Bluesky’s User Base Doubles In 90 Days As X Loses Subscribers

Bluesky, a leading competitor to Elon Musk's X, surged to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store chart this week as disillusioned X users migrated in response to Musk's prominent role in the U.S. presidential election, Clare Duffy reported for CNN.

Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the last 90 days, with the company announcing a gain of 1 million new sign-ups in the past week alone. I Photo: Bluesky X

Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the last 90 days, with the company announcing a gain of 1 million new sign-ups in the past week alone, bringing its total to more than 15 million users.

Meanwhile, X's ecosystem appears to be in decline.

Musk has faced criticism for using the platform to amplify President-elect Donald Trump and for controversial moderation policies.

These include restoring banned accounts, allowing racist and Nazi content, cutting moderation staff, and altering verification systems to prioritize paid accounts. This strategy has reportedly alienated advertisers and eroded X's core ad revenue.

Prominent journalists, including Charlie Warzel from The Atlantic, Mara Gay of The New York Times, and former anchor Don Lemon, joined Bluesky this week. Additionally, The Guardian announced its departure from X, describing the platform as "toxic," though it did not specify alternative social networks for its content.

As a private company, X does not disclose user metrics, but third-party estimates suggest the platform’s previously consistent growth stalled following Musk's takeover.