While TikTok could be banned in the USA after January 19, some users have already found an alternative. More and more of them are turning to RedNote, another popular application in China, which now even tops the App Store download charts.
AFP
They describe themselves as “TikTok refugees,” and the comical situation is proving amusing to RedNote regulars. Originally named Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social network has seen an influx of American users, worried by the potential ban making their favorite application inaccessible.
On TikTok, content creators have multiplied their videos about RedNote, encouraging their followers to migrate to this new platform, and praising the warm welcome from users already present.
With over 150,000 posts for the #rednote hashtag and over 30,000 posts for #tiktokrefugee on TikTok, the app has become the latest viral topic of the moment in the social media world. Anonymous users and brands alike have been quick to jump on this growing trend to capitalize on the engagement generated, such as the official account of the language learning platform, Duolingo.
RedNote’s success isn’t just limited to greater visibility on TikTok. It has also become the most downloaded app of the moment in the US on Apple‘s App Store, according to data from Appfigures and data.ai. More than 700,000 new users have joined the platform’s ranks, according to US media reports.
Yet it was in 2013 that RedNote launched on iOS, already offering an alternative to another American social network — Instagram — banned in China. The app allows users to share photos, videos and text online.
According to data reported by TechCrunch, RedNote has been downloaded 3.2 million times in the US since January 2017. With two million downloads worldwide in December 2024 on iPhone, the app generated $4 million in revenue in the same period, according to data from Appfigures.
This sudden interest has piqued the curiosity of new investors. According to TechCrunch, the app has raised $917 million to date, thanks in particular to backers like Tencent and Alibaba, and has been valued at $17 billion. And the success isn’t about to stop. According to Bloomberg, its profits could double to more than $1 billion for 2024.
