Zuckerberg’s Threads vs Musk’s Twitter: 10 major differences

Threads has been widely recognized by various media outlets as a potential “Twitter killer” or “Twitter clone,” owing to its unique features that enable users to share succinct blurbs and repost others’ content onto their own feeds. The app’s design and features have resonated with a significant number of individuals, resulting in its swift adoption and widespread acclaim.

In case you are wondering, how exactly Threads is different from Twitter, here are some major differences:

Twitter has recently introduced the ability for its premium users to edit tweets. Threads, as of now, does not offer the functionality to edit posts once they have been published. Users on Threads are currently required to either delete the post or create a new one if they wish to make changes. However, considering that Instagram and Facebook have had this feature for quite some time, it is possible that Threads may incorporate post editing in the near future.

While Twitter provides users with the flexibility to access its platform through any web browser, Threads, on the other hand, is exclusively designed as a mobile application. As of now, Threads does not offer a web version for browsing. Although there is an official website, Threads.net, it simply redirects users to download the Android or iOS version of the Threads app for a complete Threads experience.

One limitation of Threads is the absence of a direct messaging (DM) feature on its platform. Threads does not provide users with the ability to privately message each other. In fact, the platform has recently implemented end-to-end encryption as a means to enhance user privacy. Consequently, users are unable to establish private connections or engage in direct messaging within the Threads app.

The absence of hashtags in Threads is also a notable feature. While hashtags are widely used on platforms like Twitter, Threads currently lacks this feature. However, it is expected that Threads will soon incorporate hashtag support, similar to other social media platforms owned by Meta, such as Instagram and Facebook, which have been utilizing hashtags for many years.

Moreover, Threads currently lacks the option for users to customize the alt text or alternative text for images and videos shared on the platform. Instead, Threads relies on computer-generated alt text, which can be less accessible for individuals who rely on screen readers. Unlike many other social media platforms that allow users to provide their own descriptive alt text, Threads currently does not offer this feature, potentially hindering accessibility for visually impaired users.

Twitter is widely known for its trending topics feature, which allows users to easily discover current news and popular discussions. However, Threads, unlike Twitter, does not include a dedicated section for trending topics, at least at the present moment.

In contrast to Twitter, Threads does not display advertisements on its platform. This absence of ads can be seen as a positive aspect for users. The CEO of Meta has suggested that Threads may not introduce ads unless it achieves a substantial user base of approximately one billion users. This indicates that, for the time being, Threads aims to maintain an ad-free experience, offering a potentially more streamlined and focused user environment.

Currently, Threads does not offer the option to embed posts on external platforms such as blogs. If you come across something valuable on Threads and wish to share it on your blog, unfortunately, there is no provision to create an embedded post link. In contrast, Twitter has long provided users with the ability to generate embedded post links, enabling easy sharing of tweets on various websites and blogs.

Threads operates differently from Twitter in terms of its feed structure. Unlike Twitter, which offers separate feeds such as “For You” and “Following,” Threads currently provides a single feed that includes trending posts and content from followers. Unfortunately, as of now, Threads does not provide an option to exclusively view posts from users that you follow.

Furthermore, unlike Twitter, which offers the ability to enable a chronological feed (although it is not the default setting), Threads does not have this feature. Instead, Threads utilizes a randomly generated feed, which means the order of posts may not follow a specific chronological order.

Updated: 10 Jul 2023, 11:47 AM IST