PSA: Xiaohongshu and LEMON8 Are Not Viable Alternatives to TikTok

With just days remaining before TikTok is banned in the U.S., TikTok’s American users are now scrambling for alternatives, with other Chinese-owned apps now gaining traction, as potential new landing spots for enthusiastic TikTok users.

The latest app in the spotlight is Xiaohongshu (which translates to “Red Note” in English), an Instagram-like app which also supports video connection.

Xiaohongshu has become a popular social connector in China, now with over 300 million users, while it also shares some similar qualities to TikTok, particularly with respect to in-stream shopping.

Which is evidently a lure to at least a proportion of TikTok’s U.S. audience, with Xiaohongshu and Lemon8, TikTok’s sister app, reaching the top two spots of the U.S. app download charts on Monday.

Which clearly suggests that TikTok’s U.S. users view them as potential alternatives, though neither is likely a safe landing spot for former TikTok users, if the U.S. sell-off bill does indeed go through.

As reported by Ars Technica, both Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 will be held to the same regulations as TikTok, under the same bill that’s set to force TikTok out of the region.

As per Ars Technica:

“Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that would force TikTok's sale or require a ban, any "foreign adversary controlled" social media app with more than 1 million monthly active users could be banned. ByteDance and TikTok are both singled out by the law, meaning any meaningful spike in U.S. users on other ByteDance apps would likely trigger scrutiny.”

So both Lemon8, which is also owned by ByteDance, and Xiaohongshu would also fall under the same legislation, and would both also be banned too, if they were to reach a critical mass of U.S. users.

So while they may seem like potential alternatives right now, that’s only because U.S. officials aren’t looking their way. Yet.

Though Lemon8, as well as TikTok’s video editing app CapCut, will be cut on the same day as TikTok, if TikTok’s current Supreme Court appeal fails, because as the bill states:

“The term “foreign adversary controlled application” means a website, desktop application, mobile application, or augmented or immersive technology application that is operated, directly or indirectly (including through a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate), by any of ByteDance, Ltd., TikTok, a subsidiary of or a successor to an entity identified in clause (i) or (ii) that is controlled by a foreign adversary; or an entity owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by an entity identified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii).”

So it’s pretty clear, any app owned by ByteDance will be subject to removal in the U.S. once this is enacted.

In other words, while U.S. users may think these are viable alternatives to TikTok, which may also offer something of a similar feel to TikTok, as opposed to heading back to Instagram, their presence is also on shaky ground.

So, no, Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 are not viable alternatives in the U.S., and the surge in downloads does not indicate that these will be the next platform of focus for users.