What Is Bluesky? Everything To Know About The X Competitor

Is nan writer greener connected nan different side? We’re not sure, but nan entity is astir surely bluer. It’s been complete 2 years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, starring group to group up shop connected replacement platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which person already shuttered operations) and Spill person been presented arsenic potential replacements, but fewer aside from Meta’s Threads person achieved nan velocity of maturation Bluesky has reached.

As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 cardinal users. Its maturation stems from respective argumentation changes astatine X, including a heavy criticized change to nan artifact feature and allowing 3rd statement companies to train their AI connected users’ posts, which helped nan app soar to nan top of nan U.S. App Store. Bluesky besides saw a large boost pursuing nan results of nan 2024 U.S. statesmanlike election (which besides contributed to an X exodus by Taylor Swift fans). But while nan number is promising, the maturation has slowed — and nan web has a batch of catching up to do to compete pinch Threads’ 275 cardinal monthly progressive users.

Below, we’ve compiled nan answers to immoderate of nan astir communal questions users person astir Bluesky. And if you’ve made nan switch, you tin follow TechCrunch here arsenic good arsenic our squad pinch our Starter Pack.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky is simply a decentralized societal app conceptualized by erstwhile Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and developed successful parallel pinch Twitter. The societal web has a Twitter-like personification interface pinch algorithmic choice, a federated creation and community-specific moderation.

Bluesky is utilizing an open root framework built in-house, nan AT Protocol, meaning group extracurricular of nan institution person transparency into really it is built and what is being developed.

Dorsey introduced nan Bluesky task backmost successful 2019 while he was still Twitter CEO. At nan time, he said Twitter would beryllium backing a “small independent squad of up to 5 unfastened root architects, engineers, and designers,” charged pinch building a decentralized modular for societal media, pinch nan original extremity that Twitter would adopt this modular itself. But that was earlier Elon Musk bought nan platform, truthful Bluesky is wholly divided from X.

As of May 2024, Dorsey is no longer connected Bluesky’s board. Bluesky is now an independent nationalist use corp led by CEO Jay Graber.

How do you usage Bluesky?

Upon signing up, users tin create a grip which is past represented arsenic @username.bsky.social arsenic good arsenic a show sanction that appears much salient successful bold text. If you’re truthful inclined, you tin move a domain sanction that you ain into your username — so, for example, I’m known connected Bluesky arsenic @amanda.omg.lol.

The app itself functions much for illustration X, wherever you tin click a positive fastener to create a station of 256 characters, which tin besides see photos. Posts themselves tin beryllium replied to, retweeted, liked and, from a three-dot menu, reported, shared via nan iOS Share Sheet to different apps, aliases copied arsenic text.

You tin hunt for and travel different individuals, past position their updates successful your “Home” timeline. Previously, nan Bluesky app would characteristic celebrated posts successful a “What’s Hot” feed. That provender has since been replaced pinch an algorithmic and personalized “Discover” feed featuring much than conscionable trending content. 

For caller users, Bluesky introduced a “Starter Pack” feature, which creates a curated database of group and civilization feeds to travel successful bid to find absorbing contented correct retired of nan gate. You tin find TechCrunch’s Starter Pack right here.

User profiles incorporate nan aforesaid benignant of features you’d expect: a floor plan pic, background, bio, metrics and really galore group they’re following. Profile feeds are divided into 2 sections, for illustration X: posts and posts & replies. In January 2025, Bluesky besides added a caller video tab to personification profiles.

There is besides a “Discover” tab successful nan bottommost halfway of nan app’s navigation, which offers much “who to follow” suggestions and a moving provender of precocious posted Bluesky updates. In January 2025, Bluesky besides introduced a vertical video feed to compete pinch TikTok.

We’ve besides put together a adjuvant guideline connected how to usage Bluesky here.

Image Credits: Natalie Christman

Who’s connected Bluesky?

By nan opening of July 2023, erstwhile Instagram’s Threads launched, Bluesky topped a cardinal downloads crossed iOS and Android. Notable figures for illustration Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Cuban, Quinta Brunson, Dril, Weird Al Yankovic, Guillermo del Toro, Barbra Streisand, and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva person migrated to Bluesky.

Bluesky is besides location to news organizations for illustration Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and of course, TechCrunch! Since August 2024, Bluesky is besides now allowing heads of state to motion up and subordinate nan level for nan first time.

In 2025, immoderate salient U.S. governmental figures group up accounts connected nan platform, for illustration Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Does Bluesky activity conscionable for illustration X?

In galore ways, yes. When it first started, Bluesky was overmuch much pared down and didn’t moreover person DMs, but this cardinal characteristic has since been implemented, moreover pinch emoji reactions. But DMs connected Bluesky are presently constricted to one-to-one messages, not group messages. Bluesky has besides said it is willing successful implementing thing akin to X’s Community Notes feature. Additionally, X does not usage a decentralized protocol for illustration ActivityPub or AT. Bluesky has besides been testing a Trending Topics feature and processing its ain photograph sharing app called Flashes, which is expected to beryllium released successful beta soon.

In October 2024, Elon Musk announced that X’s artifact characteristic would activity differently than it has successful nan past. The caller artifact functionality allows users you person blocked to position your posts and your profile, but not nan expertise to interact pinch your posts. Some users believe this update to beryllium a information concern, starring to an influx successful Bluesky sign-ups arsenic its artifact characteristic is much traditional.

In different move that separates Bluesky from X, nan societal web said it has “no intention” of utilizing personification contented to train generative AI tools arsenic X implemented a caller position of work that allows nan level to train AI models connected nationalist posts. But that doesn’t extremity third parties from doing so.

While Bluesky was initially kicked disconnected arsenic a task convened by Jack Dorsey successful 2019 erstwhile he was CEO of Twitter, nan societal app has been an independent institution since its inception successful 2021.

Is Bluesky free?

Yes, and it is now unfastened to nan public.

How does Bluesky make money?

Bluesky’s extremity is to find different intends to prolong its web extracurricular of advertizing pinch paid services, truthful it tin stay free to extremity users. On July 5, 2023, Bluesky announced further seed information backing and a paid work that provides civilization domains for extremity users who want to person a unsocial domain arsenic their grip connected nan service. Bluesky has besides emphasized that it does not want to “require trading personification information for ads” in bid to monetize its platform.

In November 2024, Bluesky announced it raised a $15 cardinal Series A round and is processing a subscription work for premium features. Bluesky, however, noted its subscription exemplary will not travel successful nan footsteps of X’s “pay to win” premium offerings. Users person spotted mockups teasing nan subscription feature, dubbed Bluesky+, which could see features for illustration higher value video uploads and floor plan customizations.

In December 2024, Peter Wang announced a $1 cardinal fund, dubbed Skyseed, that will connection grants to those building connected Bluesky’s unfastened root AT Protocol.

Is Bluesky decentralized?

Yes. Bluesky’s squad is developing nan decentralized AT Protocol, which Bluesky was built atop. In its beta phase, users tin only subordinate nan bsky.social network, but Bluesky plans to beryllium federated, meaning that endless individually operated communities tin beryllium wrong nan unfastened root network. So, if a developer extracurricular of Bluesky built their ain caller societal app utilizing nan AT Protocol, Bluesky users could jump complete to nan caller app and larboard complete their existing followers, grip and data.

“You’ll ever person nan state to take (and to exit) alternatively of being held to nan whims of backstage companies aliases achromatic container algorithms. And wherever you go, your friends and relationships will beryllium location too,” a Bluesky blog station explained.

What third-party apps are built connected nan AT Protocol?

Many developers are building consumer-facing apps connected Bluesky aliases its underlying AT Protocol. These apps are built connected unfastened technology, arsenic opposed to being siloed wrong large tech’s centralized, opaque ownership.

Some societal apps see Flashes, a photograph viewing client; Spark, a TikTok-like app; and Skylight Social, which is backed by Mark Cuban.

Check retired our much comprehensive list astatine various apps built wrong this ecosystem, including cross-posting apps, euphony apps, provender builders, and livestreamers.

Is Bluesky secure?

In October 2023, Bluesky added email verification arsenic portion of a larger effort to amended relationship information and authentication connected nan network. The summation is an important measurement guardant successful position of making Bluesky much competitory pinch larger networks for illustration X, which person much robust information controls. In December 2023, Bluesky allowed users to opt retired of a alteration that would expose their posts to nan nationalist web pursuing backlash from users. 

Is Bluesky customizable?

Yes. In May 2023, Bluesky released civilization algorithms, which it calls “custom feeds.” Custom feeds let users to subscribe to aggregate different algorithms that showcase different kinds of posts a personification whitethorn want to see. You tin pin civilization feeds that will show up astatine nan apical of your timeline arsenic different tabs to prime from. The feeds you pin, aliases save, are located nether nan “My Feeds” paper successful nan app’s sidebar.

In March 2024,​​ nan institution announced “AT Protocol Grants,” a caller programme that will dole retired mini grants to developers successful bid to foster maturation and customization. One of nan recipients, SkyFeed, is simply a civilization instrumentality that lets anyone build their ain feeds utilizing a graphical personification interface. 

Is Bluesky connected iOS and Android?

Yes. Bluesky has rolled retired to Android users aft it was initially launched to iOS users. Users tin entree Bluesky connected nan web here.

How does Bluesky tackle misinformation?

After an October 2023 update, nan app will now pass users of misleading links by flagging them. If links shared successful users’ posts don’t lucifer their text, nan app will connection a “possibly misleading” informing to nan personification to alert them that nan nexus whitethorn beryllium directing them location they don’t want to go.

Image Credits: Bluesky connected GitHubImage Credits:Bluesky connected Github

In December 2024, nan Bluesky Safety squad posted that nan institution updated its impersonation policy to beryllium “more aggressive,” adding that “impersonation and handle-squatting accounts will beryllium removed.” The institution said it is also exploring alternatives to its existent domain grip verification process.

Has Bluesky had immoderate controversies?

Bluesky has been embattled pinch moderation issues since its first launch. The app has been accused of failing to protect its marginalized users and failing to mean racist content. Following a controversy astir nan app allowing group slurs successful relationship handles, disappointment users initiated a “posting strike,” wherever they refused to prosecute pinch nan level until it established guardrails to emblem slurs and different violative position successful usernames.

In December 2024, Bluesky besides faced disapproval erstwhile writer and podcast big Jesse Singal joined nan platform. Singal has been cataloged by GLAAD’s Accountability Project for his writings connected transgender issues and different matters. Bluesky users person reported Singal’s relationship en masse, starring nan institution to prohibition him, reinstate him, and past explanation his relationship intolerant by its moderation service.

What moderation features does Bluesky have?

In December 2023, Bluesky rolled retired “more precocious automated tooling” designed to emblem contented that violates its Community Guidelines that will past beryllium reviewed by nan app’s moderation team. Bluesky has moderation features akin to ones connected X, including personification lists and moderation lists, and a characteristic that lets users limit who tin reply to posts. However, immoderate Bluesky users are still advocating for nan expertise to group their accounts to private. 

In March 2024, the institution launched Ozone, a instrumentality that lets users create and tally their ain independent moderation services that will springiness users “unprecedented control” complete their societal media experience. In October 2024, Bluesky joined Instragram’s Threads app successful an effort to tribunal users who were disappointment by Meta’s moderation issues.

In January 2025, Bluesky published its 2024 moderation report that said it saw a 17x summation successful moderation reports pursuing nan accelerated maturation connected nan platform. The study besides noted that nan largest number of reports came from users reporting accounts aliases posts for harassment, trolling, aliases intolerance — an rumor that’s plagued Bluesky arsenic it’s grown. To meet nan demands caused by this growth, Bluesky increased its moderation squad to astir 100 moderators and will proceed to hire.

Bluesky revamped its Community Guidelines successful August 2025, pinch immoderate of nan changes representing an effort by Bluesky to purposefully style its organization and nan behaviour of its users.

What’s nan quality betwixt Bluesky and Mastodon?

Though Bluesky’s architecture is akin to Mastodon’s, galore users person recovered Bluesky to beryllium much intuitive, while Mastodon tin travel disconnected arsenic inaccessible: Choosing which lawsuit to subordinate feels for illustration an intolerable task connected Mastodon, and longtime users are very protect astir their established posting norms, which tin make joining nan speech intimidating. To stay competitive, Mastodon precocious simplified its sign-up flow, making mastodon.social nan default server for caller users.

However, nan motorboat of federation will make it activity much likewise to Mastodon successful that users tin prime and take which servers to subordinate and move their accounts astir astatine will. 

Who owns Bluesky?

Though Jack Dorsey funded Bluesky, he is not progressive successful day-to-day improvement and nary longer sits connected nan company’s board. The CEO of Bluesky is Jay Graber, who antecedently worked arsenic a package technologist for nan cryptocurrency Zcash, past founded an event-planning tract called Happening.

If you person much FAQs astir Bluesky not covered here, time off america a remark below. 

This communicative was primitively published successful May 2023 and is updated regularly pinch caller information.