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More than five million people have registered accounts for Meta's new Twitter rival, Threads, just four hours after its launch, according to Mark Zuckerberg.

The CEO, who goes by the handle "Zuck," made the announcement as he penned a flurry of posts and replies coinciding with his new app's debut, Insider reported.

"Just passed 5 million sign ups in the first four hours," Zuckerberg wrote.

Earlier that day, he said Threads had seen 2 million registrations in its first two hours.

Threads is linked to Instagram, which Meta said in October has around two billion monthly active users.

The new app allows users to create Threads accounts with their Instagram usernames, as well as connect with people they follow on the image-based platform.

"Our vision is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a new experience for text, ideas, and discussing what's on your mind," Zuckerberg said in a Wednesday evening Instagram post.

The launch of Threads comes as Twitter — still the most widely used text-based social media app — introduced dramatic changes to its platforms, preventing free users from viewing more than 800 tweets a day and revamping its verification system.

Twitter estimated that it had around 237.8 million daily active users in 2022, just before Elon Musk bought the platform.

Zuckerberg and Musk have said that they plan to spar in a cage match, though neither has confirmed details of the supposed fight.