Are individuals nonetheless utilizing Fb? What about Threads? And is TikTok’s volatility driving customers away? Simply 54% of manufacturers say they’re assured they’ll sustain with new social media platforms.
Should you’re within the different half, I dove into the newest business knowledge and spoke to social media consultants so that you can uncover the fastest-growing social media platforms in 2025.
Comply with alongside as I break down which platforms are the most important, that are rising, that are shrinking, and that are price your time in 2025. Right here’s what I realized.
Desk of Contents
Social Media Utilization in 2025
Unsurprisingly, 5.24 million individuals use social media right this moment — that’s 63.9% of the world’s inhabitants. Social interplay is the number-one motive individuals aged 16 to 34 use the web (and the second-most well-liked motive for older generations). However which platforms are they utilizing most?
Right here’s the TL;DR in accordance with the newest knowledge from DataReportal Digital 2025:
- The most well-liked social media platforms in 2025 are YouTube with 3.9 billion month-to-month energetic customers (MAU), Fb with 2.1 billion MAU, and Instagram with 1.6 billion MAU.
- Threads, TikTok, and Instagram noticed the very best person development (MAU) in the newest quarter.
- Threads and Bluesky Social noticed the very best app obtain development in the newest quarter.
High 10 Most Standard Social Media Platforms in 2025
First, let’s check out the titans of the business. Unequivocally, these prime 10 apps seize probably the most consideration from the biggest variety of individuals. These are the platforms with the very best variety of energetic customers, due to knowledge from DataReportal, SEMrush, and Backlinko.
1. YouTube
There’s all the time debate about whether or not YouTube is a social media platform, however I rely it as one for its social options like content material creation, subscribing, and commenting.
YouTube is the second most-visited web site on the earth, second solely to Google.com. It has 3.9 billion month-to-month energetic customers (MAU) and 72.8 billion month-to-month visits, in accordance with SEMrush. Folks spend a whopping 24 minutes, 15 seconds every time they go to. It’s additionally well-liked for manufacturers, with 81% of B2C manufacturers and 73% of B2B manufacturers on YouTube.
2. Fb
Whereas it’s not rising explosively, Fb nonetheless earns its throne on the prime of the social media empire.
If Fb have been a rustic, it could be the fourth-largest after China, India, and america. It boasts 3.07 billion MAU and 12.7 billion month-to-month visits because the world’s third-most visited web site in 2025. One in 5 entrepreneurs is planning to minimize their funding in Fb in 2025, indicating that its ROI for some manufacturers is waning.
3. Instagram
Regardless of being an elder of social media platforms, Instagram nonetheless grew by 3.47% from 2024 to 2025 to achieve two billion MAU. The app was the fifth fastest-growing app in 2025, including an estimated 40 million customers in 2024 with 759 million downloads in 2024.
4. Reddit
Need suggestions from strangers in your hobbies, work dilemmas, or relationships? There’s an app for that. Thread-based discussion board Reddit exploded in recognition in 2024 and 2025, reaching 1.1 billion MAU and 5.97 billion month-to-month visits.
5. TikTok
Can’t get sufficient of short-form movies? Neither can anybody else, apparently.
Regardless of authorized challenges within the U.S., TikTok reached 954 million MAU and a couple of.49 billion month-to-month visits in 2025. The platform the place entrepreneurs mentioned they deliberate to extend their funding probably the most in 2025? You guessed it — TikTok.
6. X
X (previously Twitter) has been on a curler coaster experience since 2023, when billionaire Elon Musk purchased and rebranded the platform. Although it has seen a person exodus, a stronghold of customers stays. By the newest estimates, X nonetheless has 586 million MAU and 4.29 billion month-to-month visits.
7. Snapchat
Artistic filters, streaks, and lenses maintain Snapchat customers coming again time and time once more.
DataReportal estimates Snapchat’s month-to-month customers have reached 850 million, up from 800 million the model introduced in 2024. That tracks with 22 million downloads reported in December and 15.67% visitors development between September 2024 and February 2025.
Snapchat was forward of the curve with non-public messaging between small teams of buddies. Its disappearing messages and privateness focus lend it continued recognition in 2025.
8. Pinterest
Whereas nonetheless a considerably area of interest platform, Pinterest stays well-liked for visible and way of life content material. Pinterest reported 553 million MAU in 2025, a rise of 6.75% since 2024. Between September 2024 and February 2025, its web site visitors grew 16.9%.
9. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has 386 million MAU. Whereas it has plenty of customers, these customers don’t spend important time on it, with a each day app open price of simply 24% and simply 48 minutes per 30 days spent on the cellular app.
10. Threads
Meta-owned Threads cracked the top-ten ceiling this yr with triple-digit person development. As of January, it had greater than 320 million MAU and is averaging a million signups every day, in accordance with Mark Zuckerberg. X’s woes contributed to its development in 2023 and 2024.
Which social media platforms do individuals spend probably the most time on?
Simply because a platform has plenty of customers doesn’t imply individuals are opening the app each day or spending important time on it. When evaluating platforms, I like to recommend taking a look at which apps are “sticky” — that’s, which apps have interaction and retain customers.
In keeping with Digital 2025, individuals spend probably the most time on TikTok, scrolling for 34 hours, 56 minutes per 30 days. Subsequent to observe is YouTube clocking in at 27 hours, 10 minutes, then Fb at 17 hours, 17 minutes, then Instagram at 16 hours, 13 minutes every month.
Knowledge exhibits that folks are inclined to have much less frequent, longer classes on YouTube. With TikTok, however, individuals open the app extra typically for shorter interactions. Video apps, together with TikTok and YouTube, command the very best client spend.
Which messaging apps are hottest in 2025?
Whereas they aren’t conventional social media platforms, it’s unimaginable to speak about social media in 2025 with out discussing messaging apps.
As I see it, the rising recognition of messaging apps exhibits that customers are sick of the algorithms and privateness issues of enormous platforms and are on the lookout for smaller, extra direct settings to attach.
- WhatsApp Messenger was the third-most downloaded app worldwide, rating fourth for MAU and time spent. With 571 billion MAU, it’s the second fastest-growing app by time spent, with 112% search development over 5 years.
- Telegram, now with 900 million MAU, ranks ninth on the earth for world app downloads and tenth for complete time spent. In keeping with SEMrush, Telegram’s five-year search development has grown 367%.
- Fb Messenger, with 1.01 billion MAU, was the ninth hottest app for complete time spent.
- Newcomer Google Messenger is the second fastest-growing cellular app by MAU.
- China’s WeChat is the fourth-most well-liked social app on the earth, with 1.38 billion MAU.
- Japanese messaging app Line has grown to 178 million MAU, with a excessive each day open price of 64.2% and virtually seven hours a month spent on the app.
With that, let’s take a deeper dive into the fastest-growing social media platforms of 2025.
Breakout Stars: The Quickest Rising Social Media Platforms of 2025
So, which apps grew probably the most between 2024 and 2025? Whereas these 5 apps will not be the most important, they’re seeing explosive development. Each manufacturers and legacy apps ought to keep watch over these breakout stars in 2025.
1. Threads
In keeping with the newest knowledge, Threads is the fastest-growing platform in 2025 by variety of customers and the second-highest by obtain development, with 322 million downloads in 2024. The Instagram-owned textual content app greater than doubled its person base from 2024 to 2025, from 130 million to 320 million customers.
What Manufacturers Ought to Know About Threads
Whereas customers are up, the info means that engagement on the platform is lagging. Folks report a each day open price of 26.2%, with simply 39 minutes per 30 days spent on the platform. That’s 25 occasions lower than Instagram customers spent utilizing the Instagram app, and seven.6 occasions lower than X customers the X app throughout the identical interval.
Getting Began: Use Threads and What to Put up
2. TikTok
TikTok was probably the most downloaded app globally in 2025, with 773 million downloads. Development metrics from DataReportal present that TikTok had the fourth-highest MAU development and the very best enhance in time spent on the platform in 2025. These enormous numbers don’t even embody Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese language model.
Customers flock to TikTok for movies and leisure, whether or not that’s parodies, challenges, skits, or commentary on popular culture.
What Manufacturers Ought to Know About TikTok
Authorized challenges within the U.S. elevate critical pink flags about whether or not manufacturers ought to proceed to speculate their time and vitality into creating a following on the platform. About half of manufacturers at the moment use TikTok and plenty of plan to extend their investments this yr, however the long-term sustainability of the platform is unsure.
“TikTok is just not lifeless but. But when your model has an viewers on a platform like TikTok, that may be a little bit in flux,” advises Emily Brungard, Senior Development Advertising and marketing Supervisor for Rossman Media.
“Lots of people are realizing that they want a backup. Platforms like YouTube are usually not new, however they‘re constructing so many instruments for short-form video. They’re seeing what’s engaged on TikTok and adapting that so individuals are prepared to spend extra time on YouTube. I really feel like YouTube’s a no brainer for manufacturers.”
Getting Began:
3. Reddit
Reddit will flip 20 in 2025, however it’s experiencing a development spurt.
Reddit acquired 27% extra energetic customers from 2024 to 2025, with five-year search development up 140% in accordance with SEMrush. With excessive visibility in search outcomes, it’s no shock that Reddit has captured customers’ consideration with its forum-style discussions.
Reddit is the sixth most visited web site on the earth in 2025, with visitors rising 14.7% between August 2024 and January 2025 — topping six billion month-to-month visits. Two-thirds of customers entry Reddit from their cell phones. Virtually one in three customers open the app each day, spending almost three hours a month on the platform.
What Manufacturers Ought to Know About Reddit
21% of B2C manufacturers and 19% of B2B manufacturers use Reddit to achieve clients. However if you wish to be part of, be suggested that customers aren’t all the time open to manufacturers butting into their conversations. Be ready to construct belief and be useful and clear.
“If you are able to do it proper, if you are able to do it naturally, and never in a brilliant salesy manner however as an alternative listening and clear, I believe that is an fascinating method for manufacturers,” says Brungard.
Getting Began:
4. Tumblr
Tumblr, launched in 2007, is a microblogging website the place customers can share textual content and multimedia posts. It’s grown 17.9% since 2024, with 612 million dwell micro-blogs. Its customers — of which 48% are Gen Z — say they use the platform to seek out entertaining content material (28%) and sustain with information/cultural developments (28%).
So, 18 years in, how is it nonetheless going so robust?
I believe Tumblr is so well-liked as a result of it’s a community-based platform. You’re virtually 100% assured to seek out individuals who share your identical pursuits, and to have the ability to fill your feed with content material that solely speaks to your pursuits.
It’s additionally a personality-driven platform, which supplies customers the benefit of feeling like they are often themselves, particularly in the event that they’re closely concerned within the communities they’re most occupied with.
What Manufacturers Ought to Know About Tumblr
Tumblr is basically fandom central— a judgment-free zone for individuals to seek out their individuals. Folks like Tumblr as a result of it’s extra peaceable than different platforms. Pictures, GIFs, and storytelling or community-based content material do effectively on the platform. Only one in 10 manufacturers is energetic on Tumblr, so the platform will be a possibility to face out in case your viewers hangs on the market.
Getting Began: A Dialog with Tumblr: How To Construct a Robust, Related Group
5. Bluesky Social
Bluesky Social is a more recent platform that bears a placing resemblance to the previous Twitter. Many customers are drawn to Bluesky as an alternative choice to X in the event that they’re searching for much less toxicity, extra privateness, and decentralized, curated communities the place real conversations thrive.
Bluesky began 2025 with 27.44 million MAU. Which will seem to be a drop within the bucket in comparison with bigger platforms, however evaluate that to the ten million customers the app had in September 2024. That’s an unimaginable 174% development in simply 5 months.
Bluesky clocks in on the fourth fastest-growing app by downloads in 2025.
What Manufacturers Ought to Know About Bluesky Social
The app presents a singular alternative for manufacturers to attach authentically with smaller, engaged communities. The platform’s customizable algorithms make it simpler to focus on particular audiences, whereas options like customized domains for verification assist construct belief.
Like on Reddit, Bluesky customers are inclined to have a knee-jerk response to overtly branded content material.
“With platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon, I’m seeing a push away from model social like within the early days of Fb and Instagram,” says Brungard. “Proper now, Bluesky is for the individuals, not for the manufacturers.”
“I believe manufacturers simply ought to proceed with warning in the event that they do resolve to hitch, however social media managers and advertising professionals ought to positively be on the platforms no less than observing. That’s what it comes all the way down to: simply watch and study,” she provides.
Getting Began: Bluesky is Now Open to the Public. Ought to your corporation be there? [Expert Interview]
Now that we’ve lined among the fastest-growing social media platforms, listed here are those slowing down in 2025.
Which social media platforms are shedding steam?
In 2024, we reported Lemon8 as our fastest-growing social media platform. In 2025, Lemon8 merely isn’t part of the discourse on prime social media platforms and has misplaced important visitors.
Whereas YouTube, Fb, and Instagram are nonetheless gaining customers, their proportion development stays within the low single digits.
Select the Proper Social Media Platforms
85% of entrepreneurs agree that constructing an energetic on-line neighborhood is essential. After digging into the info and listening to from social media consultants, I’m satisfied that the social media panorama is extra fluid and altering than ever.
Whereas giants like YouTube and Fb nonetheless command huge audiences, their development is slowing, and newer platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and even messaging apps are selecting up velocity.
As a marketer, it’s tempting to chase each new platform that makes headlines. However what I’ve realized is that it’s much less about being in all places and extra concerning the content material high quality and figuring out your viewers.
Think about first which platforms your viewers makes use of most. Then ask your self which platforms you’ll be snug utilizing and creating content material for. Should you aren’t snug in entrance of the digicam making movies, then TikTok and Snapchat probably aren’t for you.
Listed here are a number of ideas for entrepreneurs selecting the place to speculate their time and advert cash in 2025.
- Should you’re constructing an viewers from scratch, begin small with three platforms the place you possibly can execute platform-specific content material methods. Mature manufacturers can scale as much as six or seven platforms.
- Manufacturers needs to be energetic on no less than one of many prime three platforms: YouTube, Fb, or Instagram.
- Use a mixture of paid and natural posts to construct an viewers.
- Select no less than one platform for a video technique: YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are good selections.
- Analysis no less than one rising platform the place your viewers spends time to put money into.
- Think about methods to leverage messaging apps for customer support or different makes use of.
Finally, staying forward in 2025 means staying curious. I’ll maintain experimenting, testing, and checking the info to see the place issues are headed — and I hope this breakdown helped you’re feeling a little bit extra outfitted to do the identical.
For much more social media insights, I like to recommend diving into the 2025 State of Social Media reporting or these different useful sources:
Take a look at our 2025 Social Media Developments Report without cost beneath.
Editor’s observe: This submit was initially printed in March 2023 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.