Bluesky: The Twitter Competitor - Everything You Need to Know

Is the Appeal of Bluesky Growing? A Comprehensive Overview

Are users seeking alternatives to established social media platforms? The question arises as the sky appears brighter on the horizon for new contenders. Over two years have passed since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now known as X, prompting individuals to explore different online spaces. Platforms like Mastodon, Post, Pebble, and Spill emerged as potential replacements, though few have experienced the rapid growth seen with Bluesky.

As of February 2025, Bluesky has exceeded 30 million users. This expansion is linked to several policy shifts at X, including criticism surrounding changes to the block feature and the allowance of third-party AI training on user posts. These factors contributed to the app’s rise in the U.S. App Store rankings. The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent migration of Taylor Swift fans from X also boosted Bluesky’s popularity. However, while these numbers are encouraging, the rate of growth has decelerated, and significant progress is needed to rival Threads’ 275 million monthly active users.

Below, we present answers to frequently asked questions about Bluesky. If you’ve transitioned to this platform, you can follow TechCrunch here, along with our team through our Starter Pack.

What Exactly is Bluesky?

Bluesky is a decentralized social application initially conceived by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developed concurrently with Twitter. The network features a user interface reminiscent of Twitter, incorporating algorithmic choice, a federated design, and community-specific moderation practices.

The platform utilizes an open-source framework, the AT Protocol, developed internally. This transparency allows external parties to understand its construction and ongoing development.

Dorsey first introduced the Bluesky project in 2019 while still leading Twitter. His vision involved Twitter funding a small team dedicated to building a decentralized standard for social media, with the initial intention of Twitter adopting this standard. However, following Elon Musk’s acquisition, Bluesky operates independently from X.

As of May 2024, Dorsey is no longer a member of Bluesky’s board. The platform is now an independent public benefit corporation under the leadership of CEO Jay Graber.

How Do You Interact with Bluesky?

Upon registration, users establish a handle, represented as @username.bsky.social, alongside a prominently displayed name in bold text. Users can even link a domain name they own to their username – for instance, @amanda.omg.lol is a valid Bluesky identity.

The app’s functionality closely mirrors X, allowing users to create posts of up to 256 characters, accompanied by images, by clicking a plus button. These posts can be replied to, re-posted, liked, reported, shared via the iOS Share Sheet, or copied as text through a three-dot menu.

Users can search for and follow others, viewing their updates in a “Home” timeline. Previously, a “What’s Hot” feed showcased popular posts, but it has been replaced by a personalized “Discover” feed featuring a broader range of content.

New users benefit from a “Starter Pack” feature, providing curated lists of people and feeds to follow for immediate access to engaging content. TechCrunch’s Starter Pack is available here.

User profiles include standard features like profile pictures, backgrounds, bios, metrics, and follower counts. Feeds are divided into posts and posts & replies, similar to X. A video tab was added to user profiles in January 2025.

The “Discover” tab, located at the bottom center of the app’s navigation, offers suggestions for accounts to follow and a feed of recent Bluesky updates. A vertical video feed, designed to compete with TikTok, was introduced in January 2025.

A helpful guide on using Bluesky can be found here.

Who is Utilizing Bluesky?

By July 2023, coinciding with the launch of Instagram’s Threads, Bluesky surpassed one million downloads across iOS and Android. Prominent figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Cuban, Quinta Brunson, Dril, Weird Al Yankovic, Guillermo del Toro, Barbra Streisand, and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have joined the platform.

News organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and TechCrunch are also active on Bluesky. Since August 2024, heads of state have been permitted to sign up and participate for the first time.

In 2025, several U.S. political figures established accounts, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. By May of that year, Bluesky began verifying “notable” users with blue checkmarks, mirroring the previous system on Twitter.

How Does Bluesky Compare to X?

In many respects, the platforms are similar. Initially, Bluesky was more streamlined, lacking features like direct messaging, but this functionality has since been implemented, including emoji reactions. However, direct messages on Bluesky are currently limited to one-on-one conversations, not group chats. Bluesky has also expressed interest in developing a feature similar to X’s Community Notes.

A key difference lies in the underlying technology: X does not utilize a decentralized protocol like ActivityPub or AT Protocol. Bluesky is also testing a Trending Topics feature and developing a dedicated photo-sharing app called Flashes, expected to enter beta soon.

A significant change to X’s block feature in October 2024 allows blocked users to view posts and profiles but restricts interaction. This update raised safety concerns, leading to an increase in Bluesky sign-ups, as its block feature remains more traditional.

Furthermore, Bluesky has stated it has “no intention” of using user content to train generative AI tools, unlike X’s new terms of service. However, this does not prevent third parties from doing so.

While Bluesky originated as a project under Jack Dorsey’s leadership in 2019, it has been an independent company since 2021.

Is Bluesky a Cost-Free Platform?

Yes, and it is now accessible to the public.

How Does Bluesky Generate Revenue?

Bluesky aims to establish a sustainable funding model beyond advertising, allowing it to remain free for users. On July 5, 2023, Bluesky announced additional seed funding and a paid service offering custom domains for users desiring unique handles. The platform has emphasized its commitment to avoiding reliance on user data for advertising revenue.

In November 2024, Bluesky secured $15 million in Series A funding and announced the development of a subscription service for premium features. However, Bluesky clarified that its subscription model will differ from X’s “pay-to-win” approach. Mockups suggest features like higher-quality video uploads and profile customizations may be included.

In December 2024, Peter Wang launched a $1 million fund, Skyseed, to provide grants for developers building on Bluesky’s open-source AT Protocol.

What Does it Mean for Bluesky to be Decentralized?

Yes. Bluesky’s team is developing the decentralized AT Protocol, upon which Bluesky is built. During its beta phase, users were limited to the bsky.social network, but Bluesky plans to become federated, enabling the creation of numerous independently operated communities within the open-source network. Consequently, a developer creating a new social app using the AT Protocol could allow Bluesky users to seamlessly transition to the new app, bringing their followers, handle, and data with them.

“You’ll always have the freedom to choose (and to exit) instead of being held to the whims of private companies or black box algorithms. And wherever you go, your friends and relationships will be there too,” a Bluesky blog post explained.

What is the AT Protocol?

Bluesky’s AT Protocol is a decentralized network that developers can utilize to build social applications. Bluesky, the social app, is built on this protocol, created by the Bluesky company. (The naming conventions can be confusing.)

The ATProto community is focused on rebuilding much of what constituted Web 2.0 – the earlier iteration of the social web encompassing social media sites, blogs, wikis, and collaborative services. This time, the applications are being constructed on open technology, rather than being siloed within centralized services controlled by tech giants.

This open architecture empowers both users and developers to the same extent as the protocol’s creators.

Centralized platforms like Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Reddit can also foster developer communities by providing API access. However, this access can be revoked, leaving developers and users vulnerable, as demonstrated by the situation at Reddit in 2023.

What Third-Party Applications are Built on the AT Protocol?

Numerous developers are creating consumer-facing applications on Bluesky or its underlying AT Protocol, leveraging open technology instead of being confined within the centralized ownership of large tech companies.

Examples include Flashes, a photo viewing client; Spark, a TikTok-like app; and Skylight Social, backed by Mark Cuban.

A more comprehensive list of applications within this ecosystem, including cross-posting apps, music apps, feed builders, and livestreaming platforms, is available here.

How Secure is Bluesky?

In October 2023, Bluesky implemented email verification as part of a broader effort to enhance account security and authentication. This addition represents a significant step toward matching the security controls of larger networks like X. In December 2023, Bluesky allowed users to opt out of a change that would expose their posts to the public web following user feedback.

Is Bluesky Customizable?

Yes. In May 2023, Bluesky released custom algorithms, referred to as “custom feeds.” These feeds allow users to subscribe to different algorithms that curate posts based on their preferences. Users can pin custom feeds to their timeline as separate tabs. Saved feeds are accessible under the “My Feeds” menu in the app’s sidebar.

In March 2024, the company announced “AT Protocol Grants,” a program providing small grants to developers to encourage growth and customization. SkyFeed, a recipient, is a tool enabling users to build custom feeds using a graphical user interface.

Is Bluesky Available on iOS and Android?

Yes. Bluesky has been rolled out to Android users after its initial launch on iOS. The platform is also accessible via the web here.

How Does Bluesky Address Misinformation?

Following an October 2023 update, the app now warns users about potentially misleading links by flagging them. If a link’s text does not match its destination, the app displays a “possibly misleading” warning.

In December 2024, the Bluesky Safety team announced an update to its impersonation policy, making it “more aggressive,” and stating that impersonation and handle-squatting accounts would be removed. The company is also exploring alternatives to its current domain handle verification process.

Bluesky also added blue check verification in May 2025, which makes it easier for users to verify that notable figures are who they say they are; unlike X, Bluesky does not allow users to buy this designation.

Has Bluesky Faced Any Controversies?

Bluesky has encountered moderation challenges since its launch, facing accusations of failing to protect marginalized users and adequately moderate offensive content. A controversy surrounding the allowance of racial slurs in account handles prompted a “posting strike,” where users refrained from engaging with the platform until guardrails were established to flag offensive terms in usernames.

In December 2024, Bluesky faced criticism when writer and podcast host Jesse Singal joined the platform. Singal has been cataloged by GLAAD’s Accountability Project for his writings on transgender issues and other matters. Bluesky users reported Singal’s account en masse, leading the company to ban him, reinstate him, and then label his account intolerant by its moderation service.

As Bluesky’s popularity grows, some critics suggest the culture leans left, potentially a consequence of its emergence as an alternative to the increasingly right-leaning X. These are generalizations that vary among users – Mark Cuban, for example, has expressed difficulty engaging in good-faith discussions about business or AI – but Bluesky’s architecture allows for a personalized experience.

What Moderation Features Does Bluesky Offer?

In December 2023, Bluesky introduced “more advanced automated tooling” to flag content violating its Community Guidelines, which is then reviewed by the moderation team. Bluesky offers moderation features similar to X, including user lists, moderation lists, and the ability to limit who can reply to posts. Some users continue to advocate for the option to set accounts to private.

In March 2024, the company launched Ozone, a tool enabling users to create and manage independent moderation services, granting them “unprecedented control” over their social media experience. In October 2024, Bluesky joined Instagram’s Threads app in an effort to attract users frustrated by Meta’s moderation issues.

In January 2025, Bluesky published its 2024 moderation report, revealing a 17x increase in moderation reports following rapid growth. The report indicated that the majority of reports concerned harassment, trolling, or intolerance – issues that have plagued Bluesky as it has expanded. To address this, Bluesky increased its moderation team to approximately 100 moderators and plans to continue hiring.

Bluesky revised its Community Guidelines in August 2025, with changes reflecting an effort to shape its community and user behavior.

How Does Bluesky Differ from Mastodon?

While Bluesky’s architecture shares similarities with Mastodon, many users find Bluesky more intuitive, while Mastodon can appear inaccessible. Choosing an instance on Mastodon can be challenging, and established users often defend their existing norms, potentially intimidating newcomers. Mastodon recently simplified its sign-up process, making mastodon.social the default server for new users.

The upcoming launch of federation will align Bluesky more closely with Mastodon, allowing users to select and switch between servers at will.

Who Owns Bluesky?

Although Jack Dorsey initially funded Bluesky, he is not involved in day-to-day development and no longer serves on the company’s board. Jay Graber, the CEO of Bluesky, previously worked as a software engineer for the cryptocurrency Zcash and founded an event-planning site called Happening.

This story was originally published in May 2023 and is updated regularly with new information.