David Bridges
As Meta’s Threads continues to emerge as a formidable competitor to X by attracting a growing user base and establishing itself as the premier platform for real-time news updates, Bluesky appears to be experiencing a slowdown in its growth momentum. Nonetheless, it is steadily increasing its user count while cultivating a devoted community of supporters.
According to Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, the platform has successfully expanded its reach, now boasting an impressive total of 38 million monthly active users, a significant increase from the 30 million it achieved in March.
This upward trend is certainly encouraging; gaining an additional 8 million users is a clear indicator of Bluesky’s growth trajectory and its sustained appeal within the wider social media landscape.
However, it is important to note that Bluesky’s growth rate has noticeably decelerated.
Previously, Bluesky maintained a user base of approximately 5 million until August of last year, after which the platform experienced a surge in interest as users began shifting away from X.
From August to November, Bluesky welcomed an additional 15 million users, reaching 20 million MAU by the end of that month. This remarkable surge in user acquisition captured the attention of investors and the wider technology community.
Since that period, however, Bluesky’s growth has largely normalized.
Between November 2024 and March 2025, the platform added another 10 million users, bringing the total to 30 million active users.
Now, after another five months, Bluesky has reached a total of 38 million users.
Consequently, the platform has transitioned from a peak growth rate of approximately 5 million new users per month to a more modest increase of about 1.6 million per month in recent times.
This indicates that while there is still positive growth—especially in a landscape where many apps struggle to attract new users—Bluesky seems unlikely to emerge as a serious competitor to X, which currently boasts 600 million users, or Threads, with 350 million users, as a leading platform for instantaneous engagement.
So, who exactly is engaging with Bluesky, and should you consider joining the platform?
Well, the answer isn’t straightforward.
Currently, the app showcases a variety of trending topics, but the volume of conversations taking place remains relatively low.
This trend is understandable, especially considering that data indicates a decline in Bluesky’s overall post volume, despite the increase in user numbers.
Moreover, some reports suggest that a number of users have left Bluesky due to a perceived lack of activity, indicating that there may not be enough compelling content to warrant significant user engagement at this time.
However, since there is no centralized hub for Bluesky trends, the only way to gauge the engagement levels is to actively search for your topics of interest and observe the discussions occurring within the app. If you find a high level of engagement, it could be worth your time.
Despite this, the data suggests that, for most subjects, significant engagement is likely to be scarce.
While Bluesky does have a committed core audience, it seems that this group has yet to generate substantial momentum.
There remains potential for change, particularly if Bluesky can introduce more exclusive content to its platform. However, with current trends indicating a decline in post volume, it appears that the app is moving in the opposite direction at the moment.
As operational costs continue to rise, Bluesky may need to reevaluate its strategy. This could involve the introduction of paid features that the core user base might be willing to support financially.
But will these measures be sufficient to ensure long-term sustainability?
Ivy Caldwell
