Meta is gradually separating Threads from Instagram on the advertising side. Starting in September 2026, matching usernames between Threads and Instagram profiles are no longer required to run Threads ads, and businesses operating without an Instagram profile can launch ads on Threads directly using their native Threads profile.

The change removes a barrier that forced businesses to treat the two apps as a unified ecosystem. Previously, advertisers had to maintain identical usernames across both platforms, which limited Threads’ advertising potential for companies whose audiences and content strategies differ between the two. Meta’s own note to advertisers says the changes are rolling out gradually and may not be available to every account yet, but the direction is clear: Threads is being recognized as its own distinct platform.

The untethering caps a long rollout. Meta began testing Threads ads with limited advertisers in January 2025, opened them to eligible advertisers globally in April 2025, and on January 21, 2026 announced the expansion to all users worldwide starting the week of January 26. Available formats now include image, video, carousel, Advantage+ catalog, and app ads, and Threads is included as a placement by default in new Advantage+ campaigns, with the option to opt out manually.

The early economics are the interesting part for creators and small advertisers. Initial data suggests Threads CPMs range from $3 to $8, compared with $6 to $18 for Instagram Feed and $8 to $14 for Facebook, with cost-per-click from $0.30 to $1.50 against Instagram’s roughly $1.42 average. Ad delivery was intentionally kept low during the rollout while Meta prioritized user experience, which means a brief window of high engagement and low competition. One caution from policy analysts: Threads applies its own policy layer on top of Meta’s advertising standards, with stricter content and category restrictions than its sibling platforms. An ad compliant on Instagram is not automatically compliant on Threads.

For creators running their own promotions, the takeaway is timing. Threads is a 500-million-user placement with early-stage pricing inside the Ads Manager you already use, no new pixel required, and no Instagram account required anymore. Test small budgets on your best-performing organic Threads posts now, before CPMs compress the way Instagram’s did in its first 18 months of ads.