Threads

Meta's text-first social app linked to Instagram, with optional sharing to the fediverse.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Threads

Threads is Meta's answer to Twitter: a feed of short text posts with photos, videos and links, replies, quotes and reposts. It launched in 2023 tied to Instagram, which gave it a large audience immediately; you can now also sign up with an email or phone number. Posts can be up to 500 characters with videos up to five minutes. A For You feed recommends posts, while a Following feed shows accounts you follow, and topic tags and communities help discussions form. Threads has gradually connected to the fediverse: if you opt in, your public posts can be followed from Mastodon and other ActivityPub servers. It is free, with ads, and runs on Android, iPhone and the web. It suits people who want a calmer Twitter-style space with Instagram's audience, but its feed is heavily algorithmic and it shares Meta's data practices and advertising model.

Best for: Instagram users who want a Twitter-style text feed with a ready-made audience.

What works

Large audience carried over from Instagram
Optional sharing to Mastodon and the fediverse
Calmer tone than X for many users

Why people leave

Algorithmic For You feed dominates
Meta's data collection and ads
Tied to Meta's accounts, policies and ad model

Top Threads alternatives

See all 4

1
Bluesky
An open network with custom feeds and no Meta account required.
66.5
2
X (Twitter)
Still the biggest venue for real-time news and politics.
62.6
3
Mastodon
Fully decentralised and ad-free, and already reachable from Threads' fediverse sharing.
59.6
4
Instagram
If you mostly want photos and Reels rather than text conversation.
57.2

Why people left Threads

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Reviews

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Threads: common questions

Is Threads free?

Yes, Threads is free to use.

Is Threads open source?

No, Threads is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Bluesky and Mastodon.

What platforms does Threads run on?

Threads is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Threads?

The highest-ranked Threads alternatives right now are Bluesky, X (Twitter) and Mastodon. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Threads alternatives

Threads facts

3 of 3 verified

Post length: 500 characters; videos up to 5 minutes; Checked Oct 25, 2026about.instagram.com(opens source in a new tab); “The app allows you to create posts up to 500 characters in length, with the option to include links, photos, carousels and videos up to 5 minutes long.”
Sign-up: Instagram account, email or phone; Checked Oct 25, 2026about.instagram.com(opens source in a new tab); “Alternatively, you can sign up to Threads with your email or phone number.”
Fediverse sharing: Optional; Checked Oct 25, 2026about.instagram.com(opens source in a new tab); “If you and the author of the post have both turned on sharing to the fediverse”