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People flocked to Bluesky in distinct waves when X made changes or faced major events that prompted users to look for alternatives. The clearest surges came in 2024, including after Brazil blocked X and after X signaled a change to how blocked accounts could view public posts. But a rise in sign-ups is not proof of a lasting mass departure: by June 2026, third-party data showed Bluesky’s mobile monthly active users below their late-2024 peak.
What prompted people to join Bluesky?
For many users, X-related changes made Bluesky an appealing place to try. The reported sign-up surges followed events that raised concerns about access to X, privacy, moderation, or the direction of the platform. They show that people responded to those moments by registering on Bluesky, but they do not establish that every new account belonged to someone who left X.
- Brazil blocked X: Bluesky figures reported by the Associated Press show 2.6 million new users in the week after the block in August 2024. Bluesky said 85% of those users were in Brazil.
- X signaled a change involving blocked accounts: Bluesky reported about 500,000 sign-ups in one day after X indicated that blocked accounts could still see public posts.
- The 2024 U.S. election: The Associated Press also reported a rise in Bluesky sign-ups after the election.
These episodes are evidence of timing and reported registration counts—not proof that one X policy change alone caused every sign-up. The Associated Press’s November 2024 report covers the election-related increase and the broader search for alternatives.
What does Bluesky offer that may appeal to people leaving X?
Bluesky’s appeal is not only that it is another place to post. The company presents control over feeds, moderation choices, and the possibility of moving between apps as distinguishing aims. These features may matter to users dissatisfied with how a platform decides what they see or how interactions are handled.
More choice over feeds
Bluesky supports custom feeds and user-selected algorithms. In September 2025, the company said users could choose from a marketplace of more than 100,000 user-built algorithms. That is Bluesky’s description of the product, not an independent measure of how much control users experience in practice.
Moderation options and interaction controls
Bluesky says users can select moderation services, while product features such as reply filtering give people additional ways to shape interactions. In its 2025 transparency report overview, the company said reply filtering had reduced user reports of antisocial behavior by 79% by October. That figure is a company-reported result, not an independently verified comparison with X.
An open protocol and portability goals
Bluesky says it began as a Twitter project in 2019, spun out as a public benefit corporation in 2022, and pursued an open protocol after Twitter did not adopt its proposed authenticated transfer approach. The company’s stated goal is to make portability between apps possible. That is a design aim; it should not be read as a guarantee that every part of a user’s account, audience, or experience can be moved seamlessly today.
Bluesky describes these choices and its protocol in its September 2025 product and guidelines update.
How large was the move—and is it still happening?
Bluesky’s registered-account total and its active audience are different measures. Registrations count accounts created; active-user estimates track use over a defined period and on particular platforms. The available figures show continued account growth alongside a decline in estimated mobile activity, so they do not support describing an uninterrupted mass migration.
| Measure | Figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Registered users | Over 44 million as of May 2026, according to Bluesky | A company-reported account total, not a count of people actively using the app each month. |
| Mobile monthly active users | 10.4 million worldwide in June 2026; down 27.2% year over year, according to Similarweb data reported by TechCrunch | A third-party estimate of mobile app activity. It does not include every web session or third-party client. |
| Public registered-user count | Nearly 46 million, as reported by TechCrunch in August 2026 | A registration count, not an active-user measure. |
Bluesky’s FAQ gives the May 2026 user figure, while TechCrunch’s August 2026 report cites Similarweb’s mobile-activity estimate and the nearly 46 million public registered count. TechCrunch reported that mobile activity was below Bluesky’s late-2024 high. This does not establish where people who stopped using Bluesky went; the figures do not show that they returned to X.
What does the academic evidence say about switching?
A 2025 preprint examining 300,000 academic users found that 18% of scholars in its sample transitioned from Twitter/X to Bluesky between 2023 and early 2025. The authors also found differences associated with academic discipline, political expression, and prior Twitter engagement. This offers a defined example of migration within a particular community, not an estimate for the general population. The study’s scope and findings should be read in that context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Bluesky’s growth figures do—and don’t—show
Bluesky’s report covering 2025 says the service grew from 25 million to 41 million users during that calendar year. The company also reported 1.41 billion posts created, 9.97 million user reports reviewed, and 2.45 million pieces of violating content removed. Those are company-reported figures, and they describe activity and moderation workload—not how many users switched from X or remained active throughout the year.
Taken together, the evidence supports a measured conclusion: X-related events and changes coincided with sharp Bluesky sign-up surges, while Bluesky’s feed, moderation, and protocol choices offer reasons some users may prefer it. Registrations kept growing through 2025, but the cited 2026 mobile-use estimate was down from its year-earlier level and below the late-2024 high. The data establish waves of interest, not a one-way migration or a continuing mass exodus from X.
Bluesky publishes its figures and methods in its 2025 Transparency Report Overview and full 2025 Transparency Report.
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