For a few hours on Saturday, January 18, TikTok was officially banned in the United States. Millions of TikTok users in the U.S.received an ominous notification on the main screen of the app: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
While there had been some ambiguity about whether or not the U.S. Supreme Court would push through with the ban, TikTok users have been experimenting with platform alternatives to prepare for such a scenario. One alternative, RedNote, became the most downloaded free app on Apple’s U.S. App Store on January 14.
The app, one of China’s most popular social media platforms, saw a 200 percent increase in U.S.-based downloads compared to its numbers in 2024. Other noteworthy TikTok contenders include Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Lemon8.
Even now, after the ban on TikTok was removed on January 19, many users report wanting to stay on their chosen alternatives. An entire subreddit dedicated to learning how to use RedNote has seen users praising RedNote for its more welcoming community. Meanwhile, Instagram just launched Edits, a video-editing app similar to CapCut, to accommodate users wanting to create TikTok-like content on Instagram Reels.
But can these apps truly fill the TikTok-shaped hole in the event that it goes dark for good?
RedNote’s developers are rushing to hire English-speaking content moderators to accommodate the influx of English-speaking users and content, especially because the app was not designed for English speakers. Instagram Reels, although one of the apps closest in aesthetics and content to TikTok, has long had a reputation for following TikTok trends and catering to an older audience. The same complaints go for YouTube Shorts.
To better understand the surge of TikTok alternatives entering the cultural conversation, we’ve ranked the app’s biggest rivals and analyzed how each one stacks up. Will they ever be as big of a viral success as TikTok? Or are they doomed to flop?
RedNote

RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu (小红书), has recently entered the international spotlight thanks to its influx of “TikTok refugees.” Visually, it shares more similarities with Pinterest than TikTok, and it has long been dubbed the Chinese version of Instagram, especially among its China-based users. Users of the app can post short-form videos, shop online, and livestream, just as they could on TikTok. Chinese users have recently been welcoming the TikTok refugees with open arms, engaging with them using brainrot memes, jokes about China stealing personal data, and requests for help with English homework.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the app has what it takes to be the next TikTok. The app’s new American audience has been increasingly vocal about its strict censorship rules. RedNote, which is subject to the Chinese government’s censorship restrictions, heavily censors topics such as sexuality, drugs, addiction, and politics. Users have reported their videos being taken down almost as soon as they post them, especially if those videos even slightly mention any of the banned topics. Additionally, as RedNote is a China-based app, user data is collected and stored within the country. This has raised concerns among some users about the potential for the Chinese government to have greater access to their personal data on RedNote compared to TikTok.
Instagram Reels

Even before the ban, Instagram Reels was already considered a top-tier copy of TikTok. However, perhaps that same strength has also been its weakness: A significant portion of videos posted on Reels have already seen a first life on TikTok, with content creators simply re-uploading their videos from one platform over to another. The running joke has always been that Reels tends to hop on viral trends just a few weeks too late, especially after they have already peaked on TikTok. Additionally, Instagram is often criticized for catering to older audiences, becoming a sort of younger version of Facebook. Although Meta is racing to prepare Reels as the obvious American-based alternative to TikTok, as seen with their launch of Edits, it still has a lot to catch up on in terms of creating a platform that is as up-to-date on trends and viral moments as TikTok.
Lemon8

Did you know that TikTok has a baby sibling? Lemon8 was quietly launched by TikTok parent company ByteDance in 2020 as a companion app to TikTok, allowing users to access both platforms with the same account. It is a combination of features found in both Instagram and Pinterest, complete with cozy aesthetics, stylized post collections, and an online community that is focused on lifestyle content, “get ready with me” makeup videos, and fit posts.
While the app saw a spike in popularity in 2023, around the same time that rumors of a potential TikTok ban began to spread in the U.S., Lemon8 has yet to achieve the same popularity as its sibling app. Users complain about how the app seems to only cater to a “lifestyle community” and how it lacks a DM feature, preventing users from starting conversations. Moreover, because Lemon8 is also owned by ByteDance, it may also be subject to the same ban.
YouTube Shorts

With YouTube’s massive following and already-established creator community, it comes as no surprise that the platform would try its hand at creating the next TikTok. YouTube Shorts, officially released in 2020, has provided short-form content similar to that of TikTok and Reels. However, Shorts are less likely to be videos of original content and more likely to be shortened, reposted clips from YouTube videos. Shorts tend to feel less spontaneous and more like a “highlight reel”compared to the content created specifically for TikTok.