Is the grass greener on the opposite facet? We’re undecided, however the sky is most actually bluer. It’s been over two years since Elon Musk bought Twitter, now X, main individuals to arrange store on various platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations) and Spill have been introduced as potential replacements, however few except for Meta’s Threads have achieved the pace of progress Bluesky has reached.
As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 million customers. Its progress stems from a number of coverage modifications at X, together with a closely criticized change to the block characteristic and permitting third social gathering firms to coach their AI on customers’ posts, which helped the app soar to the highest of the U.S. App Store. Bluesky additionally noticed an enormous increase following the outcomes of the 2024 U.S. presidential election (which additionally contributed to an X exodus by Taylor Swift followers). But whereas the quantity is promising, the expansion has slowed — and the community has numerous catching as much as do to compete with Threads’ 275 million month-to-month lively customers.
Below, we’ve compiled the solutions to among the commonest questions customers have about Bluesky. And if you happen to’ve made the swap, you may comply with TechCrunch right here in addition to our crew with our Starter Pack.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralized social app conceptualized by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developed in parallel with Twitter. The social community has a Twitter-like person interface with algorithmic selection, a federated design and community-specific moderation.
Bluesky is utilizing an open supply framework constructed in-house, the AT Protocol, which means individuals outdoors of the corporate have transparency into how it’s constructed and what’s being developed.
Dorsey launched the Bluesky undertaking again in 2019 whereas he was nonetheless Twitter CEO. At the time, he mentioned Twitter could be funding a “small unbiased crew of as much as 5 open supply architects, engineers, and designers,” charged with constructing a decentralized normal for social media, with the unique objective that Twitter would undertake this normal itself. But that was earlier than Elon Musk purchased the platform, so Bluesky is totally divorced from X.
As of May 2024, Dorsey is now not on Bluesky’s board. Bluesky is now an unbiased public profit company led by CEO Jay Graber.
How do you employ Bluesky?
Upon signing up, customers can create a deal with which is then represented as @username.bsky.social in addition to a show identify that seems extra distinguished in daring textual content. If you’re so inclined, you may flip a site identify that you simply personal into your username — so, for instance, I’m identified on Bluesky as @amanda.omg.lol.
The app itself features very similar to X, the place you may click on a plus button to create a publish of 256 characters, which may additionally embody photographs. Posts themselves will be replied to, retweeted, preferred and, from a three-dot menu, reported, shared by way of the iOS Share Sheet to different apps, or copied as textual content.
You can seek for and comply with different people, then view their updates in your “Home” timeline. Previously, the Bluesky app would characteristic standard posts in a “What’s Hot” feed. That feed has since been changed with an algorithmic and personalised “Discover” feed that includes extra than simply trending content material.
For new customers, Bluesky launched a “Starter Pack” characteristic, which creates a curated listing of individuals and customized feeds to comply with with a view to discover attention-grabbing content material proper out of the gate. You can discover TechCrunch’s Starter Pack proper right here.
User profiles include the identical type of options you’d count on: a profile pic, background, bio, metrics and the way many individuals they’re following. Profile feeds are divided into two sections, like X: posts and posts & replies. In January 2025, Bluesky additionally added a brand new video tab to person profiles.
There can be a “Discover” tab within the backside middle of the app’s navigation, which gives extra “who to comply with” recommendations and a working feed of just lately posted Bluesky updates. In January 2025, Bluesky additionally launched a vertical video feed to compete with TikTookay.
We’ve additionally put collectively a useful information on use Bluesky right here.
Who’s on Bluesky?
By the start of July 2023, when Instagram’s Threads launched, Bluesky topped one million downloads throughout iOS and Android. 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.
Bluesky can be house to information organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and naturally, TechCrunch! Since August 2024, Bluesky can be now permitting heads of state to enroll and be part of the platform for the primary time.
In 2025, some distinguished U.S. political figures arrange accounts on the platform, like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Does Bluesky work identical to X?
In some ways, sure. When it first began, Bluesky was way more pared down and didn’t even have DMs, however this key characteristic has since been applied, even with emoji reactions. But DMs on Bluesky are at the moment restricted to one-to-one messages, not group messages. Bluesky has additionally mentioned it’s concerned with implementing one thing just like X’s Community Notes characteristic. Additionally, X doesn’t use a decentralized protocol like ActivityPub or AT. Bluesky has additionally been testing a Trending Topics characteristic and growing its personal picture sharing app known as Flashes, which is predicted to be launched in beta quickly.
In October 2024, Elon Musk introduced that X’s block characteristic would work in another way than it has up to now. The new block performance permits customers you could have blocked to view your posts and your profile, however not the flexibility to work together together with your posts. Some customers imagine this replace to be a security concern, resulting in an inflow in Bluesky sign-ups as its block characteristic is extra conventional.
In one other transfer that separates Bluesky from X, the social community mentioned it has “no intention” of utilizing person content material to coach generative AI instruments as X applied a brand new phrases of service that enables the platform to coach AI fashions on public posts. But that doesn’t cease third events from doing so.
While Bluesky was initially kicked off as a undertaking convened by Jack Dorsey in 2019 when he was CEO of Twitter, the social app has been an unbiased firm since its inception in 2021.
Is Bluesky free?
Yes, and it’s now open to the general public.
How does Bluesky earn money?
Bluesky’s objective is to seek out one other means to maintain its community outdoors of promoting with paid providers, so it might stay free to finish customers. On July 5, 2023, Bluesky introduced further seed spherical funding and a paid service that gives customized domains for finish customers who wish to have a singular area as their deal with on the service. Bluesky has additionally emphasised that it doesn’t wish to “require promoting person knowledge for adverts” with a view to monetize its platform.
In November 2024, Bluesky introduced it raised a $15 million Series A spherical and is growing a subscription service for premium options. Bluesky, nevertheless, famous its subscription mannequin is not going to comply with within the footsteps of X’s “pay to win” premium choices. Users have noticed mockups teasing the subscription characteristic, dubbed Bluesky+, which might embody options like larger high quality video uploads and profile customizations.
In December 2024, Peter Wang introduced a $1 million fund, dubbed Skyseed, that may provide grants to these constructing on Bluesky’s open supply AT Protocol.
Is Bluesky decentralized?
Yes. Bluesky’s crew is growing the decentralized AT Protocol, which Bluesky was constructed atop. In its beta section, customers can solely be part of the bsky.social community, however Bluesky plans to be federated, which means that countless individually operated communities can exist inside the open supply community. So, if a developer outdoors of Bluesky constructed their very own new social app utilizing the AT Protocol, Bluesky customers might soar over to the brand new app and port over their present followers, deal with and knowledge.
“You’ll all the time have the liberty to decide on (and to exit) as a substitute of being held to the whims of personal firms or black field algorithms. And wherever you go, your pals and relationships can be there too,” a Bluesky weblog publish defined.
What third-party apps are constructed on the AT Protocol?
Many builders are constructing consumer-facing apps on Bluesky or its underlying AT Protocol. These apps are constructed on open expertise, versus being siloed inside large tech’s centralized, opaque possession.
Some social apps embody Flashes, a photograph viewing consumer; Spark, a TikTok-like app; and Skylight Social, which is backed by Mark Cuban.
Check out our extra complete listing at numerous apps constructed inside this ecosystem, together with cross-posting apps, music apps, feed builders, and livestreamers.
Is Bluesky safe?
In October 2023, Bluesky added e-mail verification as half of a bigger effort to enhance account safety and authentication on the community. The addition is a crucial step ahead by way of making Bluesky extra aggressive with bigger networks like X, which have extra sturdy safety controls. In December 2023, Bluesky allowed customers to choose out of a change that may expose their posts to the general public internet following backlash from customers.
Is Bluesky customizable?
Yes. In May 2023, Bluesky launched customized algorithms, which it calls “customized feeds.” Custom feeds enable customers to subscribe to a number of totally different algorithms that showcase totally different sorts of posts a person could wish to see. You can pin customized feeds that may present up on the prime of your timeline as totally different tabs to select from. The feeds you pin, or save, are positioned below the “My Feeds” menu within the app’s sidebar.
In March 2024, the corporate introduced “AT Protocol Grants,” a brand new program that may dole out small grants to builders with a view to foster progress and customization. One of the recipients, SkyFeed, is a customized device that lets anybody construct their very own feeds utilizing a graphical person interface.
Is Bluesky on iOS and Android?
Yes. Bluesky has rolled out to Android customers after it was initially launched to iOS customers. Users can entry Bluesky on the net right here.
How does Bluesky deal with misinformation?
After an October 2023 replace, the app will now warn customers of deceptive hyperlinks by flagging them. If hyperlinks shared in customers’ posts don’t match their textual content, the app will provide a “probably deceptive” warning to the person to alert them that the hyperlink could also be directing them someplace they don’t wish to go.
In December 2024, the Bluesky Safety crew posted that the corporate up to date its impersonation coverage to be “extra aggressive,” including that “impersonation and handle-squatting accounts can be eliminated.” The firm mentioned additionally it is exploring options to its present area deal with verification course of.
Has Bluesky had any controversies?
Bluesky has been embattled with moderation points since its first launch. The app has been accused of failing to guard its marginalized customers and failing to average racist content material. Following an issue concerning the app permitting racial slurs in account handles, annoyed customers initiated a “posting strike,” the place they refused to interact with the platform till it established guardrails to flag slurs and different offensive phrases in usernames.
In December 2024, Bluesky additionally confronted criticism when author and podcast host Jesse Singal joined the platform. Singal has been cataloged by GLAAD’s Accountability Project for his writings on transgender points and different issues. Bluesky customers have reported Singal’s account en masse, main the corporate to ban him, reinstate him, after which label his account illiberal by its moderation service.
What moderation options does Bluesky have?
In December 2023, Bluesky rolled out “extra superior automated tooling” designed to flag content material that violates its Community Guidelines that may then be reviewed by the app’s moderation crew. Bluesky has moderation options just like ones on X, together with person lists and moderation lists, and a characteristic that lets customers restrict who can reply to posts. However, some Bluesky customers are nonetheless advocating for the flexibility to set their accounts to personal.
In March 2024, the corporate launched Ozone, a device that lets customers create and run their very own unbiased moderation providers that may give customers “unprecedented management” over their social media expertise. In October 2024, Bluesky joined Instragram’s Threads app in an effort to courtroom customers who have been annoyed by Meta’s moderation points.
In January 2025, Bluesky printed its 2024 moderation report that mentioned it noticed a 17x improve sparsely studies following the fast progress on the platform. The report additionally famous that the most important variety of studies got here from customers reporting accounts or posts for harassment, trolling, or intolerance — a problem that’s plagued Bluesky because it’s grown. To meet the calls for attributable to this progress, Bluesky elevated its moderation crew to roughly 100 moderators and can proceed to rent.
What’s the distinction between Bluesky and Mastodon?
Though Bluesky’s structure is just like Mastodon’s, many customers have discovered Bluesky to be extra intuitive, whereas Mastodon can come off as inaccessible: Choosing which occasion to affix appears like an inconceivable process on Mastodon, and longtime customers are very defensive about their established posting norms, which may make becoming a member of the dialog intimidating. To stay aggressive, Mastodon just lately simplified its sign-up stream, making mastodon.social the default server for brand new customers.
However, the launch of federation will make it work extra equally to Mastodon in that customers can choose and select which servers to affix and transfer their accounts round at will.
Who owns Bluesky?
Though Jack Dorsey funded Bluesky, he isn’t concerned in day-to-day improvement and now not sits on the corporate’s board. The CEO of Bluesky is Jay Graber, who beforehand labored as a software program engineer for the cryptocurrency Zcash, then based an event-planning website known as Happening.
If you could have extra FAQs about Bluesky not lined right here, depart us a remark beneath.
