RedNote app

Photo Credit: RedNote

So-called TikTok refugees are flocking to another Chinese-owned app called RedNote — which could also be affected by the US ban.

Chinese social media app RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, launched to the top of the Apple App Store this week as an impending US ban closes in on TikTok.

The app features a mixture of short-form videos, pictures, and text posts in three feeds: “follow,” “explore,” and “nearby.” Many so-called TikTok refugees have flocked to download the app — which, like TikTok, is owned by a Chinese-based company.

RedNote launched in 2013 as a shopping-oriented platform, but now has over 300 million monthly active users. According to Bloomberg, the app surpassed $1 billion in profit last year.

But the sudden surge in US TikTokers on RedNote is ironic, given the US law that will ban TikTok if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, cannot (or will not) divest to an American company by January 19. The ban won’t only impact TikTok; it implicates other Chinese-owned apps like RedNote, WeChat, and ByteDance’s other apps like Lemon8 and CapCut.

The Supreme Court heard arguments last week over whether to uphold the law that will ban TikTok or force ByteDance to sell to an American company. And President-elect Donald Trump, who notably flipped his stance on the TikTok ban last year, doesn’t take office until the day after the ban takes place. Preventing the ban before the deadline seems unlikely.

A formal offer has arrived to buy TikTok, courtesy of Frank McCourt and Kevin O’Leary’s People’s Bid, with backers including major private equities and high net worth individuals. But ByteDance has remained adamant that a sale is not on the table.

Ultimately, TikTok creators in the US looking to migrate to another app might want to stick to US-based platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.