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Threads was installed 30 million times on launch day, compared to BeReal's 20 million daily active users that same day.

15 Threads Stats You Need to Know (Updated April 2025)

Lauren Walter
Lauren Walter
Lauren Walter is the Search & Content Director at Online Optimism. Learn more about her here.

Meta’s app, Threads, has seen consistent growth since its release in 2023. Positioned as a competitor to Twitter, the social media platform focuses on multimedia microblogging and integrates with Instagram. If you’re curious about the app’s history, how it works, and whether it’s still climbing the charts or if its numbers are dwindling, be sure to check out our Threads stats below

Click below to find answers to any of the following questions:

  1. What is Threads app?
  2. When did Threads launch?
  3. Who owns Threads?
  4. How many people have installed Threads? How many people use Threads?
  5. What countries is Threads in?
  6. Is Threads app free?
  7. How does the Threads app work?
  8. How do I create a Threads account?
  9. Do you need Instagram for Threads?
  10. Is there a web version of Threads?
  11. Are Threads public?
  12. Can Threads be private?
  13. Can Threads be deleted?
  14. Does Threads have hashtags?
  15. How does Threads compare to other social media?

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What is Threads app?

The Threads app is a social media platform for microblogging. Users can post or share multimedia, including text, images, and videos. The app also allows users to like, reply, repost, and quote post others’ posts.

When did Threads launch?

Meta originally launched Threads in October of 2019. The app was discontinued in December of 2021. At the time, the app was similar to Snapchat, focusing on private interactions between users through text and video.1

The current version of Threads was started in November of 2022, conceived of as an Instagram feature.2 The app was finally renamed Threads and released on July 5, 2023.3

Who owns Threads?

Threads is owned by Meta Platforms, Inc., which also owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Edits.

How many people have installed Threads? How many people use Threads?

Threads was installed 30 million times on launch day. Over 100 million users installed Threads in the first 5 days the app was available.4 In less than two weeks, Threads received 150 million downloads.5 As of January 2025, Threads had 320 million monthly active users, and continues to see over 1 million sign-ups every day.6 At the beginning of 2025, Threads ranked 9th for the most downloaded app in the world.7

Threads was installed 30 million times on launch day, compared to BeReal's 20 million daily active users that same day.

What countries is Threads in?

When Threads launched on July 5, 2023, it was available in 100 different countries.8 Threads received regulatory approval in the European Union in late 2023, expanding the app to millions more users.9 It has been blocked in Iran10 and banned in China.11

Is Threads app free?

Currently, the Threads app is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

How does the Threads app work?

Threads allows users to publicly post and share content. Posts can contain up to 500 characters of text, up to 10 images, links, or up to 5 minutes of video. Cross-posting is common between Instagram and Threads, and users can choose to follow the same users on Threads as on Instagram. As of March 21, 2024, Meta integrated Threads into the fediverse, including platforms such as Mastodon.12

A screenshot about how Threads works when you download the app
When Threads first came out, it was noted on their download page that the app would one day work with the fediverse, which is now integrated into Threads.

How do I create a Threads account?

Download the Threads app on your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can choose to make a public profile that anyone can view or a private profile only your followers can view.

Users will be prompted to import data from their Instagram account. By default, your Threads account will use your name, handle, and profile picture from Instagram. You can choose to change your name or profile picture, write a brief bio, and add a link to your profile.

A screenshot showing the prompt to import your data from Instagram when you create a Threads account

Do you need Instagram for Threads?

Currently, users are required to have an Instagram account in order to make a Threads account. Threads is considered a complementary app to Instagram and integrates closely with it, so users can share the same name, handle, profile picture, and accounts they follow across both platforms.

Is there a web version of Threads?

On August 22, 2023, Meta announced it would be releasing a new web version of Threads with more functionality. This new web version was made available to all users as of August 24, 2023. Previously, the web version of Threads only enabled you to view Threads profiles but not engage with them. The new web version looks and works similarly to the app version, with For You and Following feeds, as well as capabilities to search, post, like, comment, reshare, quote post, edit your profile, and share.

The last significant web update to Threads was in November of 202313, when Threads added the ability for users to:

  • Access new data insights, seeing who has quoted or reposted an update by tapping into the Likes or views on a post.
  • Edit alt text for videos and photos when you post from the web, boosting the app’s accessibility.
  • Add media attachments directly into posts made on the web version.
  • Add multiple posts to a thread before publishing.

Are Threads public?

If you create a public profile, your Threads will be public. Even users who are not on Threads themselves will be able to view, share, and engage with your Threads posts.

Can Threads be private?

If you create a private profile, your Threads will be private. Only your own followers, who you must approve first, will be able to view, share, and engage with your Threads posts.

Can Threads be deleted?

As of now, users who want to delete their Threads account will also delete their Instagram account. Instagram’s CEO says they are working on a solution that will allow users to delete their Threads account without also deleting their Instagram account.10

Does Threads have hashtags?

Threads has a feature similar to hashtags known as Tags. Currently, you can only use one tag per post on Threads.15 Tags can be up to 50 characters long and may contain spaces and other special characters.16

How does Threads compare to other social media?

Threads is most commonly compared to X (formerly Twitter), which it hopes to be a main competitor against, and Instagram, which is its counterpart. It may also be compared to Lapse, since they both suddenly rose to the top of the app store in 2023.

Feature Included On
Text Posts Threads (500 characters) and X (280 characters)
Image Posts Threads (10 max), X (4 max), and Instagram (10 max)
Video Posts Threads (5 minutes max), X (2 minutes and 20 seconds max), and Instagram (60 minutes max)
Image + Video Posts Threads and Instagram
Links in Posts Threads and X
Like Threads, X, and Instagram
Comment Threads, X, and Instagram
Repost Threads, X, and Instagram (only via Stories)
Follow Threads, X, and Instagram
Hashtag X and Instagram
Search X and Instagram
Private Message X and Instagram

Threads is largely considered to be one of X’s (formerly Twitter) main competition in the mobile app space. In some ways, Threads is catching up to X’s performance. As of the end of 2024, Threads’ worldwide Daily Active Users reached 45% of X’s total, performing even better at 85% when comparing the two platform’s monthly active users.17

However, these numbers don’t tell the full story without looking at engagement. X’s competition, including Threads, still struggle to reach X’s high user engagement levels. Research by Sensor Tower suggests that users abandoning X may be choosing other forms of entertainment (streaming, short-form videos, etc) rather than seeking out its competitors like Threads and Reddit.

Need help with Threads or other social media?

At Online Optimism, we know social media. If you need help managing your brand’s social media accounts, contact us now to learn how we can help your brand create engagement and grow on social!

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Footnotes

    1. Espósito, Filipe. (2021, November 17). Instagram discontinuing its threads direct messaging app next month. 9to5Mac. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/3rqn1Tj.
    2. Huang, Kalley. (December 7, 2022). “Twitter’s Rivals Try to Capitalize on Musk-Induced Chaos”. The New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/3Q0lkWC.
    3. Isaac, Mike. (July 4, 2023). “Meta’s ‘Twitter Killer’ App Is Coming”. The New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/3PSOYgt.
    4. Hines, Kristi. (July 10, 2023). “Threads App Hits 100 Million Users With ‘Mostly Organic Demand.’” Search Engine Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/43nbp0o.
    5. Hays, Kali. (July 14, 2023). “Meta’s new Threads app gained an ‘unprecedented’ 150 million downloads in under two weeks. Now it has to keep users happy.” Business Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2023 from https://bit.ly/45HI0zz.
    6. Facebook post by Mark Zuckerberg. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/4bKpV8d.
    7. Ceci, Laura. “Leading mobile apps worldwide in YTD2024, by downloads“. Statista. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3DvPMnY.
    8. Kelly, Samantha. (July 6, 2023). “Meta officially launches Twitter rival Threads. 30 million have joined already”. CNN Business. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/44lgzvk.
    9. Porter, John. (December 14, 2023). “Threads launches for nearly half a billion more users in Europe”. The Verge. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3FluXMw.
    10. “Iran Blocks Public Access to Threads App; Raisi’s Account Created”. VOA. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://bit.ly/3NQJ2Cg.
    11. Dey, Mrinmay and Ye, Josh. “Apple pulls WhatsApp, Threads from China app store after Beijing order”. Reuters. April 19, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3Fw19N6.
    12. Blackstein, Simon and Su, Christopher. (March 21, 2024). “Threads has entered the fediverse”. Engineering at Meta. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3DxdEHL.
    13. Hutchinson, Andrew. (November 2, 2023). “Threads Rolls Out New Updates, Including Improved Web Posting Options”. SocialMediaToday. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3XK1O3P.
    14. Instagram. “Delete your Threads profile”. Instagram. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/4bHQHhA.
    15. Ulanoff, Lance. (December 7, 2023). “Threads finally gets hashtags and there’s officially no reason to keep using Twitter”. TechRadarr. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/41JNycu.
    16. Instagram. “Tag a topic in your post on Threads”. Instagram. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from https://bit.ly/3DzQKzo.
    17. Sensor Tower. (2025). The State of Mobile 2025. Sensor Tower.

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