summer that Threads was rapidly closing the gap with X on mobile, noting 127.8 percent year-over-year growth as of late June 2025. In the US, X still leads Threads in daily active users, but the difference has narrowed significantly. A year ago, X reportedly had twice as many daily users in the country as it does now.

On the web, however, X remains firmly ahead. Similarweb estimates that X continues to attract around 150 million daily web visits. As of January 13, X was seeing roughly 145.4 million daily web visits, compared to just 8.5 million for Threads across Threads.com and Threads.net combined.