While the future of TikTok is more up in the air than ever, another Chinese application is gaining popularity: RedNote. So much so that it rose to the top of downloads on the American App Store.
A Chinese Instagram
TikTok has only five days left to save its skin. Without sale to an American entity, the social network will be banned in the United States from January 19. The Supreme Court still has the power to block the law, but that option seems increasingly unlikely. For his part, Donald Trump could become the savior of the platform, by deciding not to apply the text once invested. As for Elon Musk, he is also likely to join the dance.
Faced with the vagueness surrounding the situation, some American TikTok users are resigned and are turning to alternatives. And it is RedNote which attracts all the desires. Akin to Instagram, the application combines images, short videos, the TikTok star format, and messaging. Feeds « follow “, ” explore ” And ” near » are also offered.
Calling himself “ refugees TikTok » in videos and messages published on RedNote, many Americans are already looking to form a new community on the platform. As a result, more and more English publications are getting lost among posts in Chinese. Interactions between users from the two countries are even emerging.
RedNote also risks being banned…
RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in the Middle Kingdom, was launched in 2013. It then allowed the publication of personal photographs from travel and restaurants, before diversifying into reviews and live shopping. It now has more than 300 million monthly active users, a notable figure but far from the 1.7 billion claimed by TikTok, or even the 752 billion recorded by Douyin, its Chinese equivalent.
Supported by the e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba, RedNote is one of the rare Chinese online leaders to remain private. The firm even doubled its profits in 2024, allowing it to reach $1 billion in revenue. Positive results which suggest an IPO. The company was valued at $17 billion in June.
We can therefore understand the attraction of the Americans. Unfortunately, it is possible that RedNote is also in the sights of the authorities. The law favoring the ban on TikTok targets other platforms based in China, such as WeChat, Lemon8 and CapCut.
- While TikTok could be banned in the United States in a few days, its American users are turning to another Chinese app, RedNote.
- RedNote is currently the most downloaded app on the US App Store.
- Similar to Instagram, the platform combines images, short videos and messaging.
By: TikTok Pte. Ltd.
