Threads surpasses X in daily mobile usage, data shows

Meta’s Threads has overtaken X in daily mobile usage, according to new data from Similarweb (a market intelligence firm). Similarweb’s data shows that Threads had 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android as of January 7, 2026, following months of growth. By comparison, X has 125 million daily active users on mobile devices. This shift follows a long-term growth trend for Threads. According to Meta’s official numbers, the company reported in August 2025 that Threads had reached over 400 million monthly active users. Meta subsequently reported in October of last year that Threads had 150 million daily active users. This growth has been building for some time; Similarweb reported that Threads was closing the gap with X on mobile devices after seeing 127.8% year-over-year growth as of late June 2025.

The shift in mobile usage appears to be the result of longer-term trends rather than a reaction to recent controversies surrounding X. Recently, users were discovered using the platform’s integrated AI, Grok, to create non-consensual nude images of women, including, sometimes minors. This situation has prompted California’s attorney general to open an investigation into Grok, following similar investigations by other regions, including the U.K., EU, India, and Brazil. While these controversies led social networking startup Bluesky to see an increase in app installs, Threads’ boost in daily mobile usage may be driven by other factors. These factors may include cross-promotions from Meta’s larger social apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, its focus on creators, and the rapid rollout of new features.

Despite its mobile gains, Threads has little traction on the web, where X continues to dominate. Similarweb data shows that X maintains a fairly steady web audience with around 150 million daily web visits. As of January 13, X was seeing 145.4 million daily web visits, while Threads saw 8.5 million daily web visits across Threads.com and Threads.net combined. While Similarweb observed that X is still ahead of Threads in the U.S., the gap is narrowing.

Why it matters

The shift in mobile habits signals that Meta’s strategy of integrating Threads into its existing ecosystem is gaining traction, even as X remains the dominant destination for web-based browsing.