Zuckerberg Says Threads May Be Bigger Than X—But the Metrics Don’t Settle It

Threads has become a credible challenger to Elon Musk’s X, but Mark Zuckerberg’s claim that it may already be bigger should be read as a statement about relative scale—not a conclusive verdict on total usage or influence.

Meta said in June that Threads had reached 500 million monthly active users, nearly three years after launching as an X competitor. 1 In a later interview, Zuckerberg said Threads was “either bigger than X at this point” or close to becoming so. 4

What Zuckerberg was claiming

The key figure is Threads’ 500 million monthly active users. That puts the service near widely reported estimates for X: one estimate cited about 550 million monthly active users for X, drawn from a SpaceX prospectus. 12

That makes Zuckerberg’s point plausible as a directional assessment: Threads is no longer merely a fast-growing alternative. It operates at a scale comparable with the leading text-based social network.

But “bigger” depends on the metric. Monthly active users, daily active users, web visits, time spent and creator engagement all describe different kinds of use. A close result in one category does not establish an overall winner.

Why Threads and X are difficult to compare directly

Threads’ relationship with Instagram is central to its growth story. The platform benefits from Meta’s existing social ecosystem, which gives it a different distribution starting point from X as a standalone service. Reports have identified that integration as an important factor in Threads’ rise. 3

X’s metrics also make clean comparison difficult. The company does not routinely publish a directly comparable monthly-active-user number, so outside estimates and figures disclosed through related corporate materials have filled the gap. The 550 million estimate, for example, was linked to a SpaceX prospectus rather than standard recurring X audience reporting. 12

Usage data further complicates the picture. Third-party Similarweb estimates reported that Threads had 141.5 million daily mobile users globally on iOS and Android in January 2026, compared with 125 million for X. Yet the same reporting found X retained a far larger web audience, with roughly 145.4 million daily web visits versus about 8.5 million for Threads.

The practical conclusion is straightforward: Threads may lead on certain mobile measures and be near X in monthly reach, while X can still be more important for browser-based use and particular high-engagement communities.

Why Zuckerberg still posts on X

Zuckerberg has described Meta’s cross-posting approach as a way to reach different audiences, rather than an endorsement of X over Threads. 48

That matters especially for Meta’s AI push. X remains a visible gathering place for technology and AI discussion, so posting there can help Meta reach people who follow model launches, developer tools and the broader AI race. 7

From a distribution perspective, using both services is pragmatic. Threads is Meta’s direct bet on the mainstream real-time social-feed market; X remains an additional channel with a distinctive, influential audience.

How Muse fits Meta’s broader strategy

The Threads-versus-X contest is only one part of Meta’s competition with Musk’s businesses. Meta is also expanding in artificial intelligence, where it faces xAI as well as other major AI companies.

Meta’s launch of Muse, a personal AI agent designed to handle real-world tasks, extends that strategy beyond social feeds. Reporting on the launch described Muse as an agent intended to perform tasks rather than simply answer chatbot-style questions. 6 Meta can use its large social and messaging footprint to introduce AI products to consumers across the company’s existing services.

That broader approach raises the stakes for both reach and trust. Winning attention in social media can help distribute new AI products, but AI agents that act on a user’s behalf also make reliability and privacy central to the product experience.

The bottom line

Zuckerberg’s statement is best understood as a confident but qualified assessment: Threads’ 500 million monthly users place it in the same league as X, and it may be ahead by some measures. 14

It does not prove Threads has surpassed X in every meaningful sense. Instagram-powered distribution, incomplete public data from X, and sharp differences between mobile and web behavior prevent a clean one-number comparison. Zuckerberg’s continued presence on X underscores the point: competing platforms can still serve different audiences—and both can matter to Meta’s AI ambitions.