Research Suggests Threads Is Driving More Engagement Than X

While it may not be for everyone, Meta’s Twitter-clone Threads is clearly onto something.

The app is now up to 320 million active users, and is gaining growth momentum, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently reiterated his view that it will soon become the next billion-user app.

Which still seems like a big jump, but the data doesn’t lie, and as conversation continues to grow the app, more and more people are paying attention.

Which means that marketers, too, are taking note.

Indeed, according to the most recent Sprout Social Pulse Survey, 53% of marketers are now posting to Threads, with an additional 23% looking to establish a Threads presence this year.

And there may be good reason for that. As per the latest data from Buffer, based on analysis of 10.2 million posts published to X and Threads in 2024, Threads is also driving more engagement, as X continues to push users towards its subscription options to maximize reach.

As you can see in this chart, according to Buffer’s analysis, Threads posts are driving 73.6% higher engagement rates than X on average.

Of course, these results are relative to the specific content being shared, and how it appeals to an audience on a given platform. But the data suggests that users are gaining more exposure for their Threads, in general, versus posting on X.

Does that mean that your brand should be posting on Threads?

There are questions to be asked of any platform, and we all know that Meta has a reputation for facilitating reach in its apps, only to take it away when it switches focus at a later stage. So higher reach on Threads right now doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be your go-to as such.

But given the volatility of Elon Musk’s changes at X, which have put more emphasis on a pay-to-play approach, right now at least, Threads is offering an alternative. And with 320 million users, and rising, there’s good reason to at least consider building on Threads, and looking to reach an audience in the app.

For comparison, X claims to have 570 million monthly active users, so Threads is still a way off yet. But even at half of that, that’s still a significant opportunity, and with engagement rates continuing to climb, it does seem like Threads will be here to stay, at the least.

If you’re not already active in the app, then you should be considering it, and it may be worth experimenting with Threads posts to see what kind of response you get.

Again, I would always maintain a level of caution in building too much reliance on Meta’s apps, but as a supplementary, additional channel, it is worth considering.

On the flip side, should you shut down your X account?

Well, the consideration there likely comes down to how you feel about Elon Musk, and his views on moderation, as well as his broader political activism. If your audience is active on X, and you don’t have a problem with his approach, in whatever way, then it may make sense to stay.

But the data here does suggest that X reach is becoming more limited, as it looks to force users to either subscribe to X Premium, or post content natively in the app.

Essentially, some brands are still seeing good results on X, while others have opted to stop posting because of their views on the changes at the app. So it’s not to say you should abandon it or stick with it, but there is evidence to suggest that it is still delivering good results for some. Depending on how you approach it.  

You can check out Sprout Social’s 2025 Social Index here (with email sign-up), and Buffer’s Threads performance analysis report here.