Bluesky user base contracts as strategy pivots to protocol expansion
Data from Similarweb reveals a significant decline in Bluesky’s mobile engagement, yet the platform’s stickiness rate remains comparable to Meta’s Threads as the company broadens its focus to third-party projects and private networking tools.
Bluesky’s mobile application has recorded a substantial contraction in its active user base, with monthly active users falling 27.2 per cent year-on-year to 10.4 million in June 2026. Daily active users experienced a similar downturn, dropping 25.6 per cent to approximately 3 million in July 2026, according to data from digital intelligence provider Similarweb.
The decline marks a significant reversal from the platform’s post-election surge in late 2024. Quarterly average monthly active users have plummeted from 22.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 10.7 million in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 52 per cent drop. While the social network continues to add registered accounts, reaching nearly 46 million in total, fewer users are engaging with the mobile application on a regular basis.
Despite the reduction in total volume, the remaining community demonstrates strong engagement. Bluesky’s stickiness rate, calculated as the ratio of daily to monthly active users, stood at roughly 29 per cent in June 2026. This figure is comparable to that of Meta’s Threads, suggesting that while the user base has shrunk, the core audience remains highly active.
New CEO Toni Schneider attributes the shift in metrics to a strategic pivot away from app-centric growth towards expanding the underlying AT Proto protocol. Schneider emphasises that the company is focused on enabling the protocol to power a broader ecosystem of social applications and services rather than solely promoting the Bluesky app.
This decentralised approach is already yielding results through third-party projects such as BlackSky, Eurosky, and the video-focused Skylight. Additionally, the company has introduced new products including the AI-powered research tool Attie and is developing features to support private data, aiming to attract users interested in private networking rather than public discourse.
In the broader competitive landscape, Bluesky’s decline does not appear to correlate with a mass return to Elon Musk’s X. X’s worldwide mobile monthly active users decreased by 3 per cent year-on-year in June 2026, with daily active users falling 7 per cent to 123.7 million in July. Meanwhile, Meta’s Threads saw a 21.3 per cent year-on-year increase in daily active users to 147 million in July 2026, with website visits surging 112 per cent to 471.6 million.
