Rednote, Flip, Clapper & Likee Top App Store Charts | TikTok Update

The Rise of TikTok Alternatives

Although TikTok has been reinstated, the temporary ban sparked a surge in popularity for competing Chinese applications. Several video-based platforms experienced significant gains in app store rankings during the period the ban was in effect.

Dominance of RedNote and Other Apps

The Chinese application RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, ascended to the number one position within the U.S. app market last week. Following closely were video applications such as Clapper and Flip, achieving prominent positions in the App Store’s Top Charts.

Even with TikTok’s service restored, RedNote has maintained its top ranking. The app attracted approximately 700,000 new users within the United States.

User Sentiment and Platform Preference

The migration of TikTok users to RedNote served as a demonstration to both U.S. legislators and Meta that users would prefer utilizing an alternative Chinese application rather than reverting to Instagram Reels.

Despite President Trump’s statements regarding a potential extension, app marketplaces are still obligated to comply with U.S. legislation, meaning TikTok is not currently available for download through these stores.

Current App Store Rankings

As of Monday morning, Apple’s U.S. App Store showcases RedNote, Likee, Clapper, and Flip in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 10th positions, respectively, within the Overall Top Charts. Favorited, a livestreaming application, occupies the 15th spot.

The social network Bluesky recently incorporated an optional custom video feed. However, its app has fallen from the top 10 position it previously held on the U.S. App Store, currently ranking at number 13.

On Google Play, Bluesky is ranked 15th. Nevertheless, the TikTok ban contributed to an increase in downloads, bringing the total user base to 28.29 million, up from 27.5 million the previous week.

Significant Growth in Downloads

According to data from Appfigures, an app store intelligence provider, RedNote, Flip, and Clapper all experienced substantial growth last week. Their daily download numbers increased from single-digit thousands in early January to tens of thousands of U.S. downloads by Friday.

RedNote, in particular, received hundreds of thousands of downloads during this period.

Throughout January 2025, RedNote accumulated 818,000 new U.S. installations across both the App Store and Google Play. The app’s Mandarin localization also prompted a 216% increase in U.S. users on the language learning platform Duolingo, seeking to learn the language.

Currently, it holds the number one position on both the U.S. App Store and Google Play, excluding games.

Performance of Other Alternatives

Clapper, designed for users aged 17 and above, saw 646,000 downloads in the U.S. across the App Store and Google Play. On Friday alone, it added 87,000 new downloads, representing a 1,030% increase compared to January 1st, as reported by Appfigures.

It is currently ranked as the 4th top app (excluding games) on the U.S. App Store and the 2nd on Google Play.

Likee, a short video application, is currently the 2nd most popular app on the U.S. App Store and the 3rd on Google Play. It experienced a rapid rise, moving from the 202nd position on the U.S. App Store on Saturday to the 2nd position by 3 a.m. on Sunday.

In total, it recorded 283,000 downloads during January. On Google Play, it climbed to the 8th position across all apps and games on Sunday night, subsequently dropping to 11th. It remains the 3rd app (excluding games).

For Android users, Scoopz reached the 4th position on Google Play, while ReelShort, a short drama app, is ranked 7th on Google Play’s list of top apps, excluding games.

Flip, which emphasizes social commerce, experienced a growth of 580,000 downloads in January. However, this growth was partially attributed to TikTok advertisements run by Flip over the past week.

It currently holds the 10th position on the U.S. App Store and the 9th on Google Play’s top charts, excluding games.

Instagram’s Continued Performance

Despite signals from many TikTok users indicating a reluctance to use Instagram, Meta’s application maintained a strong ranking on both app stores. It currently occupies the 8th position on the U.S. Apple App Store Top Apps chart and the 5th position on Google Play’s Top Apps chart as of Monday morning.

A Temporary Increase in VPN App Downloads

Following the implementation of the TikTok ban, users in the United States promptly attempted to circumvent the limitations by installing VPN applications. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful, as the TikTok mobile app remained inaccessible even with VPN usage.

Despite this, a noticeable, albeit temporary, increase in new U.S. users was observed across various VPN apps. For instance, VPN — Super Unlimited Proxy experienced significant growth, ascending from the 91st position to the 3rd most downloaded app within a 36-hour period.

Similarly, Fast VPN Super registered a climb of 155 places in the app rankings during the same timeframe. Nord VPN also saw substantial gains, reaching the No. 9 spot after moving up 160 positions.

Additional applications that experienced considerable increases in their rankings overnight included X-VPN, Proton VPN, Free VPN .org, and Express VPN.

It is anticipated that the app store charts will likely undergo further changes as U.S. users become aware of the restoration of TikTok access and potentially discontinue their reliance on some of the recently adopted alternative solutions.