Alternative Chinese social media platform jumps to top of app store ahead of TikTok ban

In just a few days, TikTok could potentially be banned in the United States, leaving millions of people unable to scroll through their day.

If the Supreme Court does not block the federal law forcing the platform to cut ties with Chinese parent company ByteDance, TikTok will stop its distribution in the US on January 19.

The decision to ban the app is due to claims that it violates freedom of expression for the millions of American users in the country.

If ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform to a non-“foreign adversary,” it will become illegal for U.S. internet services to support or even distribute it.

Contrary to popular belief, although TikTok has called the measure a “total ban,” the app won’t magically disappear from users’ phones if it’s already on their homepage, as reported by People.

Existing users may be able to access the content even after January 19, but the experience would be severely hampered.

The app would fail to be updated – including security patches and bug fixes – causing the quality to deteriorate and making it more difficult to use overtime before it becomes completely unworkable.

So with the TikTok ban looming, what are the alternative platforms to scroll away the time?

Well, as of Monday, an alternative Chinese social media platform jumped to the top of the Apple App Store.

RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, the Mandarin term for ‘little red book’, is now the most downloaded free app.

It has many similarities to TikTok, with short videos and shopping options.

However, many users have said that it is more like Instagram and Pintrest, with users posting reviews, experiences and lifestyle content.

During the pandemic, RedNote saw explosive growth among younger Chinese users — especially women — who now make up 79 percent of its 300 million active monthly users, according to New York Post.

Its enormous popularity has also attracted investors Bloomberg suggesting it was reportedly valued at $17 billion in 2024 after a secondary share sale, with profits expected to exceed $1 billion.

What are the other alternative platforms to TikTok?

Lemon8

ByteDance, owner of TikTok, first launched Lemon8 in Japan in 2020. The platform is a mix between Instagram and Pinterest.

It has been slowly rolling out globally since its initial launch, landing in the US in February 2023.

Like Instagram, it gives users the ability to post a mix of photos and videos and allows content creators to write captions, comments, hashtags, likes, save media and add location information.

However, there is a chance that Lemon8 could also be banned from the US as it is owned by the same parent company.

“Even if the US specifically bans TikTok, Bytedance – its parent company – is already migrating users to a competing, very similar app it also owns called Lemon8,” Josh Constine of venture capital firm SignalFire told CNN.

He added: “And so it wouldn’t solve the problem unless we basically ban all ByteDance apps.”

Trill

Triller is an American social networking app. Like TikTok, users can create and share short videos, including music videos and vlogs.

However, it is primarily a music-based app as you can use full songs.

The interface has three tabs – following, music and social – which are set up similarly to TikTok’s popular For You page.

Clapper

Clapper is another social media platform that shares similarities with TikTok with a similar setup to TikTok.

It allows users to post videos of up to three minutes and livestream them to up to 2,000 people.

The app curates a feed based on an individual’s interests, which they specify when they join – with an interface similar to TikTok’s.

Neptune

Another form of social media is called Neptune, a woman-sharing app, has also been flagged as a possible replacement for TikTok.

According to the website, it is a “bold reinterpretation of what social media can be,” with an emphasis on viewing content based on “quality and impact.”

“We are building a space where makers are in control,” it says. “Our platform is designed to empower you to shape your own creative journey, from customizable content feeds to ghost stats that let your art speak for itself.”

According to Its campus, the app also promises monetization, which is good news for content creators.

Unfortunately, the Neptune app is currently in beta and is only available to users registered with their Discord community.