Threads by Meta Surpasses X in Global Daily Mobile Users
Meta’s social media platform, Threads, has officially surpassed Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) in daily mobile usage worldwide, according to data released by market intelligence firm Similarweb on January 18, 2026.
As of January 7, 2026, Threads recorded approximately 141.5 million daily active users across iOS and Android devices worldwide. This is in contrast to X’s 125 million daily active mobile users. This milestone represents months of steady growth for the Meta-owned platform rather than a sudden spike. Similarweb indicates that Threads crossed ahead of X on mobile sometime between late October and early November 2025.
The growth appears to be driven by Meta’s strategic promotion of Threads to existing Facebook and Instagram users. Platform enhancements also played a significant role, including:
- Topic-based communities
- Improved content filters
- Direct messages
- Longer post capabilities
However, in the United States, X still maintains more mobile users than Threads. Similarweb estimates that X’s U.S. daily active mobile user base has declined to roughly half of what it was a year earlier.
Despite the mobile user base shift, X maintains a decisive lead in web usage. As of January 13, 2026, X attracted an estimated 145.4 million daily web visitors, compared to approximately 8.5 million daily web visitors for Threads. When combining mobile and web audiences, X still exceeds 270 million daily users compared to Threads’ roughly 150 million across all platforms.
Source: TechCrunch