As a potential TikTok shutdown in the US looms, users of the embattled app are flocking to alternative social platforms. This has driven a surge in popularity for various lesser-known apps, which have quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s charts.
Seemingly overnight, a TikTok rival known as Xiaohangshu, which means “Little Red Book” in Mandarin (Rednote for short), became the most downloaded free app on the iOS App Store in the US.
This influx of “TikTok refugees,” as Rednote users have taken to calling them, comes as the US Supreme Court reviews a law that could ban TikTok unless its China-based owner, ByteDance, sells it by January 19.
So, what is Rednote and is it safe to use? Here’s what you need to know.
What is Xiaohongshu (Rednote)?
Founded in 2013, Rednote has 300 million monthly active users, most of whom are females aged 18 to 35. They use the app to share photos and videos about travel tips, style, and expat life.
The Chinese people on Xiaohongshu are now asking Americans for help with their English homework LMAOOOO pic.twitter.com/nAL3cedS85
— Gina Darling (@MissGinaDarling) January 13, 2025
With its grid-style layout and algorithm-driven ‘For You’ feed, the app should feel instantly familiar to TikTok and Instagram users. Clicking into the trending tab even allows you to scroll through an endless feed of short clips or live streams.
To make the transition even smoother, Rednote doesn’t require newcomers to create an account (though you’ll need one to follow or interact with other users and posts).
Like its Western rivals, Rednote has also been positioning itself as a social shopping destination by encouraging influencers to sell items on its app. As of last year, Rednote was valued at $17 billion (£14bn) after making its first net profit in 2023.
The TikTok vacuum getting filled by an app that’s even more Chinese is unfortunately the funniest possible outcome here https://t.co/biXsAjOjYe
— WBR (@W_B_Rick) January 14, 2025
The exodus of TikTok users hasn’t gone unnoticed on the platform. Posts welcoming TikTok refugees are dotted across Rednote’s various feeds. Chinese users are also encouraging their American counterparts to participate in group live streams; sharing Mandarin lessons; and asking for help with their English homework.
Over on X (previously Twitter), several viral posts are devoted to the app’s sudden popularity. In a post that has been viewed 4.4 million times, one user joked that the looming TikTok ban’s biggest unintended outcome is that it has pushed American users to an even more Chinese app.
Indeed, Rednote’s emergence as a China-based TikTok alternative is likely to set off alarm bells among US lawmakers already concerned about data security and foreign influence.
Like other Chinese apps, Rednote is required to share certain data with the Chinese government if requested. In 2021, the app had its domestic social media account shut down amid an investigation by Beijing’s cyber watchdog into a post it shared on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
this is the joke everyone is spamming to Americans on Xiaohongshu pic.twitter.com/K9oFajMg6f
— Misha (@SteierMisha) January 13, 2025
More recently, one of Rednote’s most high-profile backers, Chinese tech giant Tencent, was designated a military company by the US government. The move served as a warning to American businesses about the risks of doing business with it.
In response, Tencent (which also owns the messaging app WeChat, along with a stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games), said its inclusion on the list was "clearly a mistake”.
