Bluesky, the social media platform positioned as a competitor to X, has seen a noticeable decline in its growth rate in December after a rapid surge in user numbers. Between September and November, the platform’s user base grew significantly from over 9 million to more than 20 million users. However, recent data from Similarweb, which analyzes web traffic and app usage, indicates that growth slowed to less than 10% in December, compared to a 189% increase in November.
The number of daily active users of the Bluesky app in the U.S. also grew at a much slower pace in December, increasing by only 12%, compared to a staggering 284% growth the previous month.
Despite the slowdown, Bluesky’s user base has continued to grow, with the total number of users reaching 26.44 million. The platform has also begun introducing features similar to those of X, including Trending Topics, to further enhance user engagement.
The platform’s sharp rise in users was largely driven by a wave of discontent among X users following the U.S. presidential election in November. As Elon Musk aligned himself with incoming president Donald Trump and used X to promote the Trump campaign, many users dissatisfied with these developments flocked to Bluesky in search of a fresh, alternative space. This migration boosted Bluesky’s visibility, and by November, the app topped the U.S. App Store charts, maintaining the number one rank from November 13 to November 21, 2024.
This migration also attracted a host of celebrities, musicians, authors, and journalists, further elevating Bluesky’s status. However, the data now suggests that this surge has plateaued, with growth beginning to stabilize.
Although Bluesky’s growth has slowed, it still outpaced Instagram Threads in terms of growth in the U.S. in December. While Bluesky saw a 9.6% increase in desktop and mobile visits, Threads experienced a 1.6% decline. Globally, Bluesky’s website traffic was up 9.5% in December, ahead of Threads’ 5.7% growth and X’s 2.4%.
With its expanding user base, Bluesky is facing challenges, such as user protests over moderation practices, an influx of bots, and issues like impersonation and username squatting. Despite these growing pains, Bluesky had an impressive 2024 overall, with a 930% year-over-year increase in worldwide website visits and a staggering 30,564% growth over the past two years.
