Why Some Alt-Platform Users Still Support Leaving X/Twitter

TLDR

• Despite Elon Musk’s efforts to make X (formerly Twitter) a “free speech” platform, some users of alt-platforms – marketed as safe havens from content moderation policies – have still refused to return to the site.

• Open Measures found that users’ statements on alt-platforms that they had left X and/or would not return peaked during periods when Musk was publicly contradicting or arguing with President Donald Trump.

• Alt-platform users who said they would not return to X cited displeasure with Musk’s online behaviors toward Trump, alleged that X was still suppressing their posts, and claimed that X’s discourse was too toxic for their tastes.

Background

For years, alt-platforms served as clearinghouses for the distribution of content forbidden on mainstream services (namely hate speech, extremist propaganda, violent rhetoric, and other harmful content).¹

Marketing campaigns for alt-platforms often made either explicit or implied attempts to attract content creators and users who had been penalized or were otherwise frustrated with increased content moderation on more mainstream platforms. That began to change after Elon Musk, the billionaire tech CEO, purchased Twitter in 2022 and enacted sweeping changes to the platform (including changing its name to X) in the name of promoting free speech.²

In short order, Musk slashed staff, dismantled content moderation teams, and reversed thousands of account suspensions, opening the platform back up to fringe communities previously exiled from the service.³ But while Musk’s changes to X have attracted fringe and extremist figures and their audiences back to his platform, alt-platforms have also remained active sites of online political discourse themselves.

To better understand why some alt-platform users have refused to return to X after Musk’s policy changes, Open Measures analyzed the general sentiments of users on alt-platforms micro-blogging interfaces – Gab, Gettr, and Truth Social.

Methodology

To begin, our researchers used Open Measure’s Timeline tool to analyze sentiments on Gab, Gettr, and Truth Social, limiting the analysis to posts made in the past year (from Aug. 2024 to Aug. 2025). To find a sizable sample of posts on each platform that expressed negative attitudes toward X or a preference for its alternatives, we conducted a search using a long string of keywords designed to be as inclusive as possible. Our researchers’ final search string is included below:

((“leave x” OR “left x” OR “leaving x” OR “delete x” OR “deleted x” OR “deleting x” OR “uninstall x” OR “uninstalled x” OR “uninstalling x” OR “remove x” OR “removed x” OR “removing x” OR “hate x” OR “hated x” OR “hating x” OR “ditch x” OR “ditched x” OR “ditching x” OR “quit x” OR “quitting x” OR “leave twitter” OR “left twitter” OR “leaving twitter” OR “delete twitter” OR “deleted twitter” OR “deleting twitter” OR “uninstall twitter” OR “uninstalled twitter” OR “uninstalling twitter” OR “remove twitter” OR “removed twitter” OR “removing twitter” OR “hate twitter” OR “hated twitter” OR “hating twitter” OR “ditch twitter” OR “ditched twitter” OR “ditching twitter” OR “quit twitter” OR “quitting twitter” OR “abandon x” OR “abandoned x” OR “abandoning x” OR “done with x” OR “sick of x” OR “tired of x” OR “fed up with x” OR “boycott x” OR “boycotting x” OR “boycotted x” OR “deactivate x” OR “deactivated x” OR “deactivating x” OR “cancel x” OR “cancelled x” OR “cancelling x” OR “goodbye x” OR “bye x” OR “farewell x”) NOT (“omar” OR “talib” OR “media”))

Once we had sampled our Gab, Gettr, and Truth Social data this way, we also analyzed the posts for any platform-specific sentiments or contrasts (to determine whether users on different alt-platforms were citing different reasons for continuing to abstain from using X).

Analysis

From our data, our researchers observed the highest volume of posts containing our keywords the week of Nov. 11, when alt-platform users were commenting on the media coverage of liberal users' exodus from X to Bluesky after President Donald Trump won re-election on Nov. 5, 2024.⁴

Apart from the shared activity above related to media commentary, there were three additional and sharp activity spikes (again observed on all three platforms). One occurred in late December, when Musk joined Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy to defend the usefulness of the H1-B visa program against hardline anti-immigrant Trump supporters.⁵ The other two were in early June and July, as Musk and Trump publicly feuded over a tax and domestic policy bill that increased federal spending.⁶

Caption: Chart shows weekly numbers of posts that included keywords associated with refusing to use X on the alt-platforms Gab, Gettr, and Truth Social in the last year.

Below, we’ve highlighted the core themes our researchers identified across posts in our data with representative examples.

Disapproval of Musk

Across all three alt-platforms, pro-Trump users criticized X by centering on Musk and his antagonistic behaviors toward Trump. Many posts that followed this theme characterized Musk as erratic and disloyal, some of which also questioned his political allegiances.

From Gettr on July 6, 2025:

MAGA ALL NEED TO LEAVE X! To stay is to support someone who is clearly trying to destroy our President Trump! Shame on Elon!

On Truth Social, from July 16, 2025:

I left X last week after riding out the rough times over the years. Elon has become too unreliable.

And on Gab, from Aug. 20, 2025:

I can’t believe Elon gave Israel control of his platform. Hopefully many people will leave X because of these Nazis. Elon deserves to lose it for giving it back to them.

Allegations of “Censorship”

Another theme across platforms was users accusing X of continuing to engage in “censorship” against users who weren’t paying for the platform’s premium features. Several users alleged the accounts of non-premium X users were being suppressed.

From Gab on March 14, 2025:

On X, non-paying accounts seem to be gradually made invisible. After being banned from tweeter and returning under the Musk era, I’m disappointed.

Another from Gab on May 8, 2025:

ELON OR NOT……ITS STILL obviously a not a free speech site.

And on Truth Social, from July 12, 2025:

Elon ruined it. Unless you’re already an influencer you won’t get any visibility over there and he keeps locking people out and having them verify their account for NO reason, then automatically after you are verified you, and the minute you post something or repost, you get a notification telling your account will be labeled (which basically means shadow banned!). F*K Elon!

Allegations of Toxic Discourse on X

A lesser but still recurring theme across platforms were claims that X’s discourse was too hateful and toxic. Users making these posts also often claimed that they found whatever alt-platform they were posting on more welcoming.

From Truth Social on Aug. 8, 2025:

I’ve been on X for a while And I have to say it’s a rat hole being on X is no good for anyone. People have just become so disgusting that all it does is cause hate. So today I’m done with X it was better a while back now it’s censorship and bullshit

On Gab, from July 20, 2025:

I’m super tired of X/Twitter; it’s toxic in so many ways, which is saying something coming from a Gabber…

And on Gettr, from July 21, 2025:

I left x never to return, I suggest you do the same! It to woke and toxic! Led by a drama queen!

Conclusion

Though Musk has sought to recast X as a “free speech” platform in order to compete with various similar alt-platforms, some users on alt-platforms have continued to refuse to return to X. More specifically, our researchers found that posts expressing users’ refusals to return to X spiked in close proximity to instances where Musk voiced public disagreements with Trump.

Upon closer examination, the most common themes among these posts were concerns about Musk, content suppression, and X’s overall toxicity. These sentiments were exhibited by users across all three platforms Open Measures examined; no one platform seemed to tilt toward particular grievances. In the interest of mapping the influence of various mainstream and alt-platforms, Open Measures will continue to monitor and report on these trends to aid other researchers.