Twitter vs Threads

With Threads, Meta took aim at Twitter, hoping to leverage Instagram's popularity to create a new destination for sharing short-form content. Just hours after launch, Threads amassed millions of followers, including verified brand accounts and an impressive number of notable figures.

While it's obvious that Threads is still a work in progress, there are several ways in which it adapts Twitter features for Instagram users. We could even say there's a thing or two Threads already does better than Twitter. But that doesn't mean Threads is a Twitter replacement — there are quite a few differences that divide the ways you'd use each platform.

MESSAGING

The difference in messaging features between Threads and Twitter is simple: Twitter has in-app messaging, while Threads does not.

Twitter's messaging platform lets you communicate with mutuals (or any user, depending on their privacy settings) in a few ways. You can send texts, images and GIFs, and even voice messages. Messages is a simple way to share a tweet with another user, too.

While you can share a Thread with someone via text, there's currently no in-app option besides tagging them in the comment section of the post. If you want to reach out a Threads user, your best bet is to try their Instagram DMs.

ENGAGEMENT

Twitter and Threads are pretty similar in terms of engagement, too. Both have a like button, comment tool, repost and quote function, and share options.

When you click on a Tweet or Thread, it expands to show the comments. You can reply to the original message, or reply directly to another comment, depending on how you'd like to chime into the conversation.

The Activity tab of the Threads app lets you see who followed you, who liked your posts, your replies and your tags. You can also view your replies directly on your profile page, though you can't see a running log of posts you liked.

TEXT POSTS

The primary use of Twitter and Threads is, for all intents and purposes, the same: share short messages that other users can view and engage with. These messages can take the form of jokes, life updates, complaints, song lyrics and anything else that might be on your mind or relevant to people who follow you.

The key difference is that the Threads character limit is 500, while the Twitter character limit is just 280. This means you can share longer Threads than you can Tweets. This might not be a deal-breaker for those who have mastered the art of crafting brief messages for Twitter, though.

VERIFICATION

If you're scrolling through your Threads feed, you'll probably see blue checkmarks next to some account handles. These checkmarks mean the user is verified. Threads verification carries over from Instagram. So, if you're verified on Instagram, you'll be verified on Threads. You can check out Instagram's guidelines to see if you qualify for verification.

Twitter's verification system is a bit more complicated. Before Elon Musk took over the platform, the Twitter had similar verification guidelines to Instagram based on your public standing. These days, you can buy a verification badge via a Twitter Blue subscription. The only exceptions are that government accounts get a grey check, while certain established organizations and news outlets get a gold check.

PRICE

Threads is completely free to download and use, so there are no features hidden behind a paywall. There's no advertisements on Threads, but that will likely change. Instagram has become rather ad- and shopping-heavy, after all.

Twitter has ads, too. But there are a slew of features that are reserved for paying members of the platform's "Twitter Blue" subscription tier. Twitter Blue costs $8/month or $84/year.

The features available to Twitter Blue users is regularly changing. As of now, subscribers have the ability to edit a tweet after sending it, customize the appearance of the Twitter app icon and, most recently, a bigger rate limit of how many Tweets you can read a day.