Bluesky, the decentralized social network that has been looking to end Elon Musk's challenge at X (formerly Twitter), has hit 20 million users.
Surprisingly, this marks a stunning growth in users who have left X after recent policy changes and Musk's moves, which have sparked criticism of his style of leadership. Reports also say that it's chasing Threads in the user base.
Breakneck Growth Fuels Competition With Threads
While Bluesky's user base lags behind Instagram Threads, with more than 275 million active monthly users, the former's growth trajectory suggests much more potential. According to market intelligence firm Similarweb, Bluesky's DAUs in the U.S. have drastically narrowed the lead with Threads. On November 15, a high-activity day for Bluesky, Threads' lead had shrunk to just 1.5 times Bluesky's U.S. DAUs.
Moreover, Bluesky has overtaken Threads in daily website visits within the U.S. and the U.K., signaling increasing interest from new users. Globally, while Threads maintains a slight lead in website traffic, Bluesky is closing in rapidly.
Bluesky's Mobile App Adoption Hits Record Highs
Bluesky's mobile application has experienced unheard-of growth. Domestic use jumped by 519% in the U.S. after the elections during mid-November, Similarweb reported.
The service also reached the number one position on the U.S. App Store on November 13, ending Threads' and X's stay at the top. Android usage of the global app skyrocketed by more than 360 percent so far in the year, boosted by an influx of Brazilian users after a temporary ban on X in Brazil was placed.
According to TechCrunch, several factors have led to its success. For example, many users have abandoned X following the controversial change recently made by selling user data to an AI company and changing the blocking feature.
A section of users also fled after Elon Musk branded the social media platform using it to promote Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Bluesky's Phenomenal Growth Started in 2023
Launched to the public in February after a private phase, Bluesky has more than doubled its user base since September, from 9 million to 20 million users.
Since the U.S. elections, the platform has been adding 100,000 users daily, a pace of growth that continues to pick up speed.
Bluesky's meteoric rise actually shows that the company has what it takes to be a substantial player in a really competitive market of social media, outbidding giants like X and Threads.
The increase of 700,000 users was no joke since these people were seeking refuge in Bluesky as a way to feel the "real" human connection they did not feel on X.
If you're planning to jump on Bluesky this week, you might be wondering what it looks like. Is it like X or Threads in terms of user interface or posting features?
Fortunately, The Verge shared some interesting stuff that you can do with Bluesky.
According to the tech publication, you can custom algorithm feeds here. You can also create your own Starter Pack, not to mention the custom domains and the pinned posts you can explore in X's newest social media app rival. There's a lot of things to do here.
