Bluesky vs Twitter: How is Bluesky different than X / Twitter?

When it comes to building a community online, two social platforms often come up in conversations: Bluesky vs Twitter. Both have their pros and cons, and choosing the right one can feel overwhelming.

At Fedica, we believe you don’t have to choose just one platform. But if you do, we summarized the conversations happening now in this blog to show a wholistic picture of the key differences.

So sure, you can use our cross-platform scheduling tool to grow across almost a dozen platforms, but first, let’s take a closer look at the differences between Bluesky and X, so you can make an informed decision.

How is Bluesky Different from Twitter?

1. Algorithm Differences
One key distinction between Bluesky and Twitter is how each platform handles content distribution. Bluesky’s algorithm is designed to prioritize a more user-controlled experience. The platform aims to show you content primarily from the people you follow with minimal algorithmic interference. It’s almost like going back to the early days of Twitter, when your feed was more chronological. Here’s more about the Bluesky Algorithm.

On the other hand, Twitter’s algorithm is built to personalize your timeline by showing content based on your interactions, engagement, and what Twitter thinks you might like—even from accounts you don’t follow. This means Twitter can push content into your feed based on engagement, which is designed to keep you more engaged, but also means your timeline may look different from someone else’s. If you want to get your X content to be seen, try improving it with Twitter Analytics!

2. Culture and Vibe
Bluesky is recognized for its decentralized design, offering users greater control over their experience and interactions within the community. It appeals to those interested in niche discussions, like art, culture, or other topics through its Feeds feature. Unlike X, which has historically leaned heavily into political discourse, Bluesky’s collaborative and evolving nature is gradually broadening its appeal to include diverse conversations, including politics.

Twitter, with its larger user base, is often seen as more mainstream and fast-paced. It’s a platform where trends, breaking news, and heated debates are common. Because of Twitter’s centralized structure, much of the content is curated by the platform, which leads to a faster, sometimes chaotic user experience.

3. Free Speech and Content Moderation
Bluesky emphasizes user control over content moderation. Its decentralized nature allows you to choose how your feed is curated and gives you tools to block content you don’t want to see. This can lead to a more customizable, personal experience where you can avoid extreme or harmful content.

Twitter, especially since the leadership changes under Elon Musk, has been criticized for a more relaxed approach to moderation. Some users feel this leads to an increase in harmful content or misinformation. While both platforms allow free speech, Bluesky’s decentralized model offers a bit more freedom when it comes to managing your own community experience, and takes more care for stopping blatant hate speech.

4. Political Differences

Many users see Bluesky as a refuge from the political and ideological partisanship prevalent on Twitter. Bluesky’s decentralized nature allows for more freedom in content and moderation, resulting in a platform where users can avoid unwanted content or political drama. Bluesky’s moderation is strong, and users can detach posts from their threads to prevent toxic interactions. Users can actually block words they don’t want to engage with on Bluesky, like you can mute words on X.

Political discourse on Twitter can be heated and polarized, especially given the platform’s centralized structure. The recent changes in moderation and content policies have led to criticism, with some users finding the atmosphere increasingly biased, particularly when it comes to political discussions.

5. Community-Building Differences

Bluesky offers users much more control over their data, as it’s built on a decentralized platform where you can store data on servers that support the AT Protocol. This gives users the ability to customize their feed and engage with a more tailored community.

On Twitter, user data is centralized and controlled by the platform. While you can follow accounts and participate in conversations, you have less control over the way your feed is curated or how your data is handled.

What Can You Post on Bluesky?

Bluesky allows users to share a variety of content types, similar to other social media platforms but with more control and customization options. Here are the main types of content you can post:

• Text: You can post short or long-form text posts, similar to Twitter. Whether you’re sharing your thoughts, updates, or engaging in discussions, Bluesky gives you the space to express yourself freely.
• GIFs: Adding animated GIFs to your posts is an effective way to add humor, emphasis, or reaction to your message. It’s a fun way to connect with your audience and make posts more engaging.
• Video: Bluesky allows you to upload and share video content. While the platform is still developing in terms of features, video posts are an essential part of engagement, and you can share videos as easily as you would text or images.
• Controversial Ideas and Opinions: Like Twitter, Bluesky allows for open discussion, making it a good platform for sharing your thoughts on controversial issues. However, there are moderation tools in place to maintain a respectful environment, so while you can share strong opinions, they must not cross into harmful or hate-filled territory.
• NSFW Content: Bluesky’s adult content policy allows for NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content, but it comes with moderation guidelines. The platform has rules against hate speech, harassment, and explicit content that crosses the line into abuse or threats. It also allows users to add labels to protect others from their less-safe content.

Bluesky vs Twitter: Pros and Cons

Both Bluesky and Twitter offer distinct experiences, and each has its own strengths and drawbacks. Here’s a breakdown to help you weigh your options:

Bluesky

Twitter / X

Overall Comparison of Bluesky vs Twitter

Bluesky offers a more decentralized, user-controlled experience with fewer ads and a cleaner interface, making it ideal for those who prioritize privacy and community. However, it still lags behind Twitter in terms of features and user base. Twitter, on the other hand, is a more established platform with a wider range of features, but its centralized structure and growing number of ads can be a turn-off for some users.

If you want a more controlled, cleaner social media experience and are willing to work within a smaller community, Bluesky might be the right choice.

If you prefer a more feature-rich platform with a larger audience and don’t mind dealing with a more centralized system and additional ads, Twitter may suit your needs better.

Do You Have to Choose Bluesky vs Twitter?

No, you don’t have to choose between Bluesky and Twitter. If you’re not too concerned about political views, algorithmic control, or the platform’s specific culture, you can leverage the strengths of both platforms to grow your community.

Many users cross-post on Bluesky and Twitter to maximize their reach and engagement, and with tools like Fedica, you can manage and schedule posts across both networks seamlessly.

If you want Bluesky to schedule posts to grow a community, you don’t have to choose! Fedica streamlines your workflow by allowing you to schedule content that’s customized for both platforms at once, saving you time while expanding reach. Whether you’re drawn to Bluesky’s more user-driven approach or prefer Twitter’s broader audience, Fedica helps you connect with your community across multiple platforms.

This Bluesky post scheduler‘s flexibility allows you to reach different audiences and boost engagement without having to pick a side.

Building a community is about finding what works best for you and your audience—and sometimes, that means being everywhere they are. At Fedica, we’re excited to provide tools that empower you to have more ownership over the communities you create.

With the ability to schedule posts and track growth across platforms, you can focus on what matters most—engaging with your community, anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bluesky Vs Twitter

What’s the Best Alternative to Twitter?

Currently, Bluesky is shaping up to be the best alternative to Twitter. While other platforms have tried to fill the gap, they often fall short in key areas:

• Threads struggles to address user concerns about algorithmic control, leaving many disappointed.
• Mastodon, while powerful, is often criticized for its complexity, making it difficult for new users to get started.

Bluesky, on the other hand, strikes a balance between usability and innovation. Its decentralized structure and user-driven customization make it a standout option. However, it’s still early days—time will tell how Bluesky and its competitors evolve to meet the needs of social media users.

Is adult content allowed on Bluesky?

Does Bluesky allow NSFW? Yes you can post and schedule adult content on Bluesky like NSFW posts, suggestive and other like graphic media. Bluesky’s adult content policy is as simple as:

• Suggestive for media meant for adults (like non-nudity that hints at something sexual)
• Nudity for artistic or non-erotic nudity (like a nip-slip or revealing clothing)
• Adult, or Porn for sexual activity or erotic nudity (for the you-know-what)
• Graphic Media for media that may be disturbing or inappropriate for some audiences (like violence or blood)

Is Bluesky owned by Twitter?

Bluesky was a side project for Twitter back in the day, but it is independent now, and not owned by Elon Musk or associated with Twitter anymore. I was started by Jack Dorsey, the original creator of Twitter, but now he parted ways to focus on Nostr.

What is special about Bluesky?

Bluesky lets you choose your algorithm, choose which “feeds” to follow so you can browse topics, see a feed of only those people you follow and also view a discovery feed similar to a regular trending post algorithm you see. Besides that, it lets you be in control of your audience so things like ownership changes and the like can’t affect the time and effort you put in growing your followers!

Is Bluesky worth joining?

Yes it is. Its growing rapidly right now and making all the best moves compared to its competitors in terms of design, ease and accessibility, ownership and control and feedback. It’s a platform trying to be the solution to the common issues found with social media platforms.

What is your take on Bluesky vs Twitter?

For us, experts in the social media algorithm, updates, and features game, Bluesky solves one key issue really well: ownership of your data, content, community and algorithm. When we saw people getting shadowbanned and changes happening to X that people didn’t like, it was hard to see years, sometimes decades, of hard work go to waste from building a community on a platform that isn’t in your control. Bluesky is hoping to solve that while balancing adoption because what’s the use if it’s hard to use your platform.