Bluesky Social Statistics (2026): User Count, Growth, AT Protocol Facts

Last Updated on: February 19th, 2026

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Bluesky Social statistics user count facts

Bluesky is a social networking app (similar in format to X/Twitter) built on the AT Protocol, a federated, open-source framework for creating interoperable social apps and services. Bluesky began as a Twitter-funded initiative announced in 2019 and later became an independent company in 2021. (Bluesky)

Quick facts

  • Company structure: Bluesky Social is a Public Benefit Corporation. (Bluesky FAQ)
  • Total users: Bluesky reported growth from 25.94M to 41.41M users in 2025 (network-wide, including accounts hosted on Bluesky infrastructure and other AT Protocol personal data servers). (Bluesky Transparency Report (2025))
  • Protocol: AT Protocol stands for Authenticated Transfer Protocol and is designed for public conversation with interoperability and account portability across apps. (Bluesky Docs)
  • First account reported to hit 1M followers: U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aoc.bsky.social) was reported as the first Bluesky user to reach 1 million followers in December 2024. (Engadget)

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky is a social media service for short posts that can include text, images, and video. Unlike a single, closed network, Bluesky is designed around the idea of protocol-first social networking—meaning the underlying standards (AT Protocol) are intended to support multiple apps and services that can interoperate. (Bluesky; Bluesky Docs)

What is the AT Protocol?

The AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol) is an open standard intended for public conversation and interoperable social apps. In Bluesky’s documentation, the protocol is described as a framework that standardizes identity, follows, and data so users can move across apps more freely, with a federated architecture that supports account portability. (Bluesky Docs)

Bluesky statistics (2026)

Bluesky total users (network-wide):

41.41 million users (reported for 2025, including accounts hosted on Bluesky infrastructure and other AT Protocol personal data servers). (Bluesky Transparency Report (2025))

Growth in Bluesky users during 2025:

Bluesky reported growth of nearly 60% in 2025, from 25.94M to 41.41M users. (Bluesky Transparency Report (2025))

Bluesky user base (recently cited figure):

24 million users (2024) (WIRED interview reference point)

Growth in Bluesky users from September–December 2024 (commonly cited):

13 million users added (CNET reporting, 2024)

First Bluesky user reported to reach 1 million followers:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (reported milestone in December 2024). (Engadget)

Leadership and company structure

When was Bluesky formed and when did it become independent?

Twitter announced Bluesky as a project it would fund in 2019, and Bluesky later formed as an independent organization in late 2021. (Bluesky)

Is Bluesky a public benefit corporation?

Yes. Bluesky Social states it is a Public Benefit Corporation, owned by Jay Graber and the Bluesky team, with a board that includes Jay Graber, Jeremie Miller, Mike Masnick, and Kinjal Shah. (Bluesky FAQ)

Will Bluesky have subscriptions?

Bluesky has publicly discussed developing a subscription model for optional features (for example, higher-quality video uploads and profile customization) while stating the service will remain free to use. (Bluesky post (Oct 24, 2024); The Verge)

Sources & references



Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others. Most of these fun facts come from internet reports and may not be official tallies. No information contained on DMR should be relied upon to make investment decisions. Basically, this is the best I can find and I don’t guarantee anything to be 100%.