Guides
Is Bluesky better than Twitter? A direct answer for tech people
Bluesky wins on feed control, X still wins on first-day tech news, and most people end up keeping both.
Is Bluesky better than Twitter? For control over your own feed, yes; for catching tech news the moment it breaks, X (Twitter) still has the edge. Most tech people who try Bluesky keep both, and the simplest way to fill either feed is a follow list such as the free one from TechTwitter IO.
The direct answer, by what you want
| If you want | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| To choose exactly what your timeline shows | Bluesky | Any custom feed can be your home timeline |
| Strong blocking and filtering tools | Bluesky | Moderation lists and content filters you control |
| A network no single owner can buy | Bluesky | Its stated aim for the open AT Protocol network |
| First-day launches from AI labs and founders | X | Many still announce there first |
| An algorithm that learns fast | X | The For You tab adjusts to your likes and replies |
| Your Instagram friends | Threads | You sign in with Instagram |
| No ads and a plain time-ordered feed | Mastodon | Independent servers, no algorithm |
Where Bluesky is better
Bluesky describes itself as an open network built on the AT Protocol. The practical difference you feel is choice. You can follow only friends, read a topic feed, or use an algorithm that learns what you like, and you can swap between them. Moderation lists and content filters let you decide what never reaches your screen.
Getting started is easier than it used to be. Starter packs let anyone bundle recommended accounts and custom feeds into one link or QR code, so a single tech starter pack can give you a working timeline on day one.
Where X is still better
X says it serves the public conversation, and for tech that is still largely true. Launches, outages and arguments often show up there before anywhere else. If your job depends on hearing about a model release or a framework update in the first hour, X is hard to drop. Its For You tab also learns quickly: like and reply to what you want more of, and within a week or two it changes.
What about Threads and Mastodon?
Threads, made by the Instagram team, is the easy pick if your friends are on Instagram, and it has an optional setting to share with the fediverse. Mastodon is free and open-source, runs on servers that each set their own rules, and shows posts in time order without ads. Both are fine second feeds for tech people, but neither is the main stage.
How to get the best of both
- Build a list of people first. TechTwitter IO's who-to-follow page lists real tech accounts by group, from AI researchers and engineers to founders, indie hackers and reporters, each with a one-line note.
- Follow them on X, where the handles on that list point.
- Search the same names on Bluesky and follow the ones who post there, then add a tech starter pack.
- Mute words and unfollow freely on both. Nobody is notified.
A note on TechTwitter IO's paper
The same site publishes a free satirical daily paper about tech Twitter, with launches, layoffs, feuds and outages in newspaper sections and a puzzle page. It is satire, not news: its footer says the people, posts and quotes are parody or invented unless a post links to its source. It is a quick laugh about what the timeline argued over; for facts, read a real news source.
If everyone you want to hear from has already left X, the answer is simple: Bluesky is better for you, and there is no reason to stay.