What Happened to the RedNote After the TiKTok Refugees Left?

After TikTok faced policy restrictions in the U.S., a "TikTok refugee wave" surged. A large number of TikTok users "rebelliously" migrated to another Chinese social media platform—Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote or Little Red Book—which quickly topped the app download charts. The hashtag #TikTokRefugee became a trending topic, with related discussions and content flooding Xiaohongshu.

On January 20 (U.S. time), just a day after TikTok ceased its services, Trump officially took office and signed an order extending the TikTok ban, allowing the TikTok mobile app to resume normal operations. As of the morning of February 14 (U.S. time), both the Apple App Store and Google Play had restored TikTok’s download function. The buzz surrounding the "TikTok refugee wave" officially came to an end.

The moment the ban was lifted, Xiaohongshu’s U.S. daily active users (DAU) nosedived by 54%. Within a week, DAU had dropped by 70%, while TikTok engagement bounced back hard. The once-hyped Xiaohongshu discussions about TikTok refugees quickly shifted from "New TikTok refugee here!" to "Where did all the refugees go?"

The answer was clear—they went back to TikTok.

Xiaohongshu knows exactly why TikTok users didn’t stay. Having struggled with international expansion before, it has learned a lot along the way. The biggest issue? Positioning.

Xiaohongshu is all about in-depth content sharing and community-driven discussions, focusing on real-life experiences, reviews, and lifestyle-related topics. Think beauty, fashion, travel, fitness, and home decor—where users share detailed insights rather than chasing viral trends.

TikTok, on the other hand, is built for fast-paced entertainment. It thrives on viral challenges, quick dopamine hits, and endless scrolling. Users are there for fun, not for long-winded discussions.

It’s not just about content styles—the platforms attract completely different crowds. Xiaohongshu’s core audience is 18-30 years old, while TikTok skews much younger, with a strong user base under 24.

Xiaohongshu’s users are overwhelmingly female, while TikTok’s gender split is more balanced.

Xiaohongshu’s original users generally have higher disposable income compared to TikTok users. Reports suggest TikTok leans toward mid-range consumption, while nearly 20% of its user base is under 18—so overall, it has less spending power. Meanwhile, Xiaohongshu is full of high-spending consumers. These factors directly impact the type of content that works on each platform. Xiaohongshu thrives on lifestyle-focused content, while TikTok is all about entertainment and viral trends.

The way both platforms recommend content also reinforces their differences.

Xiaohongshu’s algorithm leans heavily on organic search history, saves, and interactions to predict what users want to see. Search behavior plays a major role—if you search for DeepSeek AI, the platform will continue showing you posts about DeepSeek for beginners, office workflows, or coding tips.

This means users tend to stick to their interests, building depth rather than chasing trends.

TikTok’s algorithm, on the other hand, is built for maximum engagement. The main metric? **Watch time. **If you finish watching a video, TikTok assumes you want more like it. Likes and comments matter, but shares are the real game-changer—a video that gets widely shared can blow up overnight.

TikTok also actively pushes trending content into your feed, even if it’s outside your usual interests. The result? You’re constantly discovering new, highly engaging content—making it ridiculously hard to stop scrolling.

While the “TikTok refugee wave” was brief, it gave Xiaohongshu a valuable trial run in the global market. The quick surge in users revealed Xiaohongshu’s potential but also highlighted the differences in its content ecosystem, user engagement, and recommendation strategies compared to entertainment-driven social platforms.

At its core, Xiaohongshu and TikTok are completely different products with completely different user expectations.

So, is Xiaohongshu’s overseas journey over?

If it tries to compete head-on with TikTok, then yeah, its game may already be over. However, if Xiaohongshu sticks to its unique positioning, optimizes its content strategy, localizes its approach, boosts user retention and satisfaction, and creates a stronger sense of belonging for overseas users, then Xiaohongshu’s story is far from over. It might just be getting started.