What is Lemon8? App skyrockets in popularity as TikTok ban looms

As TikTok faces a potential ban in the United States, another ByteDance-owned app is rising in popularity to take its place — Lemon8. But netizens shouldn’t get their hopes up, as this platform could also get the boot.

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, but its future in the USA is uncertain.

In April 2024, US President Joe Biden signed a bill requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to sell its shares in the app within a nine-month timeframe or risk being banned in America.

ByteDance has made no move to honor Biden’s bill, and is even prepared to shutter its website by the cutoff date on January 19, 2025, when the application will be removed from Google Play and Apple’s app stores.

As this date draws nearer, alternatives to TikTok have begun picking up speed — including Lemon8, another application owned by ByteDance.

Lemon8 goes viral as TikTok ban looms in US

Popularly referred to as TikTok’s “sister app,” Lemon8 boasts an offering of short-form video content very similar to its predecessor, often being described as a combination of Instagram and Pinterest, as well.

Lemon8 is comparatively newer than TikTok, having launched stateside in 2023. While it saw a burst of users in its infancy, the platform has now risen to become one of the top free apps on Apple’s App Store as of January 13, 2025.

While a number of creators have begun pushing the app as an alternative to TikTok, this isn’t a guaranteed workaround; Biden’s bill also refers to any other applications owned by ByteDance, in which Lemon8 is included.

Lemon8 isn’t the only TikTok alternative going viral as January 19 approaches. Rednote, described as “China’s answer to Instagram,” is also taking off, becoming the number-one most downloaded app on the Apple App Store as of January 13.

TikTok’s future in the United States remains vague, but it’s clear that netizens are determined to find a substitute if things go south.