How to use Bluesky Social: Everything to know about the popular X alternative

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

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Many X (formerly Twitter) users have been seeking an alternative over the last two years. In response, rival social media platforms have popped up that aim to offer a Twitter-like experience. One such service is Bluesky Social.

Since launching in October of 2022, Bluesky has seen its audience steadily and sometimes dramatically increase. By November 2023, the platform had reached 2 million users. Cut to September 2024, and the audience had grown to 9 million. A little more than a year later, and the count had hit 13 million. Then in November 2024, Bluesky tallied 14.5 million users, with 700,000 new members in just one week.

Also: How to migrate from X to Bluesky without losing your followers

Along the way, Bluesky has tried to keep innovating by adding and enhancing features such as custom feeds, direct messages, pinned posts, support for video attachments, an in-app music player, and more effective tools for dealing with inappropriate posts.

Looking ahead, Bluesky plans to roll out a paid subscription version with higher-quality video uploads and profile customizations. But the company promises that the service will always be free to use.

How Bluesky compares to X

Bluesky looks and works a lot like X. And that's no coincidence. Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey initially backed the company, though he left its board in 2024. Bluesky also differs from X in certain key ways.

Unlike X, which is a closed platform owned by one person, Bluesky is a decentralized social network with no central authority. Built on the AT protocol, Bluesky is an open-source platform that allows different social media apps to talk with each other. Bluesky users can share posts on networks that use the same protocol, such as Mastodon.

Many Bluesky users also like the platform because it has less of the dysfunction and toxicity found on X. In contrast to X, Bluesky feels like a friendlier social network where people can freely express their opinions without being blasted by trolls.

Also: How to manage Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads all from one free app

All Bluesky features are free to use. Now, how do you sign up and use the service? Let's take a look.