The news: Meta platform Threads has surpassed X in daily mobile users, per Similarweb data cited by TechCrunch.

• The data shows X currently has 125 million daily active mobile users, below Threads at 141.5 million users in Android and iOS.
• X still leads in daily active users on the web.

What our data says: EMARKETER data shows a similar trend to Similarweb’s findings.

• Overall Threads users in the US will reach 59.1 million in 2027, per our forecast. That number edges out X, which will have 51.1 million users in 2027.
• This trend will only continue in the coming years as Threads users grow while X users decline: Threads will increase its user base by 18.1% YoY in 2026 and 14.8% in 2027, while X users will decrease by 1.7% and 1.6% in the same period.

Behind the shift: X users are declining for several reasons: Ongoing public controversies, Threads’ evolving features, and Meta’s position as a social network leader.

• X continues to face highly publicized controversies that could be turning users toward similar, alternative platforms like Threads and startup Bluesky. The platform saw mass backlash earlier this month after its AI model Grok generated explicit deepfakes, including sexual images of minors.
• Grok’s content moderation has also faced criticism for antisemitic outputs.
• Meanwhile, Threads is rapidly evolving its features to appeal to a wider audience. TechCrunch notes that Threads has debuted enhanced filters, DMs, interest-based communities, long-form text, disappearing posts, and begun testing games in the last year alone.
• Meta dominates in social media, giving it an edge for any new platforms it debuts. TechCrunch also pointed out that cross-promotions on Instagram and Facebook are helping drive users to Threads—an advantage X lacks.

Implications for marketers: Ad investment must follow user attention. Marketers seeking community-centric social platforms will benefit from gradually increasing spending on Threads given its evolving role in Meta’s ecosystem and X’s continued struggles with content moderation.

Meta provides robust ad infrastructure and access to a massive audience that X has yet to match. As users seek a similar experience to X elsewhere, Threads stands to benefit by allowing advertisers to use familiar tools, formats, and workflows embedded in Meta’s ecosystem.