Bluesky Surpasses 30 Million Users: A Decentralized Social App Challenging Twitter’s Dominance

After Elon Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly Twitter) in 2023, numerous users migrated to alternative platforms, including Mastodon, Post, Pebble, Spill, and Bluesky. Among these, Bluesky has experienced remarkable growth, amassing over 30 million users as of February 2025.

This surge in popularity can be attributed to various policy changes at X, such as the controversial modification of the block feature and the allowing of third-party companies to train their AI on user posts. Additionally, Bluesky’s growth was boosted by the fallout from the 2024 U.S. presidential election and the exodus of Taylor Swift fans.

Despite the impressive numbers, Bluesky remains a competitive social media platform, continually updating its features to meet user demands. For instance, in May 2023, custom algorithms called “custom feeds” were introduced, allowing users to subscribe to multiple algorithms showcasing various types of content. In December 2023, an impersonation policy was strengthened, and blue check verification was implemented in May 2025.

Bluesky’s growth has been marked by ongoing moderation issues, with accusations of failing to protect marginalized users and allowing racist content. To address these concerns, Bluesky introduced more advanced automated tooling in December 2023, launched Ozone – a tool that lets users create and run independent moderation services – in March 2024, and joined Instagram’s Threads app in October 2024 to attract users dissatisfied with Meta’s moderation issues.

As the platform evolves, it continues to distinguish itself from competitors like Mastodon by offering a more intuitive user experience. The upcoming launch of federation will enable users to choose which servers to join and move their accounts at will, making Bluesky more similar to Mastodon in functionality while maintaining its unique features and growing community.