TikTok ban risk pushes US users to download two other Chinese social media apps: Xiaohongshu, Lemon8

Apple iPhone download charts in the US saw two Chinese apps Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 taking over the top two positions as users seek alternatives to TikTok ahead of a possible ban, Bloomberg reported.

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ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok has January 19 as the deadline for finding a US buyer in order to be allowed to continue operating in the country.

Xiaohongshu (which means Little Red Book) is a Chinese app that started in 2013. It resembles Instagram in that it combines photos, videos, life updates, and even live-streamed e-commerce.

It is backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Hongshan, and was on track to double its net profit to over $1 billion in 2024, the reported.

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It was No.1 in iOS downloads and among the top 10 in Google’s PlayStore, according to the report which added that it is widely used by Chinese-speaking communities outside of China, with also an English-language version available.

Lemon8 on the other hand is a similarly designed rival by ByteDance itself, with its downloads tripling last week, briefly becoming the most-downloaded free iPhone app on Monday, according to the report which cited Sensor Tower data.

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“The ones benefiting from traffic from the TikTok ban are still Chinese apps,” the report quoted GSR Ventures managing director Allen Zhu as having written on WeChat.