Meta will introduce a new app called Threads to compete directly with Twitter.

Meta, the owner of Facebook, is set to launch a new app called Threads that will directly compete with Twitter. The app, which can be pre-ordered on the Apple App Store, will be integrated with Instagram. Meta describes Threads as a text-based conversation app, and screenshots reveal a dashboard similar to Twitter’s interface.

This development is part of an ongoing rivalry between Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. In a recent turn of events, Zuckerberg and Musk even agreed to engage in a physical fight, although it remains unclear if they were serious about it.

In response, Twitter has announced that its popular user dashboard, TweetDeck, will soon be available only behind a paywall. Musk has been actively promoting Twitter’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, and recently limited the number of tweets users can see, citing concerns about data scraping.

Unlike Twitter, Meta’s Threads app will be offered as a free service with no restrictions on post visibility. The app’s screenshots indicate a striking resemblance to Twitter’s interface. However, as a Meta app, Threads will collect data from users’ devices, including location data, purchase history, and browsing activity.

In recent years, several Twitter-like apps have emerged, including Donald Trump’s Truth Social and Mastodon. Bluesky, another similar app, experienced a surge in traffic following Musk’s tweet limiting Twitter usage. Nevertheless, Threads could pose the most significant challenge to Twitter thus far.

Zuckerberg has a track record of borrowing successful ideas from other companies and making them work, as seen with Meta’s Reels, which competes with TikTok, and Stories, which resembles Snapchat. With Meta’s vast resources and Threads being integrated into the Instagram platform, which boasts hundreds of millions of users, it has an advantage over other potential rivals.

In summary, Meta’s upcoming Threads app presents a new competitor to Twitter, as it aims to provide a text-based conversation platform integrated with Instagram. The rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk intensifies, and Threads could be a significant threat to Twitter’s dominance, given Meta’s track record and vast user base.