Threads, Meta's new text-based app set to rival Twitter, launched on July 5, 2023.Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
- Meta released Threads — a new text-based app poised to compete with Twitter — on Wednesday.
- There are other Twitter competitors, but Threads has the advantage of Instagram's existing user base.
Twitter's most formidable competitor has arrived.
Threads, Meta's new text-based app that has been described as the new "Twitter Killer," was released to the public ahead of time on Wednesday.
The app is the latest in line of competitors, such as Bluesky and Donald Trump's Truth Social, that have aimed to provide an alternative digital space for conversation besides Twitter.
One immediate advantage Threads may have over other rivals is the potential to convert Instagram's existing user base to new Threads accounts since people are required to have an Instagram log-in. Instagram is estimated to have more than 1.21 billion active users, according to Statista.
Threads also comes less than a year since Elon Musk took over Twitter and introduced some controversial changes to the app, including removing old content moderation rules, tweaking the app's For Your algorithm, and scrapping the verification process in lieu of a monthly subscription.
On Saturday, Musk also announced a rate limit on how many tweets can be viewed, initially limiting unverified users to 600 posts per day.
Here are some of the differences between Twitter and Threads in-app experience.