TikTok alternative Lemon8: Why creators are moving to ByteDance’s other social media platform

“Okay it’s happening… are we switching to Lemon8 or what’s the plan?” posted one TikTok user back in December. With a potential U.S. ban just days away, content creators scrambling for an alternative are turning their attention to the platform’s sister app, Lemon8.

@lillydowns lemon8 just seems so lame ugh but Instagram is even worse imo sooo we are doomed 😅 #tiktokban #lemon8 ♬ Messy – Lola Young

@lillydowns lemon8 just seems so lame ugh but Instagram is even worse imo sooo we are doomed 😅 #tiktokban #lemon8 ♬ Messy – Lola Young

lemon8 just seems so lame ugh but Instagram is even worse imo sooo we are doomed 😅 #tiktokban #lemon8

Like TikTok, Lemon8 is owned by China-based ByteDance, the tech giant behind popular apps such as the video editing tool CapCut and the creative editing app Hypic. Launched in the U.S. in 2023, the app combines TikTok’s scrollable For You page and short-form video with the curated aesthetic of Instagram and Pinterest. Though it sparked some media and user interest in its early days, the app hasn’t taken off as much as TikTok, which has more than 170 million U.S. users, with just over one million daily active users in the U.S., according to data from the research firm SimilarWeb.

However, over the past month it has climbed Apple’s free app charts. Sensor Tower data shows global downloads jumped by 150% in December 2024, with the U.S. accounting for 70% of those downloads. The largest spike occurred on December 19, coinciding with the Supreme Court’s announcement that it would hear oral arguments over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok.

Sponsored posts have since emerged on TikTok, with creators describing Lemon8 as a “backup app” for TikTok users. A viral video by @strawberriredd, with nearly three million views, encouraged viewers to download Lemon8 in case of a ban. (Though labeled as sponsored, the video doesn’t disclose who funded it.) Another TikTok creator, @giannamjoyce, posted a video last month urging her followers to make Lemon8 accounts, informing users that ByteDance’s integration of the two platforms allows TikTok users to transfer their followers to Lemon8 simply by using the same login.

@giannamjoyce Lmk what you guys think about all this and if you will try it out! #trend #app #tiktokban #grwm #makeuproutine #fyp ♬ original sound – gianna

@giannamjoyce Lmk what you guys think about all this and if you will try it out! #trend #app #tiktokban #grwm #makeuproutine #fyp ♬ original sound – gianna

Lmk what you guys think about all this and if you will try it out! #trend #app #tiktokban #grwm #makeuproutine #fyp

The bridge between the two apps has left some users scratching their heads. “Can someone please tell me what Lemon8 is and why people are following me on it when I don’t even have it?” one confused user posted on TikTok in December. ByteDance began integrating the platforms’ backends last year, linking profiles and enabling data sharing by default—though users could opt out. While ByteDance claims the timing of Lemon8’s promotional surge is unrelated to TikTok’s regulatory challenges, the wave of sponsored posts suggests otherwise. “Lemon8 must be replacing TikTok the way they shoving it down our throats,” one user posted on X.

Lemon8 must be replacing TikTok the way they shoving it down our throats

But there’s a catch. The law, which would wipe out TikTok’s U.S. operation if it’s not sold to an approved buyer, states the divest-or-ban requirement applies generally to platforms owned or operated by ByteDance, TikTok, or their subsidiaries. While Lemon8 isn’t explicitly mentioned in the legislation, it’s safe to say its future in the U.S. is on shaky ground. Plan C, anyone?