The Threads app has experienced a significant drop in daily active users, with the number falling to 23.6 million, indicating a nearly 50% decline. An initial analysis of the app’s performance suggests that it has a long way to go before it can compete with Twitter’s established user base. Despite being launched only a few weeks ago, the app has already seen a nearly 50% decrease in daily active users, indicating that it is struggling to retain regular users. SimilarWeb’s research shows that as of July 7, the Threads app had over 49 million daily active users on Android worldwide, accounting for approximately 45% of Twitter’s usage, which had more than 109 million active Android users on the same day.

Within just a week, Threads’ daily active users dropped to 23.6 million, indicating a nearly 50% decrease and accounting for only around 22% of Twitter’s viewership. Although the app experienced the most activity in the United States on July 7, with users spending roughly 21 minutes on Threads, this involvement reduced to just over 6 minutes by July 14. This decline in usage also had an impact on Twitter, with web traffic to twitter.com dropping by 5% during the first two days of Threads’ availability compared to the previous week. Despite a subsequent recovery, data for the most recent 7-day period show an 11% year-over-year fall in traffic.

Interestingly, Twitter’s daily active users on Android did not show a significant change during the period when Threads received the most attention. However, there was a decrease of 4.3% in the time spent on the platform, which could suggest that some users were exploring Threads as an alternative. Despite this decline, the average total time spent on Twitter remained at around 25 minutes.

These initial findings suggest that the Threads app still has a long way to go before it can compete with Twitter’s well-established user base. Despite being the fastest-growing app with 100 million downloads in just five days, it remains uncertain whether the app can overcome the challenges it faces and build a loyal and engaged user base in the future.

While the statistics mainly focus on Android usage, which is easier to track than iOS usage, it is expected that the figures for Apple’s iOS platform will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Is Threads a threat to Twitter’s user base?

Users have been expressing the need for a new microblogging app amid the drama on Twitter caused by Elon Musk’s actions. While Threads has emerged as a promising contender, it still has a long way to go in terms of establishing a consistent user base, despite receiving more attention than other Twitter alternatives such as Mastodon and Bluesky.

One factor that may have contributed to the Threads app’s rapid growth is its association with Instagram, which has over 500 million daily active users. The app has managed to address the “empty party problem” that affects new online communities by allowing Instagram users to easily create a Threads account and bring their existing contacts along.

However, David Carr of Similarweb notes that while there was initially intense interest in the app, not every user has made a habit of visiting Threads as often as they visit other social apps. The app lacks some essential features and needs to provide users with convincing reasons to convert or develop a new social media habit.

Despite positioning itself as a gentler, safer alternative to Twitter, Threads will need to provide a seamless user experience and deliver distinct value to stand out in the competitive social media field and achieve a loyal user base. Analysts suggest that if only 1 in 4 Instagram users uses Threads monthly, it could be as big as Twitter.

Source: www.similarweb.com