Facebook owner Meta has confirmed that its micro-blogging site Threads is set to launch this week. The Threads app is currently available for pre-order on the Apple App Store.

The new venture will serve as a direct rival to Twitter.

Its no secret that Meta has been working on a Twitter-like micro blogging project for some time. Its a logical move given that the firm already has a strong footing in social (Facebook), messaging (WhatsApp) and photo sharing (Instagram).

And now Threads is just days away from launch. On the Apple App Store listing it describes the project as follows: “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

Threads will be linked to Instagram, meaning that those with an Instagram account will be able to join the new platform with just a tap.

The launch comes at a time of maximum turbulence at Twitter. Since Elon Musk took over the company, he has made changes that have divided opinion among users. And this week there was even more friction when the company decided to limit the number of tweets users could see per day. Twitter has also just confirmed that its user dashboard TweetDeck will go behind a paywall in August.

There is so far no indication that Threads app will charge users or limit usage.