Bluesky is making a big splash in the social media world! This Twitter-like platform, which many see as an alternative to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), has now hit 16 million users. That’s a huge jump, especially after the U.S. presidential election, which saw even more people signing up. With growing frustrations over X’s shift to the right and some of Musk’s controversial decisions (like how blocks work or how your posts might be used to train AI).
Bluesky is looking like an appealing alternative. While X still leads in monthly active users, it’s worth noting that Meta’s Threads is quickly catching up. Threads grew by 15 million users just in November! So, while Threads might be the Big Tech contender, Bluesky is definitely the indie underdog. It’s already ahead of Mastodon, another decentralized platform, with Bluesky at 16 million users and Mastodon at 7.6 million (with only about a million active each month). If Bluesky keeps growing at this pace, it could start to really challenge X.
In fact, some signs point to that already. Analytics from Similarweb show that X has seen a massive spike in account deactivations since Musk took over, with one day in particular (Wednesday, when over 115,000 users in the U.S. deactivated their accounts) marking the largest exodus yet. That’s more than double the usual number!
What makes Bluesky different from X?
At first glance, Bluesky might seem like X—short text posts, media sharing, likes, reposts, and the ability to comment and DM. But the big difference lies in how it’s built. Bluesky is a decentralized platform, which means users have more control over their data. You can even host your own data, and the protocol it runs on (called the AT Protocol) is different from Mastodon’s ActivityPub, so while it shares some similarities with other decentralized platforms, it’s not exactly the same.
Unlike Mastodon, where server choice can influence your content, you won’t have to worry about where your data is hosted affecting what you see. Bluesky’s approach is to give you more control over your experience, all while letting you connect with people in a way that feels more personal and less corporate-controlled.
How to join Bluesky
Getting started with Bluesky is easy! You can sign up on their website using the bsky app for web or download the app for iOS or Android. After creating your account with a username and some basic info (like email and birthday), you’re good to go! Your username will automatically end with “.bsky.social,” but thanks to the AT Protocol, you can also use your own domain name if you prefer.
There’s even a tool that helps you pick out a custom domain, which helps Bluesky generate revenue for its free platform.
Discovering new content and feeds
Bluesky gives you a lot more control over your feed compared to other platforms like X or Threads. You can customize what you see based on your interests or even build your own feed from scratch. There are more than 40,000 feeds to choose from, and you can search for new ones by tapping on the hashtag (#) button in the app or clicking the “Feeds” link in the web app.
Whether you’re into science, news, or art, or just want to follow a fun community (like cat pictures), Bluesky has a feed for you. Plus, there are community-focused feeds like Blacksky, which is helping bring the Black Twitter community to Bluesky, or region-based feeds for places like Brazil and Japan.
Tailoring your feed even more
Bluesky lets you adjust how your feed looks in even more ways. Want to hide replies or reposts from your Following Feed? You can turn those off with just a few taps in the Settings. It’s all about letting you create the social experience you want.
“Starter Packs” make it easier to find people to follow
One of the coolest features on Bluesky is “Starter Packs.” New to Bluesky and don’t know who to follow? No problem! Starter Packs let users create curated lists of accounts they recommend, making it easier for newcomers to dive into the platform. You can follow people from the pack one by one or just click “Follow All” to instantly follow everyone in the pack.
You can also find and follow Starter Packs on Bluesky Directory, which organizes different lists based on topics like politics, sports, AI, health, and much more.
Finding your friends from X on Bluesky
Want to find your friends from X on Bluesky? While there’s no official tool to migrate your followers directly, there are third-party services like Sky Follower Bridge that can help. This Chrome extension lets you find and follow users from X who are also on Bluesky by scanning your X following or follower lists and matching them to their Bluesky accounts. It’s not perfect, but it’s a time-saver if you want to connect with your old X friends.
Bluesky’s take on moderation
Bluesky’s approach to moderation is different from X and Threads, too. While X and Threads both rely on centralized moderation (where the company makes all the decisions), Bluesky puts more power in the hands of the users. You can mute or block people, subscribe to user-created mute/block lists, or even self-host your own moderation rules. This decentralized approach means you have more say in what content you see—and don’t see.
Bluesky also offers a tool called Ozone, which lets communities create their own moderation services. You can subscribe to independent moderation filters, letting you tailor your Bluesky experience even further.
Wrapping up
As Bluesky continues to grow, it’s shaping up to be a real contender in the social media space. Whether you’re frustrated with X, looking for a more customizable experience, or just curious about the decentralized future of social networks, Bluesky is definitely worth checking out. With its unique features and user-centric approach, it’s quickly becoming a platform that lets people truly control their online presence. So why not give it a try and see what all the buzz is about?
