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Threads may be bigger than X, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, was the foundational inspiration for Threads, and Meta sought to create an app designed specifically to unseat Twitter/X as the dominant short-form social media app.
Many were initially skeptical, but it seems Meta may have succeeded. This means Meta has again used another platform as a stepping stone to expand its own ad business as the company continues to dominate social media through acquisition or replication.
Zuckerberg made the statement in an interview with Sources last week.
As per Zuckerberg: “Threads is doing great. I think it’s either bigger than X at this point, [or] it’s like very soon about to be.”
Zuckerberg said that he personally still uses X as well as Threads, because there are different communities in the different places. Zuckerberg added that there are a lot of AI industry people he wants to reach who are still active on X.
“I think part of what you try to do with social media is just communicate where people are, right?,” Zuckerberg said. “It’s kind of like, when you post, you probably don’t just post in one place. You can put it everywhere. So I mean, I post the same things on Threads and X.”
Zuckerberg’s statement comes as X recently reported another decline in EU usage. If that usage decline is reflective of broader app challenges, this could see X and Threads with around the same number of active users.
In May, the SpaceX prospectus said that X had around 550 million monthly active users. According to SpaceX, that figure was up from 520 million MAU in December 2025, though both numbers are significantly different from what X owner Elon Musk has stated through his own X posts.
In May 2024, Musk said that X had 600 million monthly active users. That means either X lost nearly 10% of its user base in a year, or Musk exaggerated X’s user numbers in his previous statement. Neither case is a great sign for the app.
Threads, meanwhile, reached 500 million monthly active users in June, continuing its steady expansion and establishing it as a new home for many Twitter castoffs who shifted away from the app after Musk took over the platform in late 2022.
Based on X’s official reporting and external usage data, it does seem like both Threads and X have around the same level of usage. So just like Meta repurposed Stories from Snapchat, it seems to have successfully diluted X’s market position through replication. This feels like it should be an antitrust concern, but clearly it isn’t.
Either way, it’s notable that Threads has now grown to become a true rival in the social media space and a valuable consideration for digital advertising.
Though Zuckerberg’s point about audience segmentation is also relevant. From an advertising perspective, the overall audience size is less relevant than the specific audience using each app. If a brand’s target audience is active on X, then that platform remains relevant as an advertising consideration. Meanwhile, Threads hosts its own active communities on a range of subjects.
Finding the best platform for any given brand or product comes down to audience research and understanding the general discussion within each app.