Since deciding to stop using X (it’s not the Twitter I knew and beloved for a very long time), I’ve been testing out varied options. And for me, there are two clear front-runners: Bluesky and Threads.
They every have their upsides and drawbacks, so what’s a man to do when caught between selecting? I ended up operating them each by way of the wringer, evaluating the 2 social media platforms throughout completely different metrics—and now I’m sharing my expertise to assist you determine.
If you’re prepared to go away X however don’t know the place else to go, right here’s what it is advisable contemplate. Focus on the elements most vital to you. (Your mileage could fluctuate, although, so it’s best to strive each your self in case you can.)
The studying curve and ease of use
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Both Bluesky and Threads have extremely related person interfaces—paying homage to the outdated Twitter, in fact—and so they’re each about as straightforward to be taught and use. Twitter created the template for one of these social media, and neither Threads nor Bluesky deviate removed from it. They every characteristic timelines that you simply scroll by way of, with easy menus permitting you to see exercise in your posts and seek for accounts and subjects.
It’s exhausting to select a winner right here, but when I had to, I’d narrowly go for Bluesky. The caveat is that you simply’ll need to put some work in first to make Bluesky nearly as good as it may be. But when you’ve tweaked it to fit your wants and needs, the person expertise edges out Threads. Learn extra about easy wins to get the most out of Bluesky.
Winner: Bluesky
The ease of migrating over
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If you’re studying this, I’m assuming you already use X to a point, you’re on the lookout for a means off that platform, and also you wish to deliver over as a lot as you may as conveniently as you may. After all, who needs to battle by way of beginning over from scratch?
Bluesky has a devoted instrument referred to as Sky Follower Bridge that makes it straightforward emigrate your connections from X (and Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook) to Bluesky. With Threads, you may solely import Instagram knowledge (not followers). Meta is engaged on a instrument to import followers from X, but it surely’s not as clean or versatile as Sky Follower Bridge.
For me, if you wish to simply shift from X to an alternate, Bluesky wins by an extended shot. But in case you’re like me and also you wish to begin contemporary, then I feel Threads wins by a margin.
Winner: Bluesky
The variety of energetic customers
Statista
In phrases of person base, there’s a transparent and unequivocal winner. While Bluesky has round 30 million month-to-month energetic customers, Threads boasts over 350 million monthly active users as of Q1 2025.
A better variety of month-to-month energetic customers brings each professionals and cons. There’s extra probability of accounts you acknowledge being on Threads and there’s a higher number of area of interest communities represented, however there’s additionally much more noise, trolls, and bots to take care of.
Winner: Threads
The degree of engagement
Dave Parrack / Foundry
In my expertise, the extent of engagement is fairly effectively correlated with the variety of energetic customers on every platform. I’ve been utilizing Bluesky for months, but my posts and replies not often get as a lot engagement as they do on my youthful Threads account.
There’s merely extra alternative to achieve individuals on Threads than on Bluesky due to the sheer inhabitants. A reply to a submit by a “big” account on Threads goes to offer you extra eyeballs, interval, whereas Bluesky can really feel nascent and underdeveloped.
Winner: Threads
The tone of dialog
Joel Lee / Foundry
Lots of people left Twitter effectively earlier than Elon Musk acquired it and renamed it X—and for good motive. The general tone of the dialog had shifted, abandoning civility and bending in the direction of argumentative trolling. So, are these options any higher?
I’d say that each are certainly higher than X, no less than for now. If you wish to waste your time with individuals who haven’t any intention of arguing in good religion, follow X; in the meantime, each Threads and Bluesky supply alternatives to have productive conversations.
Of the 2, I discover that the general vibe is friendlier, nicer, and extra optimistic on Bluesky. That could be as a result of smaller person base and stronger moderation options that restrict the influence of trolls, bots, engagement farmers, and argumentative sorts.
Winner: Bluesky
The content material moderation
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Both Threads and Bluesky supply complete content material moderation choices that grant you the flexibility to report posts, mute or block customers, and allow varied settings that assist reasonable the expertise to your wants and needs. However, Bluesky wins right here for 2 massive causes.
First, the sheer variety of moderation options is spectacular, with an entire suite of instruments and filters accessible for curating your feed and managing the interactions you may have day in and day trip. Second, Meta recently pushed back against fact-checking and heavy-handed moderation, which is more likely to influence Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Winner: Bluesky
The high quality of the algorithm
Dave Parrack / Foundry
It’s exhausting to objectively examine the qualities of any two social media algorithms, as everybody has their very own concept of what represents a superb one somewhat than a nasty one. I can solely base it alone subjective expertise of utilizing each Bluesky and Threads for some time.
I’ll say that each are fairly good at serving up content material they assume you’ll wish to see, and each require you to make use of them for some time earlier than they will actually tune into what you want. However, whereas Threads solely presents “For You” and “Following” feeds, Bluesky has many extra choices. (More on that beneath within the “customization options” part.)
Despite that, I feel Threads’ algorithm is healthier at understanding what you’ve engaged with, understanding what you want, and delivering extra of the identical. Much of that seemingly comes from the Threads staff’s previous expertise and learnings below the Meta umbrella.
Winner: Threads
The customization choices
Dave Parrack / Foundry
As far as customization, Bluesky wins hands-down. That’s no shock provided that Threads is a part of Meta (which additionally owns Facebook and Instagram) whereas Bluesky was created to be a decentralized different to Twitter and designed with the top person’s satisfaction in thoughts.
While the Threads experience is principally going to be the identical for everybody, Bluesky presents a number of customizations that permit every particular person to curate their very own expertise. Options embrace customized feeds, user-created algorithms, shareable moderation lists, curated teams and feeds referred to as Starter Packs, and tweakable “Following” feed preferences.
If customization is one thing you crave in a social media platform, Bluesky will seemingly be your only option. If you need a one-size-fits-all app that retains it easy for everybody, Threads often is the higher match.
Winner: Bluesky
The dealing with of breaking information
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If there’s one motive why so many individuals nonetheless hold onto X regardless of wanting to go away, it’s as a result of quite a lot of breaking information occurs on X. The microblogging social media platform is unmatched with regards to maintaining with quick information and reactions.
Both Threads and Bluesky supply the identical fundamental capability to be sources for breaking information, however the bigger inhabitants on Threads offers it an edge over Bluesky for this goal. Not solely are there extra organizations on Threads, however the sheer variety of customers implies that persons are extra more likely to be speaking about information that broke elsewhere.
This is a double-edged sword, in fact, as faux information and misinformation are extra prolific on platforms with increased numbers of customers. So, the best choice in case you primarily care about breaking information is to instantly comply with the official information organizations, wire providers, and firms you belief on whichever of the 2 platforms you choose to make use of.
Winner: Threads
Bluesky vs. Threads: Which one for you?
If your most important issues are straightforward migration, management over your feed, customizing your expertise, higher curation and moderation options, and better general high quality of conversations, then select Bluesky. It’s additionally the plain choice in case you don’t wish to help (or expose your self to the affect of) megacorporations like Meta.
If you simply wish to “be where everyone else is,” then decide Threads. It has a bigger energetic neighborhood and wider general adoption amongst firms and organizations, although that additionally comes with extra run-ins with trolls, bots, and dangerous actors. Threads is a one-size-fits-all social media platform that leans into feeding you personalised, algorithmic content material.
That stated, you actually can’t go improper with both alternative. The one successful transfer right here is to lastly get off of X for good. Between all of the controversies, the unfavorable vitality, and the shortage of moderation, you’re doing your self a disservice by staying on the platform.