Meta’s Threads struggles to increase amid rivalry with Elon Musk’s X, ranking ahead of only Tumblr

Meta’s Threads struggles to increase amid rivalry with Elon Musk’s X, ranking ahead of only Tumblr


Thilina Kaluthotage | Nurphoto | Getty Photos

Meta’s Threads genuine-time messaging application is battling to appeal to new buyers like it did all through its blockbuster July debut.

The Twitter clone now ranks in the vicinity of the base of the most common social media platforms, in advance of only Tumblr, as measured by the range of U.S. consumers, according to Insider Intelligence’s initially Threads forecast, posted Tuesday.

Insider Intelligence stated it expects Threads to have 23.7 million U.S. users in 2023, considerably behind Fb, Instagram and TikTok, which have 177.9 million, 135.2 million and 102.3 million end users, respectively. Its closest rival, X, will have 56.1 million U.S. people in 2023, the forecast said, which means that Threads will have less than fifty percent of the U.S. person foundation of the messaging application previously known as Twitter.

For the U.S. sector, the analyst company said Threads will proceed to “rank second-to-previous among the social networks” as a result of 2025.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

The new forecast joins a escalating listing of third-occasion estimates from cellular analytics companies this kind of as Sensor Tower and Similarweb that have recently documented declining use of Threads.

When Threads debuted, it rapidly received tens of millions of consumers owing in element to its quick signal-up course of action for existing Instagram consumers. The messaging app also benefited by becoming a mainstream option to X, which several analyst corporations which includes Insider Intelligence have reported is getting rid of people amid the ownership of Tesla main Elon Musk.

“Threads been given an first increase from Twitter’s missteps, but it are not able to depend on X defectors to continue on to expand,” Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jasmine Enberg explained in a statement.

If Musk decides to charge all X buyers a month to month subscription price, as he reported in the course of a not long ago livestreamed discuss with Israeli Key Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Meta could have a “clearer avenue to monetize Threads,” Enberg claimed.

“Assuming Musk doesn’t backtrack, the transfer will very likely alienate additional X buyers and probably boost advertiser curiosity in Threads,” Enberg included.

Even now, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has formerly mentioned that the firm has no programs to monetize Threads right up until it’s even bigger and more founded.

The social networking huge has been releasing numerous new attributes for Threads intended to make it a lot more powerful, this sort of as a desktop model and a look for tool. In truth, both advertisers and creators have formerly instructed CNBC that Threads requirements particular attributes these kinds of as analytics tools to develop into a more strong system that they will spend time and funds into.

Enberg mentioned Threads requires to set up an identification that’s “extra than an extension of Instagram or an different to X” in get to grow to be a key participant in the social media market.

“TikTok was capable to crack by means of mainly simply because it presented consumers a exceptional new social expertise,” Enberg stated, referring to the ByteDance-owned short-video app’s increase to prominence.

Look at: Are the Threads unraveling?

Are the Threads unraveling? Meta looks into 'hooks' to keep users on Twitter rival



Resource

Apple has its best week since July 2020 after White House visit
Technology

Apple has its best week since July 2020 after White House visit

U.S. President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook shake hands on the day they present Apple’s announcement of a $100 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 6, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Apple shares rose 13% this week, its largest weekly gain […]

Read More
Tesla Robotaxi scores permit to run ride-hailing service in Texas
Technology

Tesla Robotaxi scores permit to run ride-hailing service in Texas

In an aerial view, the Tesla headquarters is seen in Austin, Texas, on July 24, 2025. Brandon Bell | Getty Images Tesla has been granted a permit to run a ride-hailing business in Texas, allowing the electric vehicle maker to compete against companies including Uber and Lyft. Tesla Robotaxi LLC is licensed to operate a […]

Read More
Trade Desk tanks almost 40% on CFO departure, tariff concerns and competition from Amazon
Technology

Trade Desk tanks almost 40% on CFO departure, tariff concerns and competition from Amazon

Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk. Scott Mlyn | CNBC Shares of The Trade Desk plummeted almost 40% on Friday and headed for their worst day on record after the ad-tech company announced the departure of its CFO and analysts expressed concerns about rising competition from Amazon. The Trade Desk, which went public in […]

Read More