On January 07, 2026, Meta’s Threads mobile app registered an impressive achievement by surpassing Elon Musk’s X (Twitter) in terms of Daily Active Users.
In fact, according to Similarweb, Threads had 141.5 million DAU (iOS & Android) as of January 7, 2026, and X had 125 million DAU. This represents the first global instance where Threads is ahead in the number of mobile DAU. This indicates a significant shift in user preference towards Meta’s Threads over X.
Reports from TechCrunch and Similarweb, have highlighted this rapid growth that Threads has achieved. X, although continues to dominate on the web compared to Threads’ 8.5 million daily visits for both Threads.com and Threads.net.
It is evident that as a result of the number of people using apps versus traditional web browsers to access social networks, the momentum has shifted to use via apps.
Steady Growth Fuels Threads’ Rise
The success of Threads can be attributed to months of continued momentum, not to recent news and announcements. As of August 2025, Meta has published over 400 million accounts active on Threads monthly, along with 150 million Daily Active Users (DAUs) recorded on October 1st.
During June 2025, Similarweb reported a 127.8% increase in Threads’ yearly growth rate and Threads was approaching X’s total mobile usage. Threads has used the power of cross-promotional marketing through Meta-owned sites like Facebook and Instagram to reach a massive audience.
New Features Power User Engagement
Threads continues to innovate and update the platform quickly, which is keeping its users consistently returning each day. The newest release of Threads allows users to form communities based on specific interests to support niche conversations. Advanced Reply Filters and Approvals give users better control over the types of comments they receive, and Threads’ new Direct Message feature allows users to separate their private messaging from their Instagram accounts.
Long-Form Text Posts, or as the name suggests, encourage users to create and share longer, more detailed content, and the unique feature of disappearing posts, where posts automatically delete themselves after 24 hours.
X Faces Headwinds Amid Controversies
As Threads continues to increase in popularity, X is currently experiencing backlash due to recent issues regarding users using X’s Grok to create deep fake nude images of women without their consent.
Many of these victims are women who are underage. California and UK’s Attorney Generals, India and Brazil are currently investigating these incidents against X.
Despite X’s strength on the web, a lack of mobile growth is hurting X. Threads is leveraging its current mobile high ground against X and is actively competing in the space that was originally the X brand’s core market.
What This Means for Social Media
Therefore, the emergence of Threads as the leader in mobile apps represents a new generation in social media where app-centric and feature rich platforms will dominate. As a result, companies will have to begin to market to both Threads as well as X to get their message out to both types of users. But, the question remains is will X recover? How will Threads maintain its dominance while the competition continues to be fierce?