If you‘ve been wondering "how many people use Parler?", you‘ve come to the right place! In this guide, I‘ll give you a detailed look at Parler‘s current user statistics and growth trends.
Here‘s the quick overview:
- Parler has over 20 million registered user accounts
- But only 40,000-200,000 people actively use Parler daily/monthly
- Parler saw huge growth in 2020 before being banned – now its struggling to regain that momentum
Let‘s dig into the numbers and facts together! I‘ll also share my perspective on Parler‘s future outlook as an experienced tech analyst.
Contents
A Breakdown of Parler‘s Total Users
First, how many total user accounts does Parler have?
According to data Parler shared in August 2022, the platform has:
- Over 20 million registered user accounts
For context, here‘s how Parler compares to some other top social platforms:
| Platform | Total Users |
|---|---|
| 237 million (daily active) | |
| 2.96 billion (monthly active) | |
| Parler | 20+ million (registered) |
As you can see, Parler‘s total registered accounts are dwarfed by the active user bases of the major social platforms.
But gaining millions of users is still significant growth for Parler since launching in 2018.
However, as we‘ll see next, not all of these registered accounts are actively posting on Parler.
Parler‘s Daily and Monthly Active Users
While Parler has over 20 million registered users, estimates suggest only 40,000-200,000 people actively use Parler each day or month.
Why is this daily/monthly active number so much lower than its registered users?
A few potential reasons:
- Many signed up out of curiosity but never became regular users
- Some created accounts just to secure their username
- Deplatforming Parler caused active usage to plummet
Having under 200k daily actives makes Parler‘s active user base less than 0.1% the size of Twitter‘s. So it remains a relatively small platform in terms of active posters.
Here‘s how Parler‘s monthly active users compare to some competitors:
| Platform | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| ~300 million | |
| Gettr | ~6 million |
| Truth Social | ~2 million |
| Parler | ~200,000 |
As you can see, Parler lags significantly behind these other conservative social platforms when it comes to active usage.
Next, let‘s look at who makes up Parler‘s user base.
Parler‘s User Demographics: Mostly Older Conservatives
So who‘s using Parler? Some key facts about Parler‘s demographics:
- Politically right-leaning/conservative & libertarian
- 40% over age 45, 25% between 30-44
- Majority support Donald Trump
- Mostly white, some growth among Hispanic men
Here‘s a more detailed demographic breakdown of Parler users:
Age
- 40% over age 45
- 25% between ages 30-44
- 18% between 18-29
- 17% did not disclose their age
Political Affiliation
- 33% described themselves as conservative
- 19% very conservative
- 33% Republican
Ethnicity
- 71% white
- 12% Hispanic
- 7% Black
- 10% Other
Gender
- 54% Men
- 46% Women
Sources: PRRI, Knight Foundation
This data indicates Parler attracts a majority older, politically conservative, and white user base. Next let‘s discuss Parler‘s growth.
Why Did Parler Grow So Quickly in 2020?
Parler launched in 2018 but saw an explosion of growth in 2020. For example:
- Parler hit 10 million users by November 2020, up from 1 million in early 2020
- It was the #1 app download at times in 2020
What drove this huge surge in interest? A few key factors:
Deplatforming of conservatives on mainstream sites
Throughout 2020, Facebook, Twitter, and others ramped up moderation against election misinformation, banning groups like QAnon in the process. This caused some conservative influencers to encourage followers to flock to Parler.
2020 election controversies
In the months around the 2020 election, use of Parler skyrocketed as conservative voices discussed voter fraud allegations and other election issues. Downloads surged, especially after Trump lost.
GOP endorsement
Republican politicians and pundits like Ted Cruz told conservative followers to jump ship to Parler where their views wouldn‘t be "censored." This brought a wave of new users.
January 6th Capitol riot
In the days around Jan 6th, Parler downloads surged to over 250,000 as Trump supporters flocked there following bans on mainstream sites.
But this growth was short-lived…
Parler‘s Usage Completely Crashed After Being Banned
Just as Parler was booming, its momentum was crushed overnight.
Here‘s what happened:
- On January 8, 2021, Parler was banned from the Apple and Google app stores
- The next day, Amazon pulled Parler‘s web hosting, taking the entire platform offline
This deplatforming had devastating effects:
- Parler remained offline for over a month until finding a new web host
- According to Apptopia, Parler‘s daily downloads fell 93% from Jan 10 to Feb 1.
- Parler‘s web traffic plunged over 90% after being banned, per SimilarWeb data
- Estimates suggest Parler lost over 75% of its active user base
Being banned crippled Parler‘s growth at its peak. Let‘s compare Parler‘s Google search interest before and after deplatforming:
Searches for Parler crashed after bans began on Jan 8 and never recovered. This illustrates how vital access to these major platforms is for sustaining growth.
In September 2021, Parler returned to the App Store but with stricter moderation. However, Google has still not allowed Parler‘s Android app to return. These roadblocks continue hampering Parler‘s ability to regain steam.
Can Parler Return to Rapid Growth? My Take
In my opinion as a tech analyst, Parler faces an uphill battle to return to rapid growth for a few reasons:
No Android app
Lacking access to the Google Play Store cuts out over 40% of the US smartphone market. This significantly limits Parler‘s addressable user base for new signups.
Fierce competition
Other similar apps like Trump‘s Truth Social, Gettr, Gab, and Ruqqus are now competing for the same conservative users. This wasn‘t the case when Parler first took off.
Ongoing reputational damage
Being deplatformed for insufficient moderation of violent content has hurt Parler‘s reputation with advertisers and mainstream groups. This limits its overall appeal.
For these reasons, I don‘t foresee Parler rapidly expanding beyond its current conservative niche in the near future. But scope for incremental growth still exists if moderation concerns are addressed.
The Bottom Line
Let‘s recap the key statistics:
- Parler has over 20 million total registered accounts
- But just 40,000-200,000 daily/monthly active users
- After huge growth in 2020, Parler‘s momentum was crushed by app bans
- Its user base remains predominantly older conservative Americans
While still a home for right-leaning voices, Parler faces steep challenges to regaining the explosive growth it previously saw.
I hope this overview has helped answer your question “how many people use Parler?" Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!
