Meta’s Threads has officially overtaken X in daily mobile usage, marking a significant shift in the social media landscape. According to market intelligence firm Similarweb, the Threads mobile app on iOS and Android has consistently outperformed Elon Musk’s platform in daily active users (DAU) over recent months.
The Mobile Shift: By the Numbers
Data from January 7, 2026, confirms that Threads reached 141.5 million daily active users on mobile devices, successfully eclipsing X’s 125 million. This milestone follows a sustained period of growth for the Meta-owned platform, solidifying its position as a primary mobile-first destination for social interaction.
Beyond the X Controversy
While X has recently faced intense scrutiny—including a high-profile investigation by the California attorney general into the platform’s Grok AI regarding the generation of non-consensual deepfake imagery—experts suggest Threads’ rise is driven by long-term strategic factors rather than a temporary exodus from X.
Similar investigations into X’s AI safety measures are currently underway in the U.K., the EU, Brazil, and India, among several other regions. While these controversies have provided a boost to alternative platforms like Bluesky, the consistent adoption of Threads is largely credited to Meta’s aggressive ecosystem integration.
Why Threads is Winning the Mobile Battle
Threads’ momentum is fueled by a multi-pronged approach:
- Cross-Platform Promotion: Seamless integration and advertisements across Facebook and Instagram.
- Feature Velocity: Rapid deployment of requested updates, including interest-based communities, direct messaging, long-form content, and experimental gaming features.
- Creator-Centric Focus: Tailored tools designed to retain high-value content creators.
Meta’s growth trajectory remains robust. In August 2025, the company reported over 400 million monthly active users, a figure that climbed to 150 million daily active users by October of the same year.
The Web vs. Mobile Divide
Despite its mobile dominance, Threads has yet to replicate this success on the desktop web. X continues to command a significant lead in web traffic, maintaining approximately 145.4 million daily web visits as of mid-January 2026. In contrast, Threads records roughly 8.5 million daily visits across its web domains.
While X remains the leader in total web engagement, the narrowing gap—particularly in the U.S. market, where X’s daily active user base has halved compared to the previous year—indicates that mobile-first habits are increasingly favoring the Threads experience.