Meta’s social networking app Threads has quietly surpassed Elon Musk’s X in terms of daily active users on mobile devices, according to new data from market research firm Similarweb. As of early January 2026, Threads recorded approximately 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android devices edging out X, which had around 125 million daily active mobile users during the same period.
This milestone represents a significant shift in how people are engaging with real-time social platforms, especially on smartphones. While X still maintains a strong position overall particularly on the web Threads’ growth underscores the increasing importance of mobile-first user experiences and hints at broader changes in social media preferences.
For years, X (formerly Twitter) was regarded as the dominant platform for microblogging and real-time updates, especially among journalists, public figures, and political communities. Meta’s Threads, launched in mid-2023 as a companion to Instagram, was widely viewed as a challenger, one that could leverage Instagram’s massive user base to quickly gain traction.
The latest data shows that Threads’ mobile app usage has steadily climbed, reflecting months of consistent growth rather than a sudden surge. According to Similarweb estimates, a gap that once favored X on mobile has now flipped in Threads’ favor, signaling that more people are now choosing to open Threads on their phones as part of their daily digital routines.
This doesn’t mean X is vanishing, far from it. X still attracts a large overall audience when web usage is included, maintaining substantial daily traffic from desktop and browser visitors. But on the mobile front, which is increasingly the primary channel for social engagement worldwide, Threads has now taken the lead.
What the Numbers Show
As of January 7, 2026, Similarweb’s data reveals:
- Threads: ~141.5 million daily active mobile users worldwide
- X: ~125 million daily active mobile users worldwide
This means Threads now leads X by roughly 13% in mobile daily activity, a notable shift from previous years when X held the advantage on this metric.
Despite this achievement, the broader user base still heavily favors X when web traffic is counted. As of mid-January, X continued to generate around 145 million daily web visits, far surpassing Threads’ web figures, which were in the range of 8–9 million daily visits combined across Threads.com and Threads.net.
This divergence highlights a clear pattern: Threads has become a mobile habit, while X still draws significant engagement via web browsers.
How Threads Reached This Point
Several factors have contributed to Threads’ rise in daily mobile usage:
Cross-Platform Promotion Within Meta’s Ecosystem
One of Threads’ biggest advantages is its integration with Meta’s larger social network ecosystem, including Instagram and Facebook. The app has been regularly promoted within those platforms, exposing it to millions of users already familiar with Meta’s family of apps.
This seamless visibility especially in the Instagram feed and app notifications lowers the barrier to try Threads for users who might not have otherwise downloaded a new social network.
Feature Expansion and Creator Tools
Threads has steadily expanded its feature set since launch. In addition to basic text posting, it has added interest-based communities, direct messaging, disappearing posts, long-form text capabilities, and enhanced filters. These improvements have helped the app evolve from a simple Twitter-style clone into a more versatile social environment.
More recently, Threads has also been testing interactive elements like in-message games, aimed at boosting engagement and making the app more of a daily destination.
Mobile-First Engagement
Threads’ mobile design and workflow optimized for quick browsing, threading conversations, and seamless transition from photo-centric apps seem to resonate with users who prefer social experiences on phones rather than through browsers. This mobile-first appeal has likely played a key role in driving the daily active user advantage.
X’s Ongoing Strengths and Challenges
While X has lost ground to Threads on mobile, it retains strengths that should not be overlooked:
Web Dominance
X continues to attract substantial engagement on desktop and mobile web browsers, far outpacing Threads in these environments. This makes X a more robust destination for news, political discourse, and larger text threads where browser access may be more convenient.
Established Community and Brand Recognition
As an older platform with a deep history in real-time conversation and breaking news, X still holds cultural cachet for specific user segments. This includes journalists, tech communities, and global public figures who have traditionally relied on the service.
However and this is important X’s user base on mobile has declined in some regions over the past year, with its U.S. daily mobile users roughly half of what they were a year earlier, even as Threads continued to grow.
Some observers initially speculated that Threads’ rise might be tied to recent controversies involving X, particularly around the misuse of its AI tools for generating inappropriate content. Investigations by various authorities including California’s attorney general and regulators in Europe, India, and Brazil have placed scrutiny on X.
However, the data suggests that Threads’ growth on mobile is not driven solely by backlash. The trend has been steadily building for many months, predating these controversies and reflecting broader strategic and product shifts within both platforms.
As of early 2026, Threads’ lead over X in daily active mobile users signals a noteworthy change in the dynamics of public social platforms. While X retains strengths especially on the web Threads has carved out a position as the preferred mobile microblogging and conversation app for tens of millions of users around the world.
Looking ahead, both platforms will likely continue evolving their features and strategies to win hearts, minds, and screen time but for now, Threads holds the edge where it matters most to the future of social interaction: in the palm of users’ hands.
