Is the grass greener on the opposite facet? We’re unsure, 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, Publish, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations) and Spill have been offered as potential replacements, however few except for Meta’s Threads have achieved the pace of development Bluesky has reached.
As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 million customers. Its development stems from a number of coverage adjustments at X, together with a closely criticized change to the block characteristic and permitting third occasion firms to practice their AI on customers’ posts, which helped the app soar to the prime of the U.S. App Retailer. Bluesky additionally noticed an enormous enhance following the outcomes of the 2024 U.S. presidential election (which additionally contributed to an X exodus by Taylor Swift followers). However whereas the quantity is promising, the expansion has slowed — and the community has loads of catching as much as do to compete with Threads’ 275 million month-to-month lively customers.
Beneath, we’ve compiled the solutions to a few of the commonest questions customers have about Bluesky. And in case you’ve made the change, you’ll be able to comply with TechCrunch right here in addition to our crew with our Starter Pack.
What’s 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 consumer interface with algorithmic selection, a federated design and community-specific moderation.
Bluesky is utilizing an open supply framework constructed in-house, the AT Protocol, that means individuals exterior 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. On the time, he mentioned Twitter can be funding a “small impartial crew of as much as 5 open supply architects, engineers, and designers,” charged with constructing a decentralized customary for social media, with the unique purpose that Twitter would undertake this customary itself. However that was earlier than Elon Musk purchased the platform, so Bluesky is totally divorced from X.
As of Could 2024, Dorsey is not on Bluesky’s board. Bluesky is now an impartial public profit company led by CEO Jay Graber.
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How do you utilize Bluesky?
Upon signing up, customers can create a deal with which is then represented as @username.bsky.social in addition to a show title that seems extra distinguished in daring textual content. In case you’re so inclined, you’ll be able to flip a site title that you just personal into your username — so, for instance, I’m identified on Bluesky as @amanda.omg.lol.
The app itself features very like X, the place you’ll be able to click on a plus button to create a put up of 256 characters, which may additionally embody pictures. Posts themselves may be replied to, retweeted, appreciated and, from a three-dot menu, reported, shared by way of the iOS Share Sheet to different apps, or copied as textual content.
You possibly can seek for and comply with different people, then view their updates in your “House” timeline. Beforehand, the Bluesky app would characteristic common posts in a “What’s Sizzling” feed. That feed has since been changed with an algorithmic and customized “Uncover” feed that includes extra than simply trending content material.
For brand spanking new customers, Bluesky launched a “Starter Pack” characteristic, which creates a curated checklist of individuals and customized feeds to comply with with a view to discover attention-grabbing content material proper out of the gate. You will discover TechCrunch’s Starter Pack proper right here.
Consumer profiles include the identical type of options you’d anticipate: 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 consumer profiles.
There’s additionally a “Uncover” tab within the backside heart of the app’s navigation, which affords extra “who to comply with” recommendations and a operating feed of lately posted Bluesky updates. In January 2025, Bluesky additionally launched a vertical video feed to compete with TikTok.
We’ve additionally put collectively a useful information on the way to use Bluesky right here.
Who’s on Bluesky?
By the start of July 2023, when Instagram’s Threads launched, Bluesky topped 1,000,000 downloads throughout iOS and Android. Notable figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Cuban, Quinta Brunson, Dril, Bizarre Al Yankovic, Guillermo del Toro, Barbra Streisand, and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have migrated to Bluesky.
Bluesky can also be residence to information organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Publish, and naturally, TechCrunch! Since August 2024, Bluesky can also 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 similar to X?
In some ways, sure. When it first began, Bluesky was rather more pared down and didn’t even have DMs, however this key characteristic has since been applied, even with emoji reactions. However DMs on Bluesky are presently restricted to one-to-one messages, not group messages. Bluesky has additionally mentioned it’s desirous about implementing one thing just like X’s Group Notes characteristic. Moreover, X doesn’t use a decentralized protocol like ActivityPub or AT. Bluesky has additionally been testing a Trending Matters 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 a different way than it has up to now. The brand new block performance permits customers you’ve blocked to view your posts and your profile, however not the flexibility to work together along 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 consumer content material to coach generative AI instruments as X applied a brand new phrases of service that enables the platform to practice AI fashions on public posts. However that doesn’t cease third events from doing so.
Whereas 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 impartial firm since its inception in 2021.
Is Bluesky free?
Sure, and it’s now open to the general public.
How does Bluesky earn a living?
Bluesky’s purpose is to seek out one other means to maintain its community exterior of promoting with paid providers, so it could possibly 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 need to have a singular area as their deal with on the service. Bluesky has additionally emphasised that it doesn’t need to “require promoting consumer information for advertisements” with a view to monetize its platform.
In November 2024, Bluesky introduced it raised a $15 million Sequence A spherical and is growing a subscription service for premium options. Bluesky, nevertheless, famous its subscription mannequin won’t comply with within the footsteps of X’s “pay to win” premium choices. Customers have noticed mockups teasing the subscription characteristic, dubbed Bluesky+, which may embody options like larger high quality video uploads and profile customizations.
In December 2024, Peter Wang introduced a $1 million fund, dubbed Skyseed, that can provide grants to these constructing on Bluesky’s open supply AT Protocol.
Is Bluesky decentralized?
Sure. Bluesky’s crew is growing the decentralized AT Protocol, which Bluesky was constructed atop. In its beta part, customers can solely be part of the bsky.social community, however Bluesky plans to be federated, that means that countless individually operated communities can exist inside the open supply community. So, if a developer exterior of Bluesky constructed their very own new social app utilizing the AT Protocol, Bluesky customers may leap over to the brand new app and port over their current followers, deal with and information.
“You’ll at all times 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 folks and relationships will likely be there too,” a Bluesky weblog put up 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 know-how, versus being siloed inside huge tech’s centralized, opaque possession.
Some social apps embody Flashes, a photograph viewing shopper; Spark, a TikTok-like app; and Skylight Social, which is backed by Mark Cuban.
Try our extra complete checklist at varied 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 vital step ahead by way of making Bluesky extra aggressive with bigger networks like X, which have extra strong safety controls. In December 2023, Bluesky allowed customers to choose out of a change that will expose their posts to the general public internet following backlash from customers.
Is Bluesky customizable?
Sure. In Could 2023, Bluesky launched customized algorithms, which it calls “customized feeds.” Customized feeds enable customers to subscribe to a number of completely different algorithms that showcase completely different sorts of posts a consumer might need to see. You possibly can pin customized feeds that can present up on the prime of your timeline as completely different tabs to choose from. The feeds you pin, or save, are positioned beneath the “My Feeds” menu within the app’s sidebar.
In March 2024, the corporate introduced “AT Protocol Grants,” a brand new program that can dole out small grants to builders with a view to foster development and customization. One of many recipients, SkyFeed, is a customized instrument that lets anybody construct their very own feeds utilizing a graphical consumer interface.
Is Bluesky on iOS and Android?
Sure. Bluesky has rolled out to Android customers after it was initially launched to iOS customers. Customers can entry Bluesky on the net right here.
How does Bluesky sort out 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 consumer to alert them that the hyperlink could also be directing them someplace they don’t need to go.
In December 2024, the Bluesky Security crew posted that the corporate up to date its impersonation coverage to be “extra aggressive,” including that “impersonation and handle-squatting accounts will likely be eliminated.” The corporate mentioned it’s additionally exploring alternate 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 reasonable 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 have interaction 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 Challenge 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 Group Tips that can then be reviewed by the app’s moderation crew. Bluesky has moderation options just like ones on X, together with consumer lists and moderation lists, and a characteristic that lets customers restrict who can reply to posts. Nevertheless, some Bluesky customers are nonetheless advocating for the flexibility to set their accounts to non-public.
In March 2024, the corporate launched Ozone, a instrument that lets customers create and run their very own impartial moderation providers that can give customers “unprecedented management” over their social media expertise. In October 2024, Bluesky joined Instragram’s Threads app in an effort to court docket customers who had been annoyed by Meta’s moderation points.
In January 2025, Bluesky printed its 2024 moderation report that mentioned it noticed a 17x enhance sparsely reviews following the speedy development on the platform. The report additionally famous that the biggest variety of reviews got here from customers reporting accounts or posts for harassment, trolling, or intolerance — a problem that’s plagued Bluesky because it’s grown. To fulfill the calls for brought on by this development, Bluesky elevated its moderation crew to roughly 100 moderators and can proceed to rent.
Bluesky revamped its Group Tips in August 2025, with a few of the adjustments representing an effort by Bluesky to purposefully form its group and the habits of its customers.
What’s the distinction between Bluesky and Mastodon?
Although Bluesky’s structure is just like Mastodon’s, many customers have discovered Bluesky to be extra intuitive, whereas Mastodon can come off as inaccessible: Selecting which occasion to hitch seems like an inconceivable job 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 lately simplified its sign-up circulation, making mastodon.social the default server for brand spanking new customers.
Nevertheless, the launch of federation will make it work extra equally to Mastodon in that customers can choose and select which servers to hitch and transfer their accounts round at will.
Who owns Bluesky?
Although Jack Dorsey funded Bluesky, he isn’t concerned in day-to-day improvement and 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 Taking place.
When you have extra FAQs about Bluesky not lined right here, go away us a remark beneath.
This story was initially printed in Could 2023 and is up to date frequently with new info.
