Just shy of a year ago, the promising social app BeReal seemed to be on the upswing, boasting a reported 20 million daily users eagerly capturing candid snapshots. However, recent data from Similarweb suggests that BeReal’s momentum has waned despite its introduction of new features such as messaging, expanded photo posting capabilities, and a “Friends of Friends” discovery feed. BeReal, on the other hand, contests these new figures, asserting that it continues to grow at a “healthy rate.”
According to Similarweb’s research, BeReal has experienced a decline in monthly active users on iOS and Android in the United States, dropping from a peak of 3.7 million in November 2022 to slightly over 3 million in August of this year. BeReal disputes this estimate but has refrained from sharing its own segmented market data.
Furthermore, Similarweb reports a global decrease in BeReal’s monthly active users to 16.06 million, down from last year’s reported 20 million—a figure that aligns roughly with Similarweb’s January 2022 estimates. This decline might have been steeper were it not for BeReal’s continued growth in its home market of France, where the app has neared 615,000 monthly active users in August on Android, up from less than 500,000 the previous year, according to Similarweb.
BeReal counters these findings, claiming more than 25 million active users worldwide and asserting that third-party reports provide only estimates, with the company’s internal metrics offering greater accuracy.
It is customary for new social apps to experience an initial surge in activity and usage, followed by a settling period as early adopters fade away, leaving only loyal users. In BeReal’s case, the app has struggled with retention despite introducing new features and gaining mainstream recognition, as larger social media companies have replicated its front-and-back photo concept, including TikTok, Instagram, and Snap.
BeReal, founded by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, made its debut in December 2019, mirroring an older social app called Frontback that utilized both smartphone cameras to capture photos simultaneously. While BeReal grew partly through word-of-mouth and its college ambassador program, aided by features like WidgetMoji and RealMoji, its rapid expansion in 2022 hinted at marketing or advertising spending rather than purely organic adoption.
BeReal secured significant funds, closing a $60 million Series B round in 2022, valuing the company at just under $587 million. Unfortunately, BeReal’s niche of capturing everyday moments at random times, as prompted by its push notifications, may not be as captivating as the curated photos of special occasions shared on other photo-sharing platforms like Instagram. Some BeReal users recognized this and started staging their moments or waiting for noteworthy experiences before posting.
In addition to competition from social media giants, BeReal now faces a plethora of new social apps vying for users’ attention, as various competitors have emerged to challenge Twitter, which is now known as X.
For instance, Instagram’s Threads app boasts more than double the number of U.S. users compared to BeReal, with nearly 7.3 million, as reported by Similarweb. This is despite Threads experiencing a significant drop in usage shortly after its launch. In the third quarter, Threads saw a rapid rise to 150 million downloads within its first week in early July, making it the top app by downloads in the quarter, dethroning TikTok.
There is also a new app called BeFake, where users can daily post generative AI-generated photos, which may have temporary appeal. The app has received $3 million in funding. However, BeReal cannot capitalize on the demand for generative AI apps as it contradicts its core philosophy that social media should be about authenticity rather than artifice.
Meanwhile, Instagram’s flagship app continues to maintain a significant lead with more than 48 times the number of users in the U.S. compared to BeReal, according to Similarweb.
In a minor victory, BeReal surpasses its Twitter/X rival, Bluesky, with nearly four times as many monthly active users, although Bluesky is in private beta, requiring an invitation for access.
Even if BeReal’s internal metrics are accurate, the growth from 20 million to 25 million daily active users in approximately a year is not a substantial increase. BeReal may need to explore ways to make its app more appealing to a broader user base, necessitating swift development and testing of new features.
