Bluesky Beats X Every Time: Why the Decentralized Underdog Is Taking Over

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ali Farhat

X (formerly Twitter) might still dominate headlines, but Bluesky is dominating user sentiment, innovation, and platform growth. In 2025, the narrative is shifting. This isn’t just a social media trend — it’s a structural shift toward decentralization, user ownership, and transparent moderation.

Below, we break down why Bluesky’s explosive growth isn’t a fluke — and what it means for developers, creators, and anyone tired of Elon Musk’s vision of public discourse.

1. Explosive User Growth

Bluesky has gone from a niche experiment to a legitimate contender in record time:

• Aug 2025: 38.5M registered users
• Apr 2025: 35M
• Jan 2025: 30M
• Nov 2024: 20M
• Sep 2024: 10M

(Source: Wikipedia)

Other notable stats:

• 519% increase in app usage in the US at end-2024
• 2.6M new users from Brazil after the government banned X
• 41.3M unique monthly visitors (Exploding Topics)
• Bluesky ranks Top 3 on US App Store in Social Networking

Compared to X, which has plateaued at around 500M MAUs (Monthly Active Users), Bluesky is rapidly closing the relevance gap — especially among digital-first audiences.

2. Engagement and Activity

What about active users?

While Bluesky has over 38M registered users, Reddit data suggests around 13M active users in the last 90 days. That’s a strong retention figure for a platform that was invite-only for much of 2024.

Meanwhile, engagement on X is declining:

• Average engagement on posts from smaller accounts (<10k followers) dropped by 38% in 2025
• Major advertisers pulled out due to controversial content moderation and brand safety risks
• Bots, spam, and coordinated harassment remain widespread

Bluesky is not immune to spam, but moderation tooling and algorithm customization are built into the protocol itself — not just the app.

3. The Power of the AT Protocol

Bluesky isn’t just a Twitter clone — it’s a protocol-first platform.

• AT Protocol enables account portability, feed customization, and decentralized moderation
• Users can create or subscribe to custom feeds (e.g., tech-only, no-politics, verified-only)
• App developers can build their own frontends using Bluesky’s ecosystem
• Public APIs available for open-source developers and tool builders

This is not possible on X. Everything is centralized, monetized, and optimized for engagement — even when it damages discourse.

In short: Bluesky gives users agency, while X gives users ads.

4. Creator Adoption and Public Figures

Influencers and celebrities are waking up:

• Mark Hamill, Stephen King, Barbra Streisand, Ben Stiller, Gabrielle Union, Lizzo, and even Mark Cuban joined Bluesky in 2024–2025
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the most-followed user with over 2.1M followers
• Bluesky’s top creators boast over 1M followers — without paid boosts or ads

Meanwhile, on X:

• Creators complain about unpredictable revenue from ad-sharing
• Verified “Premium” accounts spread conspiracy content for visibility
• Algorithmic exposure favors engagement bait and outrage

Bluesky’s slow-but-steady adoption by meaningful voices speaks volumes.

5. Decentralized Moderation Wins

Tired of the same toxic discourse?

Bluesky’s moderation is:

• Federated — different communities can set their own rules
• Customizable — you can subscribe to moderation services
• Transparent — algorithmic feeds are publicly documented

A 2025 arXiv paper showed Bluesky has:

• Higher link shares to reliable sources
• Less toxicity in replies
• Clear left-leaning bias (which could become an echo chamber risk)

Meanwhile, X faces:

• Legal scrutiny over harassment and hate speech
• Widespread bot armies influencing trending topics
• Mass impersonation scandals due to pay-for-verification

Bluesky has fewer tools — but better trust.

6. Monetization: Who’s Really Paying?

X makes money through:

• Ad revenue
• Premium Blue subscriptions
• API access (now paywalled and restricted)

Bluesky makes money through:

• Grants (originally funded by Twitter)
• Optional domain fees (for custom handles)
• Upcoming paid federation and app store models

But here’s the twist:

X monetizes you.
Bluesky empowers you to monetize.

With open APIs and custom clients, devs are building:

• Tools for creators
• Indie moderation bots
• Analytics dashboards
• Verified federation hosts

Bluesky might eventually become a developer-first, protocol-layer app store.

7. Feature Comparison: Bluesky vs X

8. Risks: Bluesky Isn’t Perfect

Let’s be honest:

• Echo chambers may emerge — moderation defaults left-leaning
• Active user base is still small compared to X
• No DMs as of August 2025
• Limited video support (max 3 min)
• Public perception still sees Bluesky as “niche”

Still, the momentum is real — and structural.

9. What Comes Next?

By 2026, Bluesky could:

• Launch a native monetization model for creators
• Support full federation (multiple apps running on same protocol)
• Expand to web3-like governance models without tokens
• Integrate AI moderation tools on the protocol level

Meanwhile, X will likely:

• Increase paywalls
• Introduce more Musk-branded features
• Face ongoing user churn in key demographics (developers, journalists, academics)

10. Final Verdict

Bluesky isn’t just beating X in features — it’s redefining the rules of the game.

• Built on protocol, not product
• Driven by trust, not outrage
• Focused on ownership, not engagement bait

It’s still early. But make no mistake: if Bluesky stays the course, it won’t just replace X — it will replace the centralized social model altogether.

What Do You Think?

Are you switching to Bluesky?

Have you built anything on top of the AT Protocol?

Share your experience in the comments.

Bluesky isn’t the Twitter killer — it’s the decentralization blueprint we’ve been waiting for.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ali Farhat