TikTok will be banned without a savior. Here are the alternative apps users are flocking to

TikTok is still three days away from a likely ban in the United States, but many users are already bidding the app farewell and seeking out alternatives.

TikTok is still three days away from a likely ban in the United States, but many users are already bidding the app farewell and seeking out alternatives. Influencer Jasmine Chiswell posted a video Tuesday, showing her frowning over text that reads: “Me saying goodbye to 18 million best friends because TikTok is getting banned,” with sad face and broken heart emojis. The fear of a ban amped up following a report late Tuesday from The Information that TikTok will shut itself down entirely for US users come Sunday, if it doesn’t win its challenge to the Supreme Court or find an American owner by then. Before the report, many people had expected US app stores to remove TikTok but that existing users could continue accessing the app on their phones, at least for a while. Still, there is no shortage of TikTok copycat apps eager to welcome those users, now calling themselves “TikTok refugees,” onto their platforms. But the apps surging in popularity this week aren’t the obvious TikTok rivals, like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight or X. Instead, a slate of newer apps have surged on app stores this week, including RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), Lemon8, Clapper, Flip and Fanbase. The competition to become the new home for TikTok users is a reminder that even after yearslong efforts by mainstream, big tech platforms to replicate the short-form video app’s popular features, users still feel there’s no true TikTok replacement.