Hearing a lot about Lemon8 recently? You’re certainly not alone.
As a potential TikTok ban looms in the U.S., content creators have been advocating for the platform’s sister app, Lemon8. This app combines elements of TikTok’s short-form videos with the visual beauty reminiscent of Instagram and Pinterest.
Much like its famous counterpart, Lemon8 is owned by the China-based company ByteDance, which also oversees other internationally available applications, including the video editing software CapCut and the art-editing app Hypic. Furthermore, ByteDance operates Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which adheres to stringent censorship laws set by Beijing.
Lemon8 made its U.S. debut in 2023, following its introduction in Asian markets a few years earlier. Initially, it generated some buzz among users and media, but it has not been able to reach the same heights as TikTok, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States.
Recently, however, the app has seen a surge in downloads, catapulting it to the top ranks of free applications on Apple’s App Store. Its popularity may further increase depending on the forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning a law that could result in TikTok severing its links with ByteDance or facing a ban.
TikTok has declared plans to shut down its operations in the U.S. by January 19 if it loses the legal battle, as it did in an earlier court ruling.
What do creators think about Lemon8?
Influencers who previously collaborated with Lemon8 have actively promoted the app on TikTok in a bid to raise awareness. In recent weeks, many of these influencers have endorsed Lemon8 as the ideal alternative should TikTok be banned under federal legislation. Some have also begun sharing sponsored content tagged with #lemon8partner, reflecting a recent initiative from the company to attract more users.
However, the law poses a potential issue. It mandates that TikTok must divest from ByteDance or face a ban, and this requirement generally applies to applications managed by ByteDance, which includes Lemon8 and CapCut, even though they aren’t specifically mentioned in the legislation. As a result, the futures of these apps in the U.S. could also be at risk.
Market research analyst Jasmine Enberg noted that the creators promoting Lemon8 might not fully comprehend the implications for other ByteDance applications since they are not explicitly named in the law.
Additionally, recent advertisements for Lemon8 on TikTok could suggest that ByteDance is optimistic that Lemon8 can evade scrutiny while lawmakers are preoccupied with TikTok, according to Enberg. Company representatives did not provide immediate comments when reached for clarification.
Boosting Lemon8’s user engagement had become a priority, as TikTok announced in November that users could access Lemon8 using their existing TikTok accounts. This capability is expected to foster greater content cross-posting, with TikTok stating the feature would enhance creators’ reach and engagement potential.
Similar to TikTok, Lemon8 features a “following” section, allowing users to view content from accounts they subscribe to, alongside a “For You” section where other posts are suggested. The newer platform also organizes posts into diverse categories, including wellness, relationships, and skincare.
ByteDance has yet to disclose the total number of users on Lemon8, either globally or within the U.S. However, it is presumed that these figures are relatively low in comparison to TikTok. Data from SimilarWeb indicates that Lemon8 has just over 1 million daily users in the U.S., while the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimates that the app had around 12.5 million global monthly active users as of December 24.
Sensor Tower’s data reveals a noteworthy increase in global downloads of Lemon8 in December, marking a surge of 150% compared to an average decline of 2% each month last year. Notably, the U.S. represented 70% of the downloads that month.
The peak day for downloads in the U.S. was December 19, the day after the Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of the law threatening TikTok’s existence.
This law gained bipartisan support in the previous year, stemming from concerns expressed by lawmakers and Biden administration officials regarding the risk of Chinese authorities demanding U.S. user data or manipulating public opinion through algorithm adjustments.
On December 27, then-President-elect Donald Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to delay any potential TikTok ban until his inauguration, hoping his administration could seek a “political resolution” to the ongoing debate.
