Twitter vs. Threads: What's the Difference? Which One is Better?

Meta, the parent company of the social media platform Facebook, has just launched its rival platform to Twitter, known as Threads, and millions of users have already signed up in the first hours of release.

On top of the millions of new users getting on Threads, several high-profile Twitter users with millions of followers have also decided to switch to Meta's new platform. These include TV host Ellen DeGeneres who has 75.4 million; Bill Gates, with 62.9 million; and Shakira, with 53.8 million.

Meta's New Social Media Platform

Among the biggest names on the platform, DeGeneres is currently the only Twitter user with the greatest following who has posted on Threads. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that in the first seven hours of launch, Threads had more than 10 million users.

DeGeneres' first post on Meta's new platform was, "Welcome to Gay Twitter!" The situation has only worked to intensify Zuckerberg's recent rivalry with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who is now working on suing Meta over Threads' launch, as per MSN.

Another big name, Jennifer Lopez, who has 44.9 million followers on Twitter, put up three posts on Meta's new app within the first four hours. She also invited her followers from her previous platform to join her on Threads.

Regarding political names, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to the new social media platform in a call for more positivity. She hoped Threads would have good vibes, a strong community, excellent humor, and less harassment than Twitter.

Musk, who is Twitter's most-followed user, replied to another's post following Threads' launch, saying that it is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter than to indulge in what he called the "false happiness" of "hide-the-pain Instagram."

Similar to Twitter, Threads allows online users to post messages, reply to other users, and like or report messages. According to CBS News, the platform enables people who use Meta-owned Instagram to follow the same accounts on the new platform, which could boost an account's followers.

Twitter vs. Threads

Zuckerberg said that the company's vision with Threads is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a brand new experience for text, ideas, and discussing topics. He added that the new platform has a friendly community.

Key differences between the two platforms include Threads not using hashtags, a popular way that Twitter and Instagram use to find topics of interest quickly. Additionally, there is no option to message another user on Threads directly.

The large number of people who flocked to Threads soon after its launch underscores how many are arguing that Twitter is in a particularly rough phase in what many see as the gradual product degeneration under Musk's guidance.

Twitter decided to limit the number of tweets people can read starting last week, which was a questionable decision that was immediately unpopular among its users. Despite some apps already rivaling Twitter, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, they have yet to grow big enough to surpass Musk's platform, said Vox.