Bluesky vs. Threads: Which X alternative is right for you?

Since deciding to stop using X (it’s no longer the Twitter I knew and loved for a long time), I’ve been testing out various alternatives. And for me, there are two clear front-runners: Bluesky and Threads.

They each have their upsides and downsides, so what’s a guy to do when stuck between choosing? I ended up running them both through the wringer, comparing the two social media platforms across different metrics—and now I’m sharing my experience to help you decide.

If you’re ready to leave X but don’t know where else to go, here’s what you need to consider. Focus on the aspects most important to you. (Your mileage may vary, though, so you should try both yourself if you can.)

The learning curve and ease of use

Dave Parrack / Foundry

Both Bluesky and Threads have incredibly similar user interfaces—reminiscent of the old Twitter, of course—and they’re both about as easy to learn and use. Twitter created the template for this type of social media, and neither Threads nor Bluesky deviate far from it. They each feature timelines that you scroll through, with simple menus allowing you to see activity on your posts and search for accounts and topics.

It’s hard to pick a winner here, but if I had to, I would narrowly opt for Bluesky. The caveat is that you’ll have to put some work in first to make Bluesky as good as it can be. But once you’ve tweaked it to suit your needs and wants, the user experience edges out Threads. Learn more about easy wins to get the most out of Bluesky.

Winner: Bluesky

The ease of migrating over

Chrome Web Store extension Sky Follower Bridge for Bluesky

Dave Parrack / Foundry

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you already use X to some degree, you’re looking for a way off that platform, and you want to bring over as much as you can as conveniently as you can. After all, who wants to struggle through starting over from scratch?

Bluesky has a dedicated tool called Sky Follower Bridge that makes it easy to migrate your connections from X (and Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook) to Bluesky. With Threads, you can only import Instagram data (not followers). Meta is working on a tool to import followers from X, but it’s not as smooth or versatile as Sky Follower Bridge.

For me, if you want to easily shift from X to an alternative, Bluesky wins by a long shot. But if you’re like me and you want to start fresh, then I think Threads wins by a margin.

Winner: Bluesky

The number of active users

Threads graph of monthly active users screenshot

Statista

In terms of user base, there’s a clear and unequivocal winner. While Bluesky has around 30 million monthly active users, Threads boasts over 350 million monthly active users as of Q1 2025.

A higher number of monthly active users brings both pros and cons. There’s more likelihood of accounts you recognize being on Threads and there’s a greater variety of niche communities represented, but there’s also a lot more noise, trolls, and bots to contend with.

Winner: Threads

The level of engagement

Threads user engagement levels screenshot

Dave Parrack / Foundry

In my experience, the level of engagement is pretty well correlated with the number of active users on each platform. I’ve been using Bluesky for months, yet my posts and replies rarely get as much engagement as they do on my younger Threads account.

There’s simply more opportunity to reach people on Threads than on Bluesky because of the sheer population. A reply to a post by a “big” account on Threads is going to give you more eyeballs, period, whereas Bluesky can feel nascent and underdeveloped.

Winner: Threads

The tone of conversation

Joel Lee / Foundry

A lot of people left Twitter well before Elon Musk acquired it and renamed it X—and for good reason. The overall tone of the conversation had shifted, leaving behind civility and bending towards argumentative trolling. So, are these alternatives any better?

I would say that both are indeed better than X, at least for now. If you want to waste your time with people who have no intention of arguing in good faith, stick with X; meanwhile, both Threads and Bluesky offer opportunities to have productive conversations.

Of the two, I find that the overall vibe is friendlier, nicer, and more positive on Bluesky. That might be due to the smaller user base and stronger moderation features that limit the impact of trolls, bots, engagement farmers, and argumentative types.

Winner: Bluesky

The content moderation

Dave Parrack / Foundry

Both Threads and Bluesky offer comprehensive content moderation options that grant you the ability to report posts, mute or block users, and enable various settings that help moderate the experience to your needs and wants. However, Bluesky wins here for two big reasons.

First, the sheer number of moderation features is impressive, with a whole suite of tools and filters available for curating your feed and managing the interactions you have day in and day out. Second, Meta recently pushed back against fact-checking and heavy-handed moderation, which is likely to impact Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Winner: Bluesky