As TikTok faces a potential shutdown in the U.S. on January 19 due to ownership concerns, pending a Supreme Court decision, another Chinese app has started gaining significant traction. According to TechCrunch, American users are flocking to Xiaohongshu, known in English as RedNote.
The app recently climbed to the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store’s free apps chart and also ranks as the top Social Networking app among free iPhone downloads.
The surge in popularity is being driven in part by TikTok creators promoting Xiaohongshu on their accounts, encouraging their audiences to consider it as a viable alternative.
While the fate of TikTok remains uncertain, influencers appear to be hedging their bets by establishing a presence on Xiaohongshu.
Why Xiaohongshu?
Xiaohongshu, launched in 2013, offers an appealing mix of features for creators searching for a TikTok substitute. Its interface combines elements reminiscent of Pinterest and Instagram, and the platform integrates social shopping functionalities that are particularly attractive for younger audiences.
The app experienced a significant boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining popularity among younger Chinese users. Today, it boasts an impressive 300 million monthly active users, with women accounting for 79% of its user base. Now, its appeal has crossed borders, making it the most downloaded app in the U.S.
Xiaohongshu’s viral trajectory and robust growth have also captured the attention of investors. The startup has raised approximately $917 million in venture funding, with high-profile backers including Tencent, Alibaba, ZhenFund, DST, and HongShan (formerly Sequoia China). Following a secondary share sale in 2024, the company was reportedly valued at $17 billion.
A report from Bloomberg projects that Xiaohongshu’s profits will surpass $1 billion in 2024, building on its $1 billion in quarterly sales last year, as reported by the Financial Times.
As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, users are turning to another Chinese app, RedNote, as a surprising form of protest and self-expression.
The migration has ignited heated debates across social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where users are airing their frustrations and debating the implications. Many find the shift ironic, noting that RedNote, like TikTok, is also a Chinese-owned platform—raising questions about the deeper motivations behind the trend.
Lmao at thousands of people downloading Rednote (the version of tiktok that is actually owned by China) to spite the U.S. government, finding themselves having lovely interactions with the millions of Chinese citizens on the app & inadvertently undoing decades of U.S. propaganda. pic.twitter.com/2OVe06tTpz
— abby (@abby4thepeople) January 13, 2025
Rednote
They found a new App called RedNote 😭
— NGWANYANA (@pengrafadi) January 13, 2025
This is the funniest thing to happen with the TikTok ban. TikTok refugees are flocking to an actual Chinese owned clone of TikTok called RedNote rather than use Meta or YouTube to the point it’s #1 on the AppStore now. It’s wild. Everyone is learning mandarin. Existing users are… pic.twitter.com/yuu0a7uiun
— Zac Bowling 🥑 (@zbowling) January 13, 2025
American government: we’re banning TikTok cause it’s a Chinese app and you data needs to be protected.
American citizens: Fine we’re going over to RedNote a Chinese app based in china. pic.twitter.com/LFXPy60oe7
— ✨ Roxie ✨ (@Rox_My_Socks) January 13, 2025
A TikTok Ban Isn’t A Data Security Solution. It Will Be Difficult To Enforce – And Could End Up Hurting Users
Montana has made an unprecedented move to become the first US state to ban TikTok.
However, doubts have been raised over the decision’s legal foundation, enforcement mechanisms and underlying motives. While the move draws attention to data security on social media, banning TikTok alone may not provide a comprehensive solution to this problem.
For one, the move risks alienating the many young people who have come to rely on the app for meaningful connection, and in some cases their income. It also does little in the way of ensuring better future data privacy and protection for users.
Caught in political crossfire
Since its meteoric rise in 2020, TikTok has been caught in geopolitical tensions between the US and China. These tensions peaked in late 2020 when then-president Donald Trump signed an executive order directing ByteDance – the Chinese media giant and parent company of TikTok – to divest from its US operations, or face being banned. In response, TikTok partnered with Oracle on Project Texas: a US$1.5 billion initiative to relocate all US user data to servers outside China.
Allegations that China-based employees at ByteDance had accessed the TikTok user data led to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appearing before Congress in March amid yet more calls for it to be banned, and reports of the Biden administration pushing for its sale.
Throughout these controversies, TikTok has denied sharing user data with the Chinese government, and said it wouldn’t do so even if asked. Nonetheless, governments worldwide – including in Australia – have banned TikTok on government devices, citing concerns over data protection.
Enforcing a ban is a daunting task
Montana’s new law will make downloading TikTok within state lines illegal from January 1 2024. The law imposes fines of up to US$10,000 per day for entities offering access to or downloads of the app within the state. Users themselves will not incur penalties.
