Twitter 🐦 vs. Threads 🧵: The Ultimate Features Comparison

Mark Zuckerberg sure knows how to pick up rivalries with other social media platforms.

After taking reels from TikTok, and stories from Snapchat, the Meta CEO comes after the famous app – Twitter and fashions his platform “Threads” after the micro-blogging site. By now, your Instagram stories must be flooded by posts on Meta’s Threads because mine sure is.

As an ardent Twitter fan, I couldn’t resist but give Threads a shot as soon as I heard about the new talk-of-the-town app. Yes, it’s pretty much the same as Twitter, except there are subtle differences between them.

In this post, we’ll put both of these platforms one-on-one to compare them based on features. Even though they look very similar on the surface, they have some nuanced distinctions that are important to know.

Introduction to Threads

First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room. Meta’s Threads is a micro-blogging platform that allows you to share short text updates in the form of “threads.”

If you’ve used Twitter, you’re already familiar with how threads work and how the entire platform thrives on it.

Besides posting text updates, you can share messages, photos, post links, and videos. You can also join public conversations around your favorite topics and engage with like-minded people.

Fun Fact: Threads hit 30 million users in less than a day and reached the 100 million milestone in 5 days.

Just when Elon Musk thought he had a monopoly over the micro-blogging concept, Mark Zuckerberg launched Threads to become the only rival to the social media platform.

If you have an Instagram account, you have a direct gateway to Threads. Here’s how you can sign up on the platform:

Step 1: Open Play Store or App Store, and install the app “Threads.”

Step 2: Launch the app and select your Instagram account.

Step 3: You’ll be instantly signed into your Threads account via your Instagram account. You don’t have to do anything apart from pressing that continue button. However, you’re given the option to add a bio, a profile picture, and a link or import them from your Instagram account before you’re directed to your Threads feed.

Step 4: Choose your privacy preference. You can keep your account private or public, irrespective of the privacy settings of your Instagram account.

Step 5: Choose the accounts you want to follow. By default, the app suggests the accounts to follow based on your Instagram following list, and you’ll notice your feed is full of random users’ content as a starting point. Once you’ve done that, you’re all set to start your Threads journey.

You can start writing your thoughts from the app itself, and if you want to let your followers know that you have shared something, you can share the post on your Instagram story. This will help let your followers know you’re hopping on the latest trend.

Now, let’s dive into the features comparison between Twitter and Threads to see who takes the cake.

Character Limit

The prime allure of these two micro-blogging apps is the restriction on the character count. You have very limited characters to play with, so you have to make every character count.

Twitter has a limit of 280 characters, beyond which you either have to write another post in the same thread or start a new thread.

On the other hand, Threads has a character limit of 500. So you can write more and express better on Meta’s creation than Musk’s app.

Account Creation

You can’t sign up on Threads unless you have an Instagram account. While setting up your Threads account, the app asks you to select the Instagram account through which you would like to sign up. This prerequisite might not (or might) work in Meta’s favor, as it would give Threads access to only the existing user base of Instagram.

Meanwhile, Twitter has no underlying requirement. It’s a standalone app where you can sign up directly.

What’s Trending

Twitter is a popular platform to know what’s happening in the world. On Twitter’s homepage, you’ll find a tab that says “Trending.” When you tap on it, you’ll be directed to a list of hashtags and topics revolving around all the trending topics.

This feature remains Twitter’s flagship feature because it’s the most utilized.

On the other hand, Threads doesn’t have anything like it as of now. There’s no tab on the app that tells you about important news and updates.

The only way to know “what’s cooking” is to scroll through the feed and learn from the pages that you already follow or the random ones that appear, which is pretty much similar to the good old Instagram.

Following List

Another interesting difference between Threads and Twitter is that Threads don’t come with a “following” list on the profile. The only way to know who you are following is by tapping the “followers” tab, then going to the “following” section.

There’s another section called “pending,” where you can see all the accounts you have requested to follow.

On the other hand, Twitter clearly has two different tabs for “following” and “followers.”

User Experience

Starting a thread or creating a tweet are both seamless in their own ways. On Threads, you can simply tap on the New Thread button and start writing the text. Additionally, you can add attachments and set your privacy preferences for the particular thread.

Twitter allows you to create a tweet pretty much the same way. You tap on the Plus (+) icon and start writing your tweet.

Both the platforms are clean and display exactly what you want to see, but one could argue the interface of Threads is much more refreshing and interesting.

Not to mention, Threads currently has no ads, while Twitter displays blocks of ads on almost every page.

Account Deletion

I think the one aspect of Threads that has ruffled the feathers the most is that if you want to delete your Threads account, you would have to delete your Instagram account too. This means when you join Threads, you have to sign an all-in deal, no backsies. Wow, we’re in for a whole new commitment.

On the other hand, you can easily deactivate or delete your Twitter account. To delete a Twitter account, you would first have to deactivate your account. If you don’t reactivate it for 30 days straight, your account gets permanently deleted. Very simple!

Retweets and Reposts

The reshare option of both Threads and Twitter is pretty much the same, except for the name. On Twitter, you can “retweet” something as it is or with a quote. Similarly, you can “repost” Threads as it is or with a quote.

Username Rights

Your username on Threads is linked to your Instagram account. You can’t change your Threads username unless you change Instagram’s username too. On the other hand, Twitter has no strings attached.

Security and Privacy

Adding another similar feature between the two platforms, Threads allows you to use hidden words, or as they call it on Twitter, “muted words.”

However, the one on Threads comes with a slight difference. Through this feature, you can hide comments and replies that contain a specific word you don’t want to see. This feature is a gem for those who want to protect themselves from abusive language.

While Twitter has a mute feature, it doesn’t apply to anything besides the tweet.

Scope of Search

The scope of search on Threads and Twitter are different, as Twitter is way more advanced in its search capabilities as of now. On Twitter, you can search for not only accounts but also hashtags and tweets.

Meanwhile, on Threads, you can only search for accounts, which makes its scope much narrower than its rival.

Video Limit

Since the internet is video-dominant, I saw it coming from miles away. Threads allow video uploads of up to 5 minutes, while Twitter allows only 2 minutes and 20 seconds. This can be a deal breaker for users who share videos regularly.

Blue Badge

By now, we all know that getting verified and getting that blue badge on Twitter and Instagram costs money. However, Threads does one better by allowing you to carry your Instagram blue badge with you on Threads for absolutely no additional cost.

This means you’re automatically verified on Threads if you’re verified on Instagram.

Post Drafting

If you’re one of those people who take time to gather their thoughts while writing a post, the draft feature is quite useful. Twitter has had this feature for a long time, but Threads is yet to introduce it.

Availability

I know for a fact there are people who like to use social media platforms from their laptop or computer. Twitter understood the assignment for this purpose, which is why it can be accessed from all kinds of devices.

Threads, however, only allow accessing it from a smartphone or a tablet.

Messaging

Communicating directly with followers is one of the main things of social media, so every platform is expected to have a messaging feature. Sadly, unlike Twitter, Threads doesn’t have it at the moment. You can only communicate through comments.

Closing Thoughts

After exploring Threads on the first day, the above differences were the most prominent to me compared to Twitter. I believe there will be more once we become familiar with it. 

As of now, these points of distinction make it clear that while Threads was a good attempt on Meta’s part to create an archnemesis for Twitter, we’re still a little far away from a full-blown rivalry.

Twitter has been one of the biggest social media platforms since its inception, so it’ll be hard to topple it overnight.

It’s the prime place for engaging in thought-provoking conversations, learning about what’s happening in the world, and sharing minute-to-minute thoughts without any filters.

However, given that it’s still early days for Threads, the scope for improvement is quite a lot, and I totally see this app bridging the gap with Twitter more and more with time.

Next, learn how to create beautiful images for social media posts.