X vs. Threads: Who’s Winning the Brand Battle?

When Meta dropped Threads last summer, everyone wondered: Is this the X (formerly Twitter) killer? One year later, both platforms are alive, messy, and… kinda doing their own thing.

So where should brands spend their precious time (and budget) in 2025? On Elon’s unpredictable X, or Zuck’s calmer, Instagram-linked Threads? Let’s break it down.

🌿 Threads: The New Chill Spot

Think of Threads as Twitter’s softer cousin. It launched with a bang with roughly 100 million sign-ups in five days. Growth has slowed a bit, but it’s still quietly adding new features.

Threads is very tied to your Instagram audience, which can be good if your brand already thrives there. The vibe is lighter: fewer doomscroll rants, more friendly replies and community chatter. Brands like Netflix and Sephora use Threads to drop casual thoughts, sneak peeks, and easy banter.

Meta says more updates are coming, including trending topics and better discovery. If you want to build community without the chaos, Threads is worth exploring.

⚡ X: The Cultural Main Stage

Meanwhile, X is still X: unpredictable, messy, and often the first place people hear breaking news. Despite controversial policy shifts under Elon Musk (BBC), it remains essential for live events, memes, and brands that thrive on speed.

Think Wendy’s roasts, sports teams live-tweeting games, or brands riding viral trends at lightning speed. X’s reach for real-time moments is still unmatched.

If your brand needs to jump into conversations as they happen, it’s hard to replace.

That said, X’s ad business has taken hits, with Reuters reporting a roughly 55% decline year-over-year every month since being bought, and many brands are rethinking where they spend their dollars. But for organic culture-jacking? It’s alive and well.

🤝 So… Which One?

Here’s the truth: For most brands, it’s not either-or. It’s both, but differently.

✅ Use Threads to nurture loyal fans and test a more human tone.

✅ Use X to stay in the cultural moment and handle real-time chatter.

✅ Watch your audience. If they’re not on Threads yet, don’t force it. If they’re still on X but engagement’s tanking, adjust. This could be a great time to create a fun cross-platform campaign.

And remember: both platforms are in flux. The smartest brands test, measure, and stay flexible.

Who knows, next year it could be TikTok Notes or something we haven’t even heard of yet.