What is RedNote? TikTok replacement gaining popularity on App Store
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WITH a potential TikTok ban looming in the US, Americans have scrambled to find a new alternative to the popular app. The Chinese-owned app RedNote has unexpectedly seen a huge migration of US social media users flock to it - here's everything we know about it.
![[Smartphone displaying the Xiaohongshu app logo.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/4eeb5bf9-f98d-4e85-9158-a770c1d7e514.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The app, called Xiaohongshu in Chinese, works in a similar way to TikTok. Users are able to post short-form videos and live-stream to other people. RedNote features similar content to what can be found on TikTok, such as product reviews, comedy, and influencer content.
![[Smartphone screen showing the Xiaohongshu app ranked #1 in the App Store's free apps.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/300-million-monthly-active-users-963590775.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
This increasingly popular app has even been likened to Pinterest because of it's focus on e-commerce. The app was launched in 2013 and it's popularity in China has skyrocketed in that time. This Chinese-owned social media app rose to the top of Apple's App Store on January 13, 2025 becoming the most downloaded item in the country.
![[TikTok logo on a smartphone screen with a blurred US flag in the background.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/tiktok-logo-appears-smartphone-screen-963531597.jpg?strip=all&w=960){kind=logo}
RedNote has been seen as an alternate platform for TikTok users to migrate to if the hugely popular app is banned. Its content is mostly in Chinese because of the app's parent company. Despite this, Americans have still taken to the application as the site's interface is changing and becoming more friendly to English speakers.
![[Smartphone displaying the TikTok app against a US flag.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/chinese-social-media-app-tiktok-963318015.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
TikTok could be banned in the US unless it's Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance sells the app. Around 170 million people in the US use TikTok, which is roughly half of the country's population. Lawmakers passed the potential TikTok ban through congress in 2024, citing apparent national security concerns.
