Meta's Threads is on the brink of doubling its user base from 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) in October to nearly 200 million MAUs

Meta's Threads, launched in July 2023, is on the brink of doubling its user base from 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) in October to nearly 200 million MAUs, as announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on July 31. This rapid growth underscores Threads' potential to challenge Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter.

Since its debut, Threads has seen significant milestones. Initially achieving 100 million sign-ups within five days, the app quickly became the fastest-growing consumer product globally. Despite an initial drop in usage due to missing essential features like keyword search, a functional web application, and multi-account support, Meta swiftly addressed these issues, adding these and other features such as trending topics, a chronological feed, and an edit button at no extra cost. These enhancements have led to a resurgence in app usage and downloads.

Meta's strategy to promote Threads posts on Instagram has also fueled this growth. As of July, just before its first anniversary, Threads boasted over 175 million MAUs, up from 150 million in April.

Threads by Meta

During the company's earnings call on July 31, Zuckerberg highlighted Threads' steady progress, noting its deeper engagement and optimistic trajectory. He expressed confidence that Threads could become another major social app within Meta's suite, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. However, he acknowledged that reaching a billion users could take several years.

Threads User Base Line Graph

Threads User Base Bar Graph

Meta has been strategic in developing Threads, focusing on long-term growth rather than immediate revenue. Zuckerberg emphasized the company's 20-year history of building large-scale consumer products, noting the rarity of opportunities to grow apps with a billion-person user base.

In June, Meta launched two major initiatives to drive Threads' growth: the Threads API and an open social web (fediverse). The Threads API allows third-party developers, creators, and brands to build integrations, manage their Threads presence at scale, and share content with their communities. This launch followed Twitter's (now X) decision to stop offering free API access, which led many companies to withdraw their integrations.

Additionally, the open social web rollout enabled Threads to be compatible with federated platforms like Mastodon, allowing users to share posts across different services and transfer their content, giving them more control over their data and community engagement.

In May, Threads introduced a TweetDeck-like interface with pinned columns for web users, aiming to attract more power users. This feature lets users pin separate columns for favorite searches, tags, accounts, saved posts, and notifications. A similar experience is currently being tested with select iOS users.

Overall, Zuckerberg reported that more than 3.2 billion people use at least one of Meta's apps daily, showcasing the extensive reach of the company's digital ecosystem.