Is the grass greener on the other side? We’re not sure, but the sky is certainly bluer. It’s been over two years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, leading people to explore alternative platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations), and Spill have been presented as potential replacements, but few aside from Meta’s Threads have achieved the speed of growth Bluesky has reached.
As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 million users. Its growth stems from several policy changes at X, including a heavily criticized change to the block feature and allowing third-party companies to train their AI on users’ posts, which helped the app soar to the top of the U.S. App Store. Bluesky also saw a big boost following the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, which also contributed to an X exodus by Taylor Swift fans.
However, while the number is promising, the growth has slowed—and the network has a lot of catching up to do to compete with Threads’ 275 million monthly active users. Below, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions users have about Bluesky.
**What is Bluesky?**
Bluesky is a decentralized social app conceptualized by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developed in parallel with Twitter. The social network has a Twitter-like user interface with algorithmic choice, a federated design, and community-specific moderation.
Bluesky uses an open-source framework built in-house, the AT Protocol, meaning people outside the company have transparency into how it is built and what is being developed. Dorsey introduced the Bluesky project in 2019 while he was still Twitter CEO, intending for Twitter to adopt this standard itself. However, after Elon Musk bought the platform, Bluesky became completely independent from X.
As of May 2024, Dorsey is no longer on Bluesky’s board. The platform is now an independent public benefit corporation led by CEO Jay Graber.
**How do you use Bluesky?**
Upon signing up, users can create a handle (e.g., @username.bsky.social) and a display name. The app functions similarly to X, allowing posts of up to 256 characters, including photos. Posts can be replied to, reposted, liked, and reported.
Users can follow others and view updates in their “Home” timeline. Bluesky replaced its “What’s Hot” feed with an algorithmic “Discover” feed. New users can also explore a “Starter Pack” feature, which suggests accounts and custom feeds to follow.
Profiles include standard features like a profile picture, bio, and metrics. In January 2025, Bluesky added a video tab to profiles and introduced a vertical video feed to compete with TikTok.
**Who’s on Bluesky?**
By July 2023, Bluesky had topped a million downloads. Notable figures like 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 migrated to Bluesky. News organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and TechCrunch are also active on the platform.
In 2025, prominent U.S. political figures like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton joined Bluesky.
**Does Bluesky work just like X?**
In many ways, yes. Bluesky initially lacked DMs but has since implemented them, though they are limited to one-to-one messages. The platform is also exploring features similar to X’s Community Notes and has tested a Trending Topics feature.
Unlike X, Bluesky uses a decentralized protocol and has stated it will not train AI on user posts. However, third parties can still scrape data due to its open API.
**Is Bluesky free?**
Yes, and it is now open to the public.
**How does Bluesky make money?**
Bluesky aims to sustain itself through paid services rather than advertising. It offers custom domains for handles and is developing a subscription service called Bluesky+, which may include premium features like higher-quality video uploads.
In December 2024, Peter Wang announced a $1 million fund, Skyseed, to support developers building on the AT Protocol.
**Is Bluesky decentralized?**
Yes. Bluesky is built on the AT Protocol, allowing for federation. Eventually, users will be able to join independently operated communities within the network while retaining their data and followers.
**What third-party apps are built on the AT Protocol?**
Several apps, including Flashes (a photo-sharing app), Spark (a TikTok-like app), and Skylight Social (backed by Mark Cuban), are built on the AT Protocol.
**Is Bluesky secure?**
Bluesky has added email verification and allows users to opt out of public web indexing. It also flags misleading links in posts.
**Is Bluesky customizable?**
Yes. Users can subscribe to custom algorithmic feeds and pin them to their timeline. Bluesky also funds developer projects to enhance customization.
**Is Bluesky on iOS and Android?**
Yes, it is available on both platforms and accessible via the web.
**How does Bluesky tackle misinformation?**
Bluesky flags misleading links and has updated its impersonation policy to remove fake accounts. It is also exploring alternative verification methods.
**Has Bluesky had any controversies?**
Bluesky has faced criticism over moderation, including allowing racial slurs in usernames and reinstating controversial figures like Jesse Singal.
**What moderation features does Bluesky have?**
Bluesky uses automated moderation tools, user lists, and reply controls. It also launched Ozone, allowing users to create independent moderation services.
**What’s the difference between Bluesky and Mastodon?**
Bluesky is more intuitive, while Mastodon can feel inaccessible due to its instance-based structure. Bluesky plans to introduce federation, making it more similar to Mastodon.
**Who owns Bluesky?**
Though Jack Dorsey initially funded Bluesky, he is no longer involved. CEO Jay Graber leads the company.
This story was originally published in May 2023 and is updated regularly with new information.