The fastest growing social media platforms of 2025 [new data]

Are people still using Facebook? What about Threads? And is TikTok’s volatility driving users away? Just 54% of brands say they’re confident they can keep up with new social media platforms.

If you’re in the other half, I dove into the latest industry data and spoke to social media experts for you to uncover the fastest-growing social media platforms in 2025.

Follow along as I break down which platforms are the biggest, which are growing, which are shrinking, and which are worth your time in 2025. Here’s what I learned.

Table of Contents

Social Media Usage in 2025

Unsurprisingly, 5.24 million people use social media today — that’s 63.9% of the world’s population. Social interaction is the number-one reason people aged 16 to 34 use the internet (and the second-most popular reason for older generations). But which platforms are they using most?

Here’s the TL;DR according to the latest data from DataReportal Digital 2025:

• The most popular social media platforms in 2025 are YouTube with 3.9 billion monthly active users (MAU), Facebook with 2.1 billion MAU, and Instagram with 1.6 billion MAU.
• Threads, TikTok, and Instagram saw the highest user growth (MAU) in the most recent quarter.
• Threads and Bluesky Social saw the highest app download growth in the most recent quarter.

Top 10 Most Popular Social Media Platforms in 2025

First, let’s take a look at the titans of the industry. Unequivocally, these top 10 apps capture the most attention from the largest number of people. These are the platforms with the highest number of active users, thanks to data from DataReportal, SEMrush, and Backlinko.

1. YouTube

There is always debate about whether YouTube is a social media platform, but I count it as one for its social features like content creation, subscribing, and commenting.

YouTube is the second most-visited website in the world, second only to Google.com. It has 3.9 billion monthly active users (MAU) and 72.8 billion monthly visits, according to SEMrush. People spend a whopping 24 minutes, 15 seconds each time they visit. It’s also popular for brands, with 81% of B2C brands and 73% of B2B brands on YouTube.

2. Facebook

While it is no longer growing explosively, Facebook still earns its throne at the top of the social media empire.

If Facebook were a country, it would be the fourth-largest after China, India, and the United States. It boasts 3.07 billion MAU and 12.7 billion monthly visits as the world’s third-most visited website in 2025. One in five marketers is planning to cut their investment in Facebook in 2025, indicating that its ROI for some brands is waning.

3. Instagram

Despite being an elder of social media platforms, Instagram still grew by 3.47% from 2024 to 2025 to reach two billion MAU. The app was the fifth fastest-growing app in 2025, adding an estimated 40 million users in 2024 with 759 million downloads in 2024.

4. Reddit

Want feedback from strangers on your hobbies, work dilemmas, or relationships? There’s an app for that. Thread-based forum Reddit exploded in popularity in 2024 and 2025, reaching 1.1 billion MAU and 5.97 billion monthly visits.

5. TikTok

Can’t get enough of short-form videos? Neither can anyone else, apparently.

Despite legal challenges in the U.S., TikTok reached 954 million MAU and 2.49 billion monthly visits in 2025. The platform where marketers said they planned to increase their investment the most in 2025? You guessed it — TikTok.

6. X

X (formerly Twitter) has been on a roller coaster ride since 2023, when billionaire Elon Musk bought and rebranded the platform. Though it has seen a user exodus, a stronghold of users remains. By the latest estimates, X still has 586 million MAU and 4.29 billion monthly visits.

7. Snapchat

Creative filters, streaks, and lenses keep Snapchat users coming back time and time again.

DataReportal estimates Snapchat’s monthly users have reached 850 million, up from 800 million the brand announced in 2024. That tracks with 22 million downloads reported in December and 15.67% traffic growth between September 2024 and February 2025.

Snapchat was ahead of the curve with private messaging between small groups of friends. Its disappearing messages and privacy focus lend it continued popularity in 2025.

8. Pinterest

While still a somewhat niche platform, Pinterest remains popular for visual and lifestyle content. Pinterest reported 553 million MAU in 2025, an increase of 6.75% since 2024. Between September 2024 and February 2025, its website traffic grew 16.9%.

9. LinkedIn

LinkedIn has 386 million MAU. While it has a lot of users, those users don’t spend significant time on it, with a daily app open rate of just 24% and just 48 minutes per month spent on the mobile app.

10. Threads

Meta-owned Threads cracked the top-ten ceiling this year with triple-digit user growth. As of January, it had more than 320 million MAU and is averaging one million signups each day, according to Mark Zuckerberg. X’s woes contributed to its growth in 2023 and 2024.

Which social media platforms do people spend the most time on?

Just because a platform has a lot of users doesn’t mean people are opening the app every day or spending significant time on it. When evaluating platforms, I recommend looking at which apps are “sticky” — that is, which apps engage and retain users.

According to Digital 2025, people spend the most time on TikTok, scrolling for 34 hours, 56 minutes per month. Next to follow is YouTube clocking in at 27 hours, 10 minutes, then Facebook at 17 hours, 17 minutes, then Instagram at 16 hours, 13 minutes each month.

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Data shows that people tend to have less frequent, longer sessions on YouTube. With TikTok, on the other hand, people open the app more often for shorter interactions. Video apps, including TikTok and YouTube, command the highest consumer spend.

Which messaging apps are most popular in 2025?

While they aren’t traditional social media platforms, it’s impossible to talk about social media in 2025 without discussing messaging apps.

As I see it, the growing popularity of messaging apps shows that consumers are sick of the algorithms and privacy concerns of large platforms and are looking for smaller, more direct settings to connect.

• WhatsApp Messenger was the third-most downloaded app worldwide, ranking fourth for MAU and time spent. With 571 billion MAU, it’s the second fastest-growing app by time spent, with 112% search growth over five years.
• Telegram, now with 900 million MAU, ranks ninth in the world for global app downloads and tenth for total time spent. According to SEMrush, Telegram’s five-year search growth has grown 367%.
• Facebook Messenger, with 1.01 billion MAU, was the ninth most popular app for total time spent.
• Newcomer Google Messenger is the second fastest-growing mobile app by MAU.
• China’s WeChat is the fourth-most popular social app in the world, with 1.38 billion MAU.
• Japanese messaging app Line has grown to 178 million MAU, with a high daily open rate of 64.2% and almost 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 Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms of 2025

So, which apps grew the most between 2024 and 2025? While these five apps may not be the biggest, they’re seeing explosive growth. Both brands and legacy apps should keep an eye on these breakout stars in 2025.

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1. Threads

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According to the latest data, Threads is the fastest-growing platform in 2025 by number of users and the second-highest by download growth, with 322 million downloads in 2024. The Instagram-owned text app more than doubled its user base from 2024 to 2025, from 130 million to 320 million users.

What Brands Should Know About Threads

While users are up, the data suggests that engagement on the platform is lagging. People report a daily open rate of 26.2%, with just 39 minutes per month spent on the platform. That’s 25 times less than Instagram users spent using the Instagram app, and 7.6 times less than X users the X app during the same period.

Getting Started: How to Use Threads and What to Post

2. TikTok

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TikTok was the most downloaded app globally in 2025, with 773 million downloads. Growth metrics from DataReportal show that TikTok had the fourth-highest MAU growth and the highest increase in time spent on the platform in 2025. These huge numbers don’t even include Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese version.

Users flock to TikTok for videos and entertainment, whether that’s parodies, challenges, skits, or commentary on pop culture.

What Brands Should Know About TikTok

Legal challenges in the U.S. raise serious red flags about whether brands should continue to invest their time and energy into developing a following on the platform. About half of brands currently use TikTok and many plan to increase their investments this year, but the long-term sustainability of the platform is uncertain.

“TikTok is not dead yet. But if your brand has an audience on a platform like TikTok, that is a little bit in flux,” advises Emily Brungard, Senior Growth Marketing Manager for Rossman Media.

“A lot of people are realizing that they need a backup. Platforms like YouTube are not new, but they‘re building so many tools for short-form video. They’re seeing what’s working on TikTok and adapting that so people are willing to spend more time on YouTube. I feel like YouTube’s a no-brainer for brands.”

Getting Started:

3. Reddit

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Reddit will turn 20 in 2025, but it’s experiencing a growth spurt.

Reddit acquired 27% more active users from 2024 to 2025, with five-year search growth up 140% according to SEMrush. With high visibility in search results, it’s no surprise that Reddit has captured users’ attention with its forum-style discussions.

Reddit is the sixth most visited website in the world in 2025, with traffic growing 14.7% between August 2024 and January 2025 — topping six billion monthly visits. Two-thirds of users access Reddit from their mobile phones. Almost one in three users open the app daily, spending nearly three hours a month on the platform.

What Brands Should Know About Reddit

21% of B2C brands and 19% of B2B brands use Reddit to reach customers. But if you want to join, be advised that users aren’t always open to brands butting into their conversations. Be prepared to build trust and be helpful and transparent.

“If you can do it right, if you can do it naturally, and not in a super salesy way but instead listening and transparent, I think that’s an interesting approach for brands,” says Brungard.

Getting Started:

4. Tumblr

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Tumblr, launched in 2007, is a microblogging site where users can share text and multimedia posts. It’s grown 17.9% since 2024, with 612 million live micro-blogs. Its users — of which 48% are Gen Z — say they use the platform to find entertaining content (28%) and keep up with news/cultural trends (28%).

So, 18 years in, how is it still going so strong?

I think Tumblr is so popular because it is a community-based platform. You’re almost 100% guaranteed to find people who share your same interests, and to be able to fill your feed with content that only speaks to your interests.

It’s also a personality-driven platform, which gives users the advantage of feeling like they can be themselves, especially if they’re heavily involved in the communities they’re most interested in.

What Brands Should Know About Tumblr

Tumblr is essentially fandom central— a judgment-free zone for people to find their people. People like Tumblr because it’s more peaceful than other platforms. Photos, GIFs, and storytelling or community-based content do well on the platform. Just one in 10 brands is active on Tumblr, so the platform can be an opportunity to stand out if your audience hangs out there.

Getting Started: A Conversation with Tumblr: How To Build a Strong, Connected Community

5. Bluesky Social

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Bluesky Social is a newer platform that bears a striking resemblance to the old Twitter. Many users are drawn to Bluesky as an alternative to X if they’re seeking less toxicity, more privacy, and decentralized, curated communities where genuine conversations thrive.

Bluesky started 2025 with 27.44 million MAU. That may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to larger platforms, but compare that to the 10 million users the app had in September 2024. That’s an incredible 174% growth in just five months.

Bluesky clocks in at the fourth fastest-growing app by downloads in 2025.

What Brands Should Know About Bluesky Social

The app presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect authentically with smaller, engaged communities. The platform’s customizable algorithms make it easier to target specific audiences, while features like custom domains for verification help build trust.

Like on Reddit, Bluesky users tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to overtly branded content.

“With platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon, I’m seeing a push away from brand social like in the early days of Facebook and Instagram,” says Brungard. “Right now, Bluesky is for the people, not for the brands.”

“I think brands just should proceed with caution if they do decide to join, but social media managers and marketing professionals should definitely be on the platforms at least observing. That’s what it comes down to: just watch and learn,” she adds.

Getting Started: Bluesky is Now Open to the Public. Should your business be there? [Expert Interview]

Now that we’ve covered some of the fastest-growing social media platforms, here are the ones slowing down in 2025.

Which social media platforms are losing steam?

In 2024, we reported Lemon8 as our fastest-growing social media platform. In 2025, Lemon8 simply isn’t a part of the discourse on top social media platforms and has lost significant traffic.

While YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are still gaining users, their percentage growth remains in the low single digits.

How to Choose the Right Social Media Platforms

85% of marketers agree that building an active online community is crucial. After digging into the data and hearing from social media experts, I’m convinced that the social media landscape is more fluid and changing than ever.

While giants like YouTube and Facebook still command massive audiences, their growth is slowing, and newer platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and even messaging apps are picking up speed.

As a marketer, it’s tempting to chase every new platform that makes headlines. But what I’ve learned is that it’s less about being everywhere and more about the content quality and knowing your audience.

Consider first which platforms your audience uses most. Then ask yourself which platforms you would be comfortable using and creating content for. If you aren’t comfortable in front of the camera making videos, then TikTok and Snapchat likely aren’t for you.

Here are a few tips for marketers choosing where to invest their time and ad money in 2025.

• If you’re building an audience from scratch, start small with three platforms where you can execute platform-specific content strategies. Mature brands can scale up to six or seven platforms.
• Brands should be active on at least one of the top three platforms: YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.
• Use a mix of paid and organic posts to build an audience.
• Choose at least one platform for a video strategy: YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are good choices.
• Research at least one emerging platform where your audience spends time to invest in.
• Consider ways to leverage messaging apps for customer service or other uses.

Ultimately, staying ahead in 2025 means staying curious. I’ll keep experimenting, testing, and checking the data to see where things are headed — and I hope this breakdown helped you feel a little more equipped to do the same.

For even more social media insights, I recommend diving into the 2025 State of Social Media reporting or these other helpful resources:

Check out our 2025 Social Media Trends Report for free below.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.