Threads reaches 500 million monthly users, rivaling X

Meta Threads Hits 500 Million Monthly Users, Rolls Out Feed Personalization and Community Tools

Meta announced Tuesday that Threads, its short-form social network launched three years ago as a competitor to X, has reached 500 million monthly active users — putting the platform halfway toward CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s stated goal of 1 billion users.bloomberg

Steady Climb From 400 Million

The milestone comes roughly 10 months after Threads reported 400 million monthly active users in August 2025. Daily active users have also increased year-over-year, according to Connor Hayes, head of Threads, though he declined to share specific figures in an interview with Bloomberg. The growth trajectory contradicts external estimates that had projected Threads’ user base was declining.linkedin

Zuckerberg launched Threads in July 2023, shortly after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, marketing it as a friendlier alternative to the platform now known as X. The app signed up 10 million users in its first seven hours and hit 100 million in under five days, though growth cooled considerably before picking back up through 2024 and 2025.investopedia

New Features Target Feed Control and Community Building

Alongside the user milestone, Threads is introducing Your Algo, a private feed personalization tool that lets users request to see more or less of certain content types. The feature builds on “Dear Algo,” which launched in February 2026 and required users to post public requests to adjust their feed for three-day windows. Your Algo offers a more private, persistent approach to the same concept.techcrunch

Threads is also graduating its Communities feature out of beta. First introduced in October 2025 as public spaces for conversation around topics like basketball, television, and K-pop, Communities now include a discovery hub, custom icons, and expanded Live Chats — a public group chat feature that launched within communities in April 2026.techcrunch

The Race With X

The 500 million figure places Threads in direct striking distance of X, which various estimates place between 500 million and 600 million monthly active users. India, Brazil, and the United States remain the platform’s top markets. Zuckerberg marked the occasion on his Threads profile, noting the app reached the milestone “in less than 3 years”.sproutsocial