LinkedIn Emerges as Twitter/X Rival

The Twitterverse has been abuzz with chatter about alternative platforms since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in the fall of 2022. From smaller startups to open-source apps to well-funded efforts like Threads from Instagram, the market has been saturated with potential competitors. However, one alternative has quietly been gaining momentum: LinkedIn.

According to traffic analytics data from digital intelligence platform SimilarWeb, LinkedIn's web traffic saw a significant increase compared to Twitter (referred to as "X" in this article) as of March. While X experienced a decline of 15.2% year-over-year, LinkedIn's web traffic surged by 10.6%.

Since November 2022, when Elon Musk took over Twitter, X's web traffic has declined by 10%, while LinkedIn's has grown by an impressive 18%. In March alone, Twitter/X had 727.6 million (deduplicated) unique visitors worldwide, marking a 7.5% year-over-year decline. In contrast, LinkedIn experienced a growth of 11.1%, with 269.2 million unique visitors.

When it comes to mobile app usage, SimilarWeb found that worldwide Android app usage of LinkedIn increased by 14% since November 2022, while X saw a significant decline of 20%. Appfigures, another source for app data, indicates a similar trend, with LinkedIn's monthly downloads increasing by 10% year-over-year. However, X's downloads plummeted by 24%. 

One possible reason for this shift could be attributed to Twitter's transition under Musk's leadership. It's conceivable that some business professionals redirected a portion of their web usage from X to LinkedIn, especially during work hours, considering LinkedIn's focus on professional networking.

With the recent introduction of features like games and short-form videos on LinkedIn, Microsoft, the social network's owner, seems keen on attracting users who previously networked via Twitter, particularly the younger Gen Z crowd.

Appfigures data reveals that LinkedIn's mobile app is now outperforming both X and Snapchat combined across iOS and Android platforms. Although LinkedIn's subscriptions are higher priced compared to X and Snapchat, starting at $29.99/month, its strategy seems to be paying off. LinkedIn's mobile app revenue skyrocketed from $20 million in Q1 2021 to $119 million in Q1 2024, marking its biggest quarter ever. In contrast, X and Snapchat combined for a total of $90 million in the first quarter.

In conclusion, LinkedIn's growth trajectory and strategic moves are positioning it as a formidable contender in the social media landscape, particularly in the wake of Twitter's recent transformations under Elon Musk's leadership.