Meta is taking the next step in monetizing its X rival, Threads, by rolling out ads to all users globally. The rollout begins next week, though the company notes it will be gradual and could take months to reach every user. This comes as Threads continues its rapid growth, surpassing 400 million monthly active users since its July 2023 launch.
Threads has been scaling quickly since debuting. It reached 200 million users by mid-2024, 320 million in January 2025, and added another 30 million by April, setting the stage for its latest milestone. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly expressed confidence in the app, projecting that it could hit 1 billion users in the coming years.
The platform has been experimenting with ads for some time. Threads first began testing them in the U.S. and Japan a year ago and opened access to global advertisers last April. The ad formats supported include image and video ads, carousel ads, and the newer 4:5 aspect ratio, giving brands flexibility in how they reach users. Advertisers can manage Threads campaigns alongside Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp ads via Meta’s Business Settings or automatically through the Advantage+ program, making cross-platform campaigns seamless.
Meta also extended its third-party verification, already available on Facebook and Instagram, to Threads. This ensures independent brand safety and suitability checks for ads in the Threads feed — a significant reassurance for advertisers, especially as rival platforms grapple with challenges like illegal deepfakes.
While the company hasn’t disclosed exactly how often users will encounter ads, it said ad delivery will initially remain “low” as the rollout scales to all global users. For advertisers and brands, this represents a new frontier for reaching audiences on a platform that continues to grow at an impressive pace.
Emmanuel Umahi
