It is called REDNote, and while it is still little known, it could become one of the leading social platforms, especially in China and the United States of America. The application can be considered a potential rival to TikTok because it is from the latter social network that most of the new members come from. But what are RedNote’s strengths, and why are Chinese users migrating from TikTok to this platform? The service, in fact, is not new in the digital landscape but has been in existence for more than 10 years. Dedicated mainly to shopping and shopping, it has slowly turned into a full-fledged social network.
What would seem to attract users is the ability to take part in a community that speaks almost exclusively Chinese. Recently, however, there has been a growing number of U.S. users who have decided to sign up. The app would seem to be the main alternative for those who feel disappointed with TikTok and who will no longer be able to use the platform due to the ban in the United States of America.
What is RedNote, the social app that attracts the attention of those disappointed by TikTok
RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, is a platform that was launched online in 2013 after it was founded by Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao. The name means ‘little red book.’
Initially, it was a shopping app, but over time, its functionality has increased and been diversified, turning it into a social network where a large amount of content can be found. You can find a lot of videos there, but there is no shortage of textual posts, images and photographs. Now, most of the content posted by users is in Chinese, is shared by very young people, and covers a wide variety of topics. One can find videos on fashion, food, beauty, wellness, travel, hobbies, videos made by users about their daily lives and lifestyles, and much more. Since 2023, there has been an increasing number of entries from other countries, especially from the United States of America.
It is less and less difficult, therefore, to find English-language content on the app. Among the first posts published by users from TikTok are some that feature Chinese captions and translations, probably made with translation tools found online, in order to make initial contact with RedNote’s usual audience. For their part, many Chinese users immediately wanted to welcome new subscribers through posts explaining, in broad strokes, how the application works. There is no shortage, among the videos, of short Chinese lessons designed to facilitate conversations and interactions.
The interface is completely different from TikTok. If on the ByteDance app, one can watch one video at a time, on RedNote, multiple posts are shown at once, regardless of their format. On the app, one can make purchases, post comments, and have conversations. Subscriptions to the platform from non-Chinese users increased in 2024 and boomed in early 2025. The reason is quickly explained: these are users fleeing TikTok because they are disappointed with the app or, for the most part, to find a viable alternative should TikTok’s ban in the United States of America become an irrevocable reality.
Who can use the app and how to access the platform
The United States of America has decided that in the year 2024, ByteDance needs to sell its ownership of TikTok. Consequent to concerns about national security and basically that TikTok can gather data and sensitive information concerning U.S. users, an order has come out. A decision not shared by ByteDance, which has reiterated the security of the application and does not intend-at least for the time being-to respond positively to the request. This leads to one scenario: if the sale does not take place by January 19, 2025, TikTok will be banned from the United States of America. That is some troubling news for all users who use the app daily, be it for entertainment purposes, professional use, or even business promotion.
The official RedNote app is available for mobile devices and is supported by Android and iOS operating systems. To download it, simply go to the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and start the download. Once the application is launched, you can start viewing content. Registration and login are required to interact and have a more complete experience. The latter can be done with your phone number or a password. It is possible to change languages from the application settings. The recent influx of users from the United States of America and other countries around the world is prompting the company to find new ways to moderate content in English to create a safe and inclusive society and to develop features for automatic translation.