Bluesky User Growth Slows as the Platform Expands Beyond Its Main App

Bluesky is trying to become more than just another social media app. 

The company is building a broader network around its open technology, but its main app is currently seeing a decline in regular users.

According to data from Similarweb, Bluesky’s mobile app had around 10.4 million monthly active users worldwide in June 2026. 

That represents a 27.2% decrease from the same period last year.

Its daily mobile usage also declined in July. 

While Bluesky continues to attract registered accounts, the numbers suggest that some users are not returning to the app as frequently as before.

This is a significant change from late 2024, when Bluesky experienced a major increase in users following the U.S. election. 

Many people were looking for alternatives to X, helping Bluesky gain attention and rapidly expand its community.

However, keeping those users active has proved more difficult.

Bluesky Is Looking Beyond Its Main App

The decline in app activity does not mean Bluesky has stopped growing its larger vision. 

The company is putting increasing attention on AT Protocol, the open technology that allows different social platforms and services to operate within a connected ecosystem.

This could give Bluesky a different path from traditional social networks.

Instead of depending entirely on one application, the company wants its technology to support multiple communities and social experiences.

Several projects built around AT Protocol are already developing their own audiences. 

Bluesky has also introduced new products, including Attie, an AI-powered research tool, while exploring support for more private forms of social interaction.

These efforts could help the company reach users who want alternatives to the traditional public social media model.

Other Social Platforms Are Still Growing

Bluesky is not the only platform competing for people’s attention. 

Threads, owned by Meta, has continued to increase its daily activity.

X also remains significantly larger than Bluesky, although its own mobile engagement has declined. 

This does not necessarily mean Bluesky users are moving back to X.

Some former Bluesky users may have reduced their use of social media altogether, while others may have moved to different platforms.

Bluesky’s public statistics show that it has nearly 46 million registered accounts. 

However, registered users do not tell the full story. 

The more important question is how many people continue to use the service regularly.

Conclusion

Bluesky’s recent decline in active users shows the challenge of turning rapid growth into long-term engagement. 

The company is responding by looking beyond its main app and developing AT Protocol as the foundation for a wider social ecosystem.

If more developers and communities adopt the technology, Bluesky could eventually become part of a much larger network rather than depending entirely on the success of its own app. 

The next challenge will be turning that wider vision into sustained user growth and activity.