What you need to know about China’s RedNote, the app TikTok users are flocking to

Chinese social media app RedNote has been thrust into the spotlight after more than half a million TikTok users recently joined the platform in protest of a likely impending ban on the short video app in the US.

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Known by its Chinese name “Xiaohongshu” in China, the platform is a popular lifestyle app where users document their lives and send recommendations.

Here are some details about the app:

What is this app?

RedNote is often considered a localized adaptation of Instagram in China. Its Chinese name Xiaohongshu translates to “Little Red Book” in English, a phrase that traditionally refers to a collection of sayings by Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong.

It is widely considered to be the best search engine in China these days for recommendations and the most popular topics on the app span beauty, fashion, travel and food. Its users in China are mostly young and female.

Its interface differs from TikTok or Instagram in that it displays multiple posts – either video, images or longer texts – simultaneously.

Users are able to join discussions, share their posts, call each other and buy products. The platform has recently made a big push in live streaming sales.

As of 2023, it had more than 300 million monthly active users, according to Chinese media.

Who owns RedNote?

The app was founded by Miranda Qu, its current president, and Charlwin Mao, its CEO, in 2013 in Shanghai. They initially called the app “Hong Kong Shopping Guide” and targeted Chinese tourists looking for recommendations outside the mainland.

RedNote is considered a potential IPO candidate. Shareholders include Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Tencent, Singapore state investor Temasek, and venture capital firms GSR Ventures, DST Global and GGV Capital.

Mao has a personal fortune of about 18 billion yuan ($2.5 billion), while Qu has a fortune of 12 billion yuan, according to China’s Hurun rich list.

Does it have global ambitions?

The app is mainly used by Chinese people, and while users have the option to change the app’s language, most of the content to date has been in Mandarin.

The influx of TikTok users seems to have taken RedNote by surprise. Two sources familiar with the company said it was working to find ways to moderate English-language content and build English-Chinese translation tools.

RedNote maintains only one version of its app instead of splitting it into overseas and domestic apps. In contrast, Tencent runs overseas and domestic versions of its WeChat app, while ByteDance also has a version of TikTok for mainland China called Douyin, in part to comply with the Chinese government’s moderation rules.

The company is keen to capitalize on the sudden attention as executives see it as a potential path to achieving global popularity similar to that of TikTok, the sources said. RedNote did not respond to a request for comment.