Unveiling RedNote: The Chinese App Surging in Popularity Amid TikTok Restrictions

With time running out on a possible TikTok prohibition in the U.S., numerous Americans are turning to an unexpected substitute: a well-known Chinese social media site known as Xiaohongshu, or RedNote in English.

The Supreme Court seems hesitant to obstruct a law mandating TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or else cease operations in the U.S. on January 19. This regulation arises from worries about the Chinese authorities accessing American users’ data.

This situation has many of the viral video app’s 170 million U.S.-based users proactively seeking alternative platforms. And RedNote appears to be the favored option.

The beginning of this week experienced a significant rise in Google searches and social media discussions regarding RedNote, alongside its ascension to the top position on the “free apps” listing in Apple’s app store. The market intelligence company Sensor Tower informed NPR that its data shows RedNote is currently the leading social app on Google Play Store as of Wednesday — a significant leap from #162, where it ranked a year ago.

A source connected to RedNote reported to Reuters that over 700,000 new users registered in merely two days. The New York Times noted that more than 100,000 individuals participated in a live group conversation led by a user named TikTok Refugee Club on Tuesday.

Many of these American arrivals are branding themselves as TikTok refugees, a term that is circulating widely throughout the app in hashtags, comment sections, and live discussions. The app’s Chinese users seem to be welcoming them enthusiastically, requesting cat pictures and assistance with their English assignments.

Though RedNote — similar to all social media platforms in China — is subject to governmental censorship, numerous users are celebrating the chance for intercultural dialogue, particularly in light of the fraught relations between the U.S. and Chinese governments and the reality that major platforms like Google and Facebook are inaccessible in China.

“For such a long time we truly haven’t had the ability to connect or converse like this, but now we finally can, and it feels incredibly special,” stated a Chinese user, who went by Abe, in a now-viral post. “This is a genuine opportunity for us to learn about each other and perhaps build something wonderful together … You are not just a welcome guest here, I sincerely, sincerely hope you will remain.”

The lifestyle app is China’s version of Instagram, popular among women

 The Chinese counterpart of TikTok is the platform Douyin, owned by ByteDance.

RedNote is an entirely different application. It’s regarded as China’s interpretation of Instagram, featuring a layout reminiscent of Pinterest (showing numerous posts simultaneously) and focusing on travel, cosmetics, fashion, and shopping.

Users have the ability to post brief videos, engage in live discussions, make voice calls, and even buy products all within the app.

It was launched in 2013, initially named “Hong Kong Shopping Guide,” and Reuters reports that it targeted Chinese tourists seeking local suggestions.

Over the years, it expanded gradually and adopted the name Xiaohongshu, translating to “Little Red Book.” This term traditionally denotes a collection of sayings from Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong.

RedNote surged in popularity among younger consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently valued at $17 billion. It now claims 300 million monthly active users, 79% of whom are female, according to TechCrunch.

The app has rapidly gained traction among American users since last week, as indicated by Sensor Tower.

It reports that U.S. mobile downloads of the app surged over 20 times during the seven days starting January 8, compared to the previous week, and have increased by more than 30 times compared to the same timeframe last year.

More than a fifth of RedNote’s total app downloads thus far this month have originated from the U.S., as stated by the firm, compared to only 2% during the equivalent period in 2024.

American users confront language barriers and censorship

RedNote’s newly arrived American users are addressing potentially sensitive subjects of privacy and censorship directly. Users from both nations areteasing about finally encountering their “Chinese spies” and voluntarily submitting data (including the previously mentioned “cat tax“).

The New York Times indicates that in a group chat this week viewed over 30,000 times, “participants talked about censorship and exchanged tips in the comments regarding how to evade being banned from the platform for discussing politically sensitive issues.”

“Welcome, but refrain from mentioning anything about LGBTQ+. Thank you!” wrote a user in Beijing, as one example noted by Newsweek. The Advocate reported that several American users have experienced content removal or account suspensions, including a woman who was banned for donning a low-cut top in one video and referencing “trans plight” in another.

In 2022, the China Digital Times — a California-based nonprofit focused on censorship in China — released a leaked collection of documents illustrating how the content moderation team at RedNote prohibits or restricts posts related to sensitive matters.

This encompasses various 546 derogatory names for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, alongside discussions of occurrences such as labor strikes, geographical discrimination, student suicides, and critique of the Chinese Communist Party.

Additionally, since the majority of the app’s content is in Mandarin, subtitles are now widespread — as are posts from Americans eager to learn the language, including by sharing translations of popular slang expressions with Chinese commenters.

Duolingo, the language acquisition app, tweeted on Wednesday that it has observed an astonishing 216% surge in Mandarin learners in the U.S. compared to this period last year — mentioning that individuals “learning Mandarin out of disdain” are “not isolated.”

The irony that Americans are departing TikTok for another Chinese-operated app has not escaped many users, some of whom perceive the shift as a form of rebellion against U.S. lawmakers’ attempts to prohibit it.

“Did the U.S. government overlook our founding principles? We are a nation formed out of resentment,” user @thesleepydm posted on TikTok, where they boast over 200,000 followers. “We’re now providing our information straight to the Chinese government. The communists simply have our data because of … what you did.”