In July 2023, Meta launched Threads, changing our social media landscape forever.  Threads was positioned as the "Twitter killer.” Under Elon Musk's ownership, X (formerly Twitter) is now struggling to compete effectively and has experienced an exodus of users, advertisers, staff, and, now, the CEO. 

Because of X’s current downward trajectory and Threads ascendancy, businesses face a critical decision that could determine their social media strategy, particularly in light of the Threads algorithm, and success or failure.

For multi-location businesses and marketers, the stakes couldn't be higher. Choosing the wrong platform could mean missing your target audience completely. Or suffering platform-based brand damage that’s hard to recover from.

The last thing you want to do is waste valuable marketing resources and fall behind competitors who make smarter platform investments. The rapid evolution of both two social media platforms has created a complex decision matrix that requires careful analysis beyond surface-level metrics.

This comprehensive guide examines both platforms through the lens of business utility, audience reach, and ROI potential. 

We'll dive deep into the features that matter most for multi-location businesses, including private messaging, analyse audience demographics, engagement patterns, and evaluating how to engage audiences through the advertising ecosystems that can make or break your social media ROI.

Here’s a brief summary and comparison table for business owners, CMOs, and social media managers using multiple platforms, including the new platform Threads, in a hurry 👇

Table of contents

• Key strategic takeaways
• Threads vs X at a glance: Comparison table
• What makes Threads and X different in 2025
• Which is better for business: Threads or X?
• Use case breakdown: What works better where
• Should your business use both platforms?
• Threads vs X: FAQs

Key strategic takeaways

• Platform maturity: 

• X offers established business tools and advertising infrastructure. 
• Right now, Threads is rapidly evolving with Meta's backing, making it more attractive in the long term, even though it's a relatively new platform.
  
  
• Audience dynamics: 
  • X retains diverse professional communities. But a lot of people have either left or aren’t using it as much. 
  • Threads attracts younger, Instagram-connected users seeking safer, more open, and inclusive Twitter alternatives.
    
    
• Business features: 
  • X provides comprehensive analytics, scheduling, and multi-account management. 
  • At present, Threads offers basic tools with Instagram integration.
    
    
• Advertising ecosystem: 
  • X's Ad platform is mature but changing (not for the better). 
  • Threads leverages Meta's sophisticated advertising infrastructure.
    
    
• Content environment: 
  • X favors real-time news, political debates, and, unfortunately, has become a very negative space that leans increasingly far right. 
  • Threads emphasizes visual content and community conversations.
    
    
• Multi-Location management: 
  • X offers better tools for managing multi-location business accounts.
  • Threads can offer a form of multi-location management through Instagram Business Suite integration.
    
    
• Cost considerations: 
  • X has subscription tiers and an ever-changing algorithm that affects reach, engagement, and features.
  • Threads remain free with organic reach advantages.
    
    
• Future outlook: 
  • X faces continued uncertainty amid platform changes. 
  • Threads benefits from Meta's resources and strategic integration

Threads vs X at a glance: Comparison table

This is a feature breakdown with what they mean for businesses and social media managers:

Feature	Threads	X (Twitter)	Business Impact
Character Limit	500	280 (25k for Blue)	Threads allow more storytelling
Monthly active users (MAUs)	130 million	550 million	X has a lot more users, but what’s better for your brand: Quality or quantity?
DMs	Yes, as of July 2025	Yes	Both will soon be equally good for customer service
Hashtags	Uses tags which are similar	Core feature	X was better for discoverability, but now Threads is catching up
Chronological Feed	Yes	Limited	Threads more predictable reach
Ads	Meta Ads integration	X Ads platform	Both offer targeting options
Analytics	Limited	Native + third-party	X provides deeper insights
Verification	Meta verification	Blue checkmark ($8/month)	Different credibility signals
API Access	Limited, with some social media tools giving automated access	Yes, with paid tiers, or access via social media tools	X is better for automation
Content Types	Text, images, videos, links	Text, images, videos, audio, links, Spaces	Similar content options: Threads is more organic, less algorithmically governed

Now, let’s compare X (Twitter) and Threads in more detail. 

What makes Threads and X different in 2025

In this section, we’ll compare Threads and X for several key factors that impact businesses and users in 2025:

• Audience and community culture 
• Content and algorithm 
• Audience demographics 
• Platform health and brand safety 

Audience and community culture 

Threads atmosphere:

• An Instagram-adjacent (but not everyone on Instagram has joined Threads) community with emphasis on lifestyle, personal branding, and a more enjoyable social media environment 
• Lower toxicity levels due to stricter moderation and a newer user base
• Casual, meme-centric culture that rewards authenticity over authority. It’s not a place to be too serious, and politics is, amongst other topics, less regularly mentioned 
• Comment threads tend to be more supportive and constructive. More like how Twitter was many years ago. 
• Brand interactions feel more natural and less transactional

X ecosystem:

• It’s still a fast-paced, news-driven environment 
• However, it’s become a much more negative environment since Musk bought it
• Political discourse and breaking news dominate trending topics
• Higher engagement rates but also a much higher risk of negative backlash, even from posts that aren’t meant to be controversial 
• A much more confrontational culture where brands constantly need to navigate carefully
• Legacy reputation as the platform for real-time commentary. That reputation is being diminished as it becomes less appealing, and the algorithm has largely taken away the real-time nature of when posts are seen. 

Content experience and algorithm impact 

49 Ready-to-Use Threads Post Ideas for Businesses and Creators

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Threads content strategy:

• The more light-touch algorithm prefers engagement quality over quantity
• Text-only posts receive surprisingly high visibility compared to other platforms (although pictures do very well, too)
• A slower content consumption pace generates deeper engagement for brands. People aren’t doom scrolling, so there’s a better chance of genuine engagement 
• Cross-posting from Instagram can also help boost your initial reach
• Less content saturation means individual posts have better organic reach

 

X content dynamics:

• The algorithmic timeline creates unpredictable reach patterns. It no longer functions as a real-time source of news and world events as they happen 
• Trending topics can provide massive exposure but require perfect timing
• Higher content volume means the audience has less of a chance of seeing your posts 
• However, reply threads (where you reply as a brand, or your customers reply to your posts) can significantly extend the content's lifespan
• Premium features (Blue subscriptions) can boost content visibility and engagement rates 

Audience demographics and behaviour 

Threads users:

• Threads currently has 130 million monthly active users (MAUs) 
• Mainly Gen Z and younger Millennials (18-34)
• A higher concentration of lifestyle, wellness, and creative professionals
• Users migrating from Instagram prefer a visual-first experience (but don’t always post the same content on both: people treat Threads differently to Instagram)
• More open to brand personality and behind-the-scenes content
• Engagement patterns favour sustained conversations over quick reactions

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X users:

• X currently has 550 million monthly active users (MAUs)
• Broader age range, now leaning towards an older demographic 
• Lots of journalists, tech bros, crypto fans (lots of overlap between those groups), and political figures
• Users expect real-time information and rapid responses from brands 
• Brands still use it as a customer service and support request channel 
• Users have a higher tolerance for promotional content when contextually relevant

Platform health and brand safety 

Threads Advantages:

• Stricter content via Meta's albeit smaller moderation teams, still making it a noticeably safer environment 
• Much lower incidence of harassment, misinformation, fake news, and AI-generated content (aka, scams)
• A much cleaner brand environment with fewer controversial associations
• Growing advertiser confidence because it’s a safer content environment 

X Challenges:

• Ongoing moderation concerns affecting brand safety
• Most moderators were fired after Musk bought the platform 
• Advertiser exodus impacting platform stability
• The CEO has also recently resigned
• Negative association with controversial content creators
• Unpredictable policy changes affecting business accounts

Which is better for business: Threads or X?

In this section, we’ll compare Threads and X for the following: 

• Community building 
• Top-of-funnel brand awareness
• Local and lifestyle content  
• Customer service 
• Event commentary 
• Giving brands an edge 

Where Threads already wins:

Threads for Community building and brand personality:

• Longer character limit allows for storytelling and thought leadership
• A lot less saturated environment means brand voices can stand out
• Users are more receptive to authentic, personality-driven content
• Cross-promotional opportunities with Instagram and Facebook (will work even better if Meta posts those more frequently and in real-time)
• Better suited for lifestyle brands and service-based businesses

Threads for Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) brand awareness:

• High organic reach potential, which is better for engaging content
• Users are in discovery mode rather than just news consumption, so not a place where people simply “doom scroll” 
• A less competitive environment, which makes it easier to capture attention
• Ideal for sharing authentic company culture and values (remember, comedy wins every time; this isn’t LinkedIn)
• More effective for recruiting and employer branding initiatives

Threads for local and lifestyle content:

• Community-focused conversations that are more aligned with local business goals
• Less noisy environment, so better for location-specific content (so is the algorithm)
• Users are more likely to engage with relatable, everyday content (again, go for funny, or at least interesting)

On the other hand, X still has some advantages that brands need to remember. 

X is still better for: 

Customer service:

• The DM functionality supports customer service for brands, and is helpful for customers more active on Twitter and want a quick response, instead of Live Chat or calling a call centre. 
• Users expect brands to respond quickly to mentions and complaints, especially complaints!
• Established culture of brand-customer interaction
• Better tools for monitoring brand mentions and sentiment
• Effective for crisis communication and damage control

However, now that Threads is getting DMs, this advantage, and the algorithm having less of an impact than X, will make Threads equal if not better for customer service. 

Advanced search capabilities:

• X allows you to go beyond the basic search bar and use advanced search, which allows you to refine your search criteria. 
• Some advanced search capabilities include keyword and hashtag targeting, user-targeted search, or even sentiment analysis.

Event commentary, private conversations, and trending engagement:

• Unmatched for live event coverage and real-time updates
• Trending topics provide opportunities for viral content
• Going viral is still possible on X (it has a much larger audience than Threads) 
• Users still actively seek breaking news and industry updates

Brand voice with an edge:

• Culture rewards wit, humour, and clever responses 
• Opportunity for brands to show personality through quick responses. Some brands still do very well (e.g., Aldi and M&S, or Aldi and Brewdog) 
• Effective for engaging with industry conversations and debates

Now we need to think about both from the multi-location perspective. So, if you are a business with multiple locations, then this is a very important consideration. 

Multi-location business considerations:

Threads' limitations: In terms of user engagement, there are several factors to consider.

• No native location-targeting features (yet)
• Requires manual community building for every location
• Limited scheduling and automation tools. You can schedule for Threads through Sendible 
• Harder to scale customer service across multiple locations

X advantages: The platform also benefits from ad revenue-sharing initiatives that enhance profitability.

• Robust third-party tool integration for multi-location management
• Advanced search functionality that includes local mention monitoring
• Established local business discovery patterns
• Analytics for measuring location-specific performance
• Existing customer expectations for local business presence

Use case breakdown: What works better where 

In this section, we’ll compare Threads and X for the following multi-location businesses:

• Real estate agents 
• Dentists 
• Car dealerships 
• Restaurants 

Real estate agents 

Threads strategy:

• Market insights and neighbourhood insights 
• Agent personality and expertise showcasing
• Home staging and design inspiration
• Customer success stories and testimonials could be done in video/story format 

X strategy:

• Breaking real estate news and market updates
• Live open house announcements and virtual tours
• Mortgage rate alerts and financial tips for new buyers 
• Quick responses to buyer/seller questions (DMs) 
• Industry networking and referral building

Dentists 

Threads strategy:

• Educational content about oral health habits for every age group
• Meet the team and behind the scenes 
• Patient transformation stories (with permission); video or story format would work well 
• Dental myths “de-influencing” and friendly dental advice
• Community health initiatives and involvement

X strategy:

• Appointment availability and scheduling updates. Make sure to use every social media channel and your website for this, too 
• Emergency dental care announcements
• Quick tips for dental emergencies
• Responding to patient concerns and questions
• Sharing local health news and community events

Car Dealerships 

Threads strategy:

• Meet the team and behind the scenes 
• New model arrivals and feature explanations
• Customer testimonials and positive reviews 
• Car care tips and maintenance advice (especially seasonal, like winter) 
• Community involvement and sponsorship activities

X strategy:

• Car inventory updates and special discounts/sales announcements
• Service department promotions and reminders
• Manufacturer recall notices and important safety information
• Quick responses to sales questions (DMs) 
• Industry news and manufacturer updates

Restaurants 

Threads strategy:

• Behind-the-scenes kitchen content (who doesn’t love food pics and videos, right?!) 
• Meet the team, from Head Chef through to the bar, waiting team, and Front of House 
• Food pics and specials (time-sensitive) 
• Seasonal ingredient sourcing stories
• Community involvement and local partnerships

 

X strategy:

• Daily specials and menu updates
• Event hosting and reservation information
• Addressing customer feedback and complaints
• Weather-related closures or delays
• Catering availability and corporate partnerships

Now, when it comes to social media, you don’t have to only pick one or two platforms. There’s an easy argument to make that you might benefit from being on both, plus other relevant platforms, like Facebook and Instagram (if you aren’t already). 

Should your business use both platforms?

There is a strategic case for a dual platform presence

In reality, most businesses would benefit from a dual platform approach if bandwidth allows. 

Threads serves long-term brand building, whilst X handles immediate customer needs and trending conversations. The key is understanding that these platforms serve different functions in your marketing funnel rather than competing for the same outcomes.

As long as your marketing people or social media freelancer can handle both, then we’d recommend going this route.

Unless you no longer feel X is suitable or safe for your brand, in which case, stick to Threads, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Content repurposing opportunities:

• Edit and repurpose longer Threads posts into a Twitter threads
• Use X conversations to create longer-form Threads content
• Cross-promote platform-specific content to maximize reach
• Use images or videos for both 
• Test content performance across both platforms to optimize strategy

Implementation framework

Threads for brand building:

• Focus on storytelling and thought leadership-style content
• Share company culture and engaging behind-the-scenes moments
• Take part in industry conversations with nuanced perspectives (not witty put-downs, unless the situation calls for it; Threads is a much nicer, kinder environment than X) 
• Build genuine relationships with community members
• Experiment with various content formats in a less saturated environment

X for immediate impact:

• Handle customer service and support questions (treat it like an extension of your Live Chat, and make sure conversations are logged in your CRM)  
• Share time-sensitive updates and announcements
• Participate in trending conversations relevant to your industry
• Monitor brand mentions and respond promptly
• Leverage breaking news for content opportunities whenever possible (Coldplay; need we say more!) 

Measurement and optimisation 

Use platform management tools like Sendible to track performance metrics across both platforms and facilitate real-time discussions. 

Monitor engagement rates, reach, and conversion metrics to determine which platform delivers better ROI for specific content types and business objectives. 

Adjust resource allocation for your social media efforts based on data-driven insights rather than platform preferences.

Ready to start posting on Threads, X, or other social platforms? Or need a new social media management tool? Get started with a Free Sendible Trial. 

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Threads vs X: FAQs 

Which is better for engagement: Threads or X?

Engagement quality differs significantly between platforms. Threads typically generate more meaningful, sustained conversations. Yes, the overall volume is still low, but it has higher engagement rates per post. 

X produces higher volume interactions but often shorter, more reactive responses. 

For businesses, Threads engagement tends to be more valuable for relationship building. This is also better because the platform is more friendly, allowing for wider audience engagement. However, X engagement is better for immediate visibility and customer service.

Can businesses advertise on Threads?

At present, Threads advertising is only available through Meta's existing ad platform. It has limited Threads-specific targeting options. Meta is gradually rolling out more sophisticated advertising features for Threads. 

Businesses can promote Threads content through Instagram Ads, but native Threads advertising features and tools are limited compared to X's established ad platform. However, if you’re planning on building organic engagement, then you’ve got time to do that before relying on ads. 

Does Threads support hashtags or DMs?

As of July 2025, both are being rolled out by Meta. Instead of hashtags, the feature is known as “tags”, and should be available soon. The same applies to DMs. Right now, businesses have had to rely on Instagram’s DM feature, which means following the same people on both platforms. Soon, you’ll be able to DM and people DM your brand, making Threads as useful as Instagram for customer service-style messaging. 

Can I schedule Threads and X posts with social media tools?

Yes, several social media management apps, including Sendible, Hootsuite, and Buffer, now support Threads scheduling. This is alongside a long-standing X scheduling ability. However, Threads' scheduling capabilities are newer and may not offer the same customisation options compared to established X scheduling tools.

How do I measure success on each platform?

Focus on engagement rate and conversation quality for Threads, especially in terms of short-form content.

Tracking reach, impressions, and real-time conversation response time for X is more useful, particularly when considering the web version as well as identifying the main differences in effectiveness between the two platforms. Use platform-specific analytics tools and third-party management software for comprehensive performance measurement.