Leading Social Media Brands in the US: Q1 2025 Analysis

Introduction

In the dynamic realm of social media, a select few giants distinguish themselves through remarkable audience reach and engagement. In Q1 2025, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok continued to lead the U.S. social media landscape. Leveraging Sensor Tower’s comprehensive data offerings, including Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights, we explore the performance and trends of these dominant platforms.

YouTube

YouTube's digital supremacy is evident through its website, youtube.com, and the YouTube app.

• Audience Trends: YouTube maintained a stable monthly true audience above 320M throughout Q1 2025. The website consistently attracted over 220M unique visits monthly, with a notable spike in visits per unique visitor reaching nearly 200 in December 2024.

• App Engagement: The app’s monthly active users hovered around 245M, showing a slight upward trend from October 2024 through March 2025.

• Ad Spend & Channels: YouTube's monthly advertising expenditure saw a significant increase, peaking at over $5.7M in March 2025. The majority of impressions were delivered through Instagram and TikTok channels.

Facebook

Facebook's extensive reach is showcased through its website, facebook.com, and the Facebook app.

• Audience Trends: The true audience remained steady above 275M throughout Q1 2025. The website maintained over 160M unique visits monthly, with visits per unique visitor nearly reaching 100.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base of around 250M, reflecting consistent user engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Facebook’s robust monthly advertising spend surpassed $5.6M in January 2025, with Snapchat and TikTok as major channels for ad impressions.

TikTok

TikTok's influence continues to expand through its websites, douyin.com and tiktok.com, alongside the TikTok app.

• Audience Trends: TikTok's monthly true audience remained above 190M during Q1 2025, despite a noticeable dip in February. The website tiktok.com alone saw over 900M unique visits monthly.

• App Engagement: The app’s monthly active users showed volatility, dipping to around 116M in February before rebounding to approximately 124M in March.

• Ad Spend & Channels: TikTok's monthly ad spend surged to over $9.4M in March 2025, with Facebook and Instagram being key channels for delivering impressions.

Conclusion

The first quarter of 2025 underscored the ongoing dominance of YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok in the U.S. social media sphere. Each platform demonstrated unique strengths across web and app engagements, supported by diverse advertising strategies. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data capabilities provide crucial insights into these trends, empowering businesses to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape. By leveraging Sensor Tower’s insights, decision-makers can unlock strategic advantages and drive informed decisions in this competitive arena.