TikTok's Sister App Lemon8 Is Rising In Popularity (What Is It?)

The popular video-sharing app TikTok took off in the middle of the pandemic and hasn't slowed down. In September 2021, it racked up one billion active users, and according to Statista, it remains the top downloaded app across the globe in 2022. This is likely why its sister app, Lemon8, is gaining just as much traction now.

Developed by the same company, China-based ByteDance, Lemon8 is the latest social media platform to take the internet by storm. It already has at least five million downloads and a 4.7-star rating on Google Play Store and is ranked as #50 in the Lifestyle category of the Apple App Store in the United States.

To put it simply, Lemon8 is an app for sharing both short-form videos and photos. But how exactly does it differ from other well-loved photo-sharing apps like Instagram and Pinterest and what makes it stand out from its widely popular sibling?

Lemon8 is a social media app that's essentially a mashup of Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok. Here, you can like, comment, share, and save posts to your collection just as you would on Instagram. Appearance-wise, however, Lemon8 looks much like Pinterest and TikTok. The post layout follows Pinterest's two-column grid, but at the top and bottom of the screen, you'll find TikTok's all-too-familiar buttons, particularly the "Following" and "For You" tabs and the centered "create post" icon. In terms of the posts themselves, they can either be a singular photo, an Instagram-like carousel of photos, or a TikTok-like short-form video.

Unlike the three apps where you can share practically anything under the sun, Lemon8 is primarily focused on lifestyle content. Under the "Following" and "For You" tabs, you can see more categories like Food, Travel, Home, Fashion, and Beauty. This helps you easily find specific posts that align with your interest.

Lemon8 can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

If you're a frequent user of Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram, you'll have no trouble navigating Lemon8. Upon installing the app, you'll be asked to pick your interests, such as makeup, hairstyle, recipe, and home to name a few. This curates your feed right from the get-go. You can then log in using your Facebook, Google, or TikTok account.

Once you're in, you can start scrolling away. However, do note that Lemon8 doesn't have TikTok's feature where you can scroll vertically to move on to the next post. You'll have to tap on a post to see it, just as you would on Pinterest. If you want to see that creator's posts regularly, simply tap the yellow Follow button next to their name and their posts will appear in your "Following" tab.

To make your own post on Lemon8, go to the home screen and select the yellow plus sign in the bottom center. Pick the photo/s or video you want to share. Before posting it, you can add tags, text, and stickers. If you want an easier way to design your post, there are pre-designed templates you can use, too. You then need to add a headline and caption to your post. The headline is the first few words users will see. Think of it as the title of your post. Once you have that, you can then click on Post and it will show up on Lemon8.