With millions of other people who no longer benefit the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, I recently switched from X to Bluesky. I still have an account on X, but it’s mostly inactive now that I spend my time on Bluesky. And even though I’ve been on Twitter since 2007, I will delete my X account at some point.

There are many reasons to love Blue sky and it definitely feels like a throwback to the glory days of Twitter, but there are also some obvious issues that may put you off if you’re leaving X. Here are a few things you might want to consider before switching to Bluesky.

Love: it looks like the Twitter of yesteryear

Dave Parrack / IDG

Bluesky’s layout, interface, and user experience are pretty much the same as we had in the golden days of Twitter. Feeds are displayed the same way and most of Twitter’s old features can be found here. In fact, the two apps are so indistinguishable that during my transition phase I had to remember which one I was using at any given moment.

Hates: It’s hard to find people you know

Bluesky currently has a big discoverability problem. The first thing I wanted to do after creating my Bluesky account was find the people I followed on X and follow them again on Bluesky (if they had accounts). But it turned out to be more difficult than it should have been.

Although Bluesky has a search function, the naming conventions, limited verification, and relatively small user base have come together to make searching for specific people a chore.

Love: lack of trolling and negativity (so far)

Dave Parrack / IDG

Twitter used to be a place where you could chat with like-minded people and respectfully disagree with those who had other opinions. However, over the years it devolved into a cesspool of trolls, professional naysayers, and people seemingly eager to express the most degrading opinions, no matter how many people they upset.

This situation got even worse after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, changed its name to X, relaxed the rules on what could get you banned, and changed how verification works.

In contrast, Bluesky feels like a refuge. There is very little trolling, and when it does happen, people don’t bite. There is a distinct lack of bots and paying users looking for engagement. In fact, I would say that interactions on Bluesky are generally quite enjoyable!

Hates: Imposters are hard to identify

Dave Parrack / IDG

Bluesky has an account verification system… sort of. You can self-verify your account by link it to a particular domainthen confirming the link on the domain side (showing that you actually own it and approve the verification). This domain becomes your Bluesky ID.

This may be sufficient for businesses and organizations, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Apart from this limited form, there is no account verification on Bluesky, which means it can be difficult to determine which accounts are genuine and official.

For example, a search for “Manchester United” returns seven different accounts, none of which are run by the club itself. There are a few recognizable fan accounts, but even they may not be legitimate. Verification is a huge task, but Bluesky will need it for widespread adoption.

Love: no biased algorithms from above

All social media platforms use algorithms to keep you engaged, usually by learning what you like and showing you more of it. However, X’s algorithms have been derailed in recent years, with Elon Musk’s politics influencing every feature of the platform.

Bluesky has its own algorithms, but so far they remain untouched by politics and nefarious goals. So even when you browse the Discover feed, which shows posts from the accounts you publish And don’t follow, your past activity is the only thing that influences what you see.

Hates: Limited user population

As of this writing, Bluesky has crossed 22 million total users with no sign of stopping. But while that’s an impressive feat, it’s modest compared to other major networks: Facebook has 3 billion users, X has 500 million, and Threads has 200 million.

Yes, Bluesky attracts thousands of new users every day. And yes, the smaller size might actually be a good thing in some ways. But don’t expect levels of activity on Twitter. There are fewer people you know, fewer people posting things you’re interested in, and fewer people to engage and interact with.

Love: Create your own feed or follow others

Dave Parrack / IDG

By default, Bluesky offers two streams: Following And Discover. The Following feed only displays posts from accounts you currently follow, while the Discover feed incorporates posts from unfollowed accounts that Bluesky thinks you’ll like based on your activity.

But that’s not all. There are custom feeds – some created by Bluesky, others created by the community – that filter and tailor the posts you see based on different criteria. For example, the Popular with Friends feed displays posts liked by accounts you follow.

And if you have enough coding knowledge, you can even create your own custom flow. Learn more in Bluesky Documentation.

Hate: the growing risk of filter bubbles

Dave Parrack / IDG

For all its flaws, X (and Twitter before it) has enough users that a wide range of opinions are always expressed, so whatever you post will be pleasant to some and unpleasant to others.

Unfortunately, X has been moving towards tribalism lately, so who knows how long that will remain true. Bluesky may not have the same problem, but it faces a different (potential) problem.

For the most part, the people of Bluesky are the ones who felt forced to leave X, and many of them left due to differences in political opinions. With each person that migrates, X moves further in one direction while Bluesky moves further in the opposite direction.

But here’s the thing: Bluesky lets anyone create “moderation lists» – lists of accounts to block or mute – and anyone can subscribe to these moderation lists to instantly block/mute tons of accounts. You can see how this could be abused to silence people and create echo chambers.

Love: No advertising (for now)

One of the most immediately noticeable differences after switching from X to Bluesky is the lack of advertising. Even though many companies have stopped advertising on X in recent years, you still see ads between posts and after each video you watch.

Bluesky has not yet turned to advertising to fund its existence, instead relying on venture financing while expanding its user base. Advertising will probably come at some point, but for now, at this early stage, it feels good to use the app without being bothered by brands trying to sell you things.

Hates: Starting from scratch

Dave Parrack / IDG

Given how new Bluesky is and how small its user base is, changing essentially means starting from scratch. For someone like me, who joined Twitter in 2007, this can seem a bit overwhelming.

I’ve never built a huge following on Twitter, and anyway, I increasingly feel like I’m speaking into a void on X. Yet starting with zero followers and having trouble finding accounts to following makes the idea of ​​abandoning X in favor of Bluesky more difficult than it should be.

But despite all the downsides, I’m certainly intrigued by Bluesky and will stick with it. Maybe you will too. As more users migrate, even more users will follow in their footsteps. Not quite ready to leave X yet? Discover them ways to make it more tolerable for now.