Bluesky Hits 40 Million Users – Growth Slows, Engagement is Strong

Bluesky, the decentralized social platform once hailed as the most promising Twitter alternative, has reached 40 million registered users, according to new figures released on Friday. The milestone marks steady progress for the app – up from 38 million users in August – but also highlights a significant slowdown in its growth rate as competition among text-based social networks intensifies.

The platform, which launched publicly in 2023 after a period of invite-only access, gained early traction as disillusioned Twitter (now X) users looked for new spaces for real-time discussion. Between late 2023 and mid-2024, Bluesky’s user base surged from roughly 5 million to 20 million, before doubling again to 40 million over the following year. That pace, however, has cooled sharply. Where the app was once adding around five million users a month at its peak, it’s now gaining closer to 1.4 million monthly – a slowdown that underscores its shift from breakout phenomenon to niche community platform.

In contrast, Meta’s Threads has accelerated far more rapidly thanks to its integration with Instagram. Threads now counts over 400 million monthly active users, while X maintains a relatively stable audience under Elon Musk’s ownership. Despite being smaller, Bluesky has retained a loyal and vocal user base drawn to its open-protocol structure and community-driven moderation.

The company reports that total posting activity has surpassed 2 billion since launch, averaging roughly 1.4 million posts per day. However, analytics suggest daily posting is trending downward as early adoption enthusiasm stabilizes. Bluesky has yet to introduce advertising or monetization features, though industry observers expect those to arrive eventually as the company seeks to sustain growth.