A recent ban on TikTok in the United States from Sunday to Monday sparked a significant shift in the app landscape. This temporary prohibition, stemming from a dispute between the U.S. government and TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, led to a surge in popularity for alternative video apps. As TikTok went offline, RedNote, Clapper, Flip, and Likee quickly climbed the ranks on the App Store’s Top Charts.
During this short-lived ban, RedNote, a Chinese video app, emerged as the leading app in the U.S. on both the App Store and Google Play. In January 2025 alone, RedNote garnered 818,000 new installations across these platforms. The app’s localization in Mandarin may have contributed to its rapid ascent, especially given a reported 216% increase in U.S. users seeking to learn Mandarin through Duolingo last week.
Clapper, another TikTok alternative, saw substantial growth with 646,000 downloads on the App Store and Google Play in the U.S. on Friday. Flip, a social commerce app, experienced a surge in popularity as well, recording 580,000 downloads in January, with 283,000 of those occurring during the first half of the month.
Likee, a video app known for its diverse content offerings, secured the No. 3 spot on the App Store’s Top Charts during the TikTok ban. Its rise in popularity highlights a growing interest in video-sharing platforms during periods of uncertainty surrounding major players like TikTok.
VPN Usage and Bluesky’s Growth
In addition to video apps, VPN services experienced a dramatic increase in downloads as users sought ways to bypass the TikTok ban. X-VPN, Proton VPN, Free VPN.org, and Express VPN all rose hundreds of spots overnight following the ban. Notably, VPN – Fast VPN Super climbed 155 spots during this period, while Nord VPN reached the No. 2 position by 3 a.m. on Sunday. Despite the surge in VPN downloads, users were unable to circumvent the imposed restrictions.
Bluesky, a social network app, also benefited from the TikTok ban, gaining additional downloads and now boasting a user base of 28.29 million. This modest uptick reflects users’ explorations of alternative social networking platforms amid uncertainties.
As TikTok returned online, app stores’ top charts are expected to undergo further changes. U.S. users who initially turned to alternative apps might reconsider their choices and revert to TikTok as their preferred platform.
The brief absence of TikTok underscored the volatile nature of app popularity and how quickly users can adapt to new offerings when familiar platforms become temporarily unavailable. While some apps enjoyed a momentary boost in downloads and visibility, it remains to be seen how many users will continue engaging with these alternatives now that TikTok is back in operation.
Author’s Opinion
The temporary TikTok ban illuminated the dynamic and responsive nature of the app market, as users quickly shifted to alternative platforms. This episode highlights the fragility of app dominance and the potential for rapid changes in user preferences under external pressures. Whether the alternatives can retain their new users will depend on their ability to capitalize on this opportunity to solidify their value proposition in a highly competitive market.
Featured image credit: Nick Kenrick via Flickr
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