• by Colin Kirkland , February 27, 2024

As Threads continues to add new features, many of which resemble those on X, Meta's new microblogging app is gaining popularity.

Data from app analytics tracker AppFigures, first reported on by TechCrunch, shows Threads' global daily iOS downloads tripling those of X, and more than doubling X's downloads on Google Play.

According to AppFigures, Threads saw 486,803 installs on Google Play and 342,228 on iOS compared to X, which saw only 225,408 downloads on Google Play and 112,625 on iOS.

Earlier in the week, Threads was surpassing X by even more downloads. On February 22, Threads saw 382,999 daily iOS downloads compared to 113,649 X downloads. On the Google Play Store, the number was also more than triple.

Threads launched in July 2023, branding itself as a safer and more friendly alternative to X.

Upon launch, X's biggest advertisers were leaving or pausing the app due to brand-safety issues resulting from X owner Elon Musk slashing its content-moderation team.

In five days, Threads hit 100 million sign-ups, allowing Instagram users to efficiently transfer their username and all of their data directly to the new microblogging app.

However, after the unprecedented onboarding of users, Threads use declined.

Following the first few months after its initial launch, Threads saw a decline in new installs. But as the app continues to add popular X-like features like a trending topics list and bookmarking capabilities, it has attracted a plethora of new users.

Some of the recent success is likely due to Threads' recent launch in the EU.

According to Meta's EU transparency report with Instagram, there are around 260 million average monthly active users on Instagram in the region who could use their profiles to connect directly to Threads.

According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Threads had around 130 million monthly active users at the end of the company's fourth quarter.

Since then, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has alluded to an influx of users, stating that Threads is doing "remarkably well" in Japan.

Still, in order to surpass X in total global active users, Threads still has some ground to cover. As of last fall, X reported 500 million monthly active users on its platform.