# PSA: Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 Are Not Viable Alternate options to TikTok

With simply days remaining earlier than TikTok is banned within the U.S., TikTok’s American customers are actually scrambling for alternate options, with different Chinese language-owned apps now gaining traction, as potential new touchdown spots for enthusiastic TikTok customers.

The most recent app within the highlight is Xiaohongshu (which interprets to “Purple Notice” in English), an Instagram-like app which additionally helps video connection.

Xiaohongshu has change into a preferred social connector in China, now with over 300 million customers, whereas it additionally shares some comparable qualities to TikTok, significantly with respect to in-stream buying.

Which is evidently a lure to not less than a proportion of TikTok’s U.S. viewers, with Xiaohongshu and Lemon8, TikTok’s sister app, reaching the highest two spots of the U.S. app obtain charts on Monday.

Which clearly means that TikTok’s U.S. customers view them as potential alternate options, although neither is probably going a secure touchdown spot for former TikTok customers, if the U.S. sell-off invoice does certainly undergo.

As reported by Ars Technica, each Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 will likely be held to the identical rules as TikTok, below the identical invoice that’s set to drive TikTok out of the area.

As per Ars Technica:

“Beneath the Defending People from International Adversary Managed Purposes Act that might drive TikTok’s sale or require a ban, any “international adversary managed” social media app with greater than 1 million month-to-month lively customers could possibly be banned. ByteDance and TikTok are each singled out by the legislation, that means any significant spike in U.S. customers on different ByteDance apps would seemingly set off scrutiny.”

So each Lemon8, which can be owned by ByteDance, and Xiaohongshu would additionally fall below the identical laws, and would each even be banned too, in the event that they had been to succeed in a crucial mass of U.S. customers.

So whereas they could appear to be potential alternate options proper now, that’s solely as a result of U.S. officers aren’t trying their method. But.

Although Lemon8, in addition to TikTok’s video modifying app CapCut, will likely be lower on the identical day as TikTok, if TikTok’s present Supreme Court docket attraction fails, as a result of as the invoice states:

“The time period “international adversary managed software” means an internet site, desktop software, cellular software, or augmented or immersive expertise software that’s operated, immediately or not directly (together with by means of a dad or mum firm, subsidiary, or affiliate), by any of ByteDance, Ltd., TikTok, a subsidiary of or a successor to an entity recognized in clause (i) or (ii) that’s managed by a international adversary; or an entity owned or managed, immediately or not directly, by an entity recognized in clause (i), (ii), or (iii).”

So it’s fairly clear, any app owned by ByteDance will likely be topic to removing within the U.S. as soon as that is enacted.

In different phrases, whereas U.S. customers might imagine these are viable alternate options to TikTok, which can additionally supply one thing of an analogous really feel to TikTok, versus heading again to Instagram, their presence can be on shaky floor.

So, no, Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 should not viable alternate options within the U.S., and the surge in downloads doesn’t point out that these would be the subsequent platform of focus for customers.