If you are a regular TikTok user, you may have heard the names REDnote and Lemon8 in the last few days.

Downloads of the two social media apps have skyrocketed as American TikTok users sought a new vertical video platform.

The law would ban the platform in the US if China-based owner ByteDance refuses to sell its US operations by January 19.

If the US Supreme Court rules that the law is constitutional, American users would be banned from the popular social media app.

Here’s what you need to know about the two apps being touted as TikTok alternatives as a possible ban looms.

Where is everyone going?

Currently, TikTok users are downloading two apps in large numbers: Lemon8 and REDnote.

While the exact number of active users of both apps is unclear, both apps shot to the top of the App Store charts this week.

On Tuesday, REDnote took the top spot and Lemon8 took second place in the Apple App Store.

What is REDnote?

Some consider REDnote, also known as Xiaohongshu, to be a copy of TikTok.

It is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology.

The REDnote app store blurb describes it as “a dynamic lifestyle platform for young people to share experiences, explore a real, beautiful and diverse world, and find the lifestyle they want.”

American TikTokers have urged their followers to download REDnote in an attempt to anger both the US government and the social media company Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook.

In 2022, Meta reportedly hired a Republican lobbying firm to spread negative stories about its competitor TikTok.

At the time, Meta said it was appropriate for TikTok to be the subject of scrutiny given its popularity.

Chinese users who already use the platform have said they use the app more as a kind of reference guide for restaurant and activity recommendations, but the content offering is likely to become more diverse as American users make the switch in large numbers.

What is Lemon8?

It is an app aimed at the lifestyle community that allows users to edit and share photos and videos.

“Lemon8 provides a space to connect, inspire and support each other,” the Google Play listing says.

The app was first launched in Japan in 2020, but has slowly been rolled out to various other countries.

Currently, Lemon8 is not available on the Apple App Store or Google Play in Australia.

While it has a scrollable For You page similar to TikTok, it also offers user experiences similar to Pinterest and Instagram.

Influencers, who are also part of ByteDance, have described Lemon8 as a “backup app” and the company apparently hopes that disenfranchised TikTok users there may be banned.

Since Lemon8 launched in the US in 2023, American TikTok users have reported being “bombarded” with advertisements for the platform, which some believe is an attempt to quietly pressure users into downloading the app.

Lemon8 allows users to migrate their TikTok account handles and data when they set up accounts on the platform.

Could these apps also be banned?

REDnote and Lemon8 may be at the top of the app charts, but their success could be short-lived.

In Lemon8’s case, its ownership likely means it will be subject to the same law that threatens to wipe out TikTok in the US.

Although the bill does not specifically mention banning TikTok, the legislation extends to “any other application or service development provided by ByteDance.”

Christopher Krepich, communications director for the US House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Forbes that the provision meant Lemon8 would also be banned.

This is perhaps another reason why REDnote is so attractive to those looking for a new platform.

Are there American-owned alternatives?

The most established platforms Americans can choose from are Instagram and YouTube.

Both offer their own interpretation of the short vertical video format with Reels and Shorts respectively.

However, for many, supporting Meta is off the table and some are even planning a week-long boycott of all of its platforms.

Looking further afield, there are a handful of other American-owned apps that appear to offer similar vertical video experiences to TikTok, but for some reason haven’t been able to do so until now.

This also includes Triller, which is owned by Hollywood film financier Ryan Kavanaugh’s Proxima Media.

Triller has been trying to break into the video vertical market and capitalize on TikTok’s uncertain future for years, even going so far as to partner with celebrities Chance the Rapper, Post Malone and Kevin Hart.

However, a look at the App Store reviews shows that many users are happy with their in-app experience.

The vacuum created by a TikTok ban could also create space for the development of apps that have not yet been created.