Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu: Which App Fits Malaysian Brands?

2. What Is the Difference Between Lemon8 and Xiaohongshu?

Quick Answer: Lemon8 is ByteDance’s lifestyle app for markets outside China, with posts in English, Malay and Thai, and ads sold through TikTok Ads Manager. Xiaohongshu (RedNote) is China’s lifestyle search app, used in Simplified Chinese, with its own ad platform billed in yuan. Same format, different audience and buying system.

The format is where the likeness ends. Xiaohongshu works like a Chinese review site: its COO said in December 2023 that nearly 70% of monthly active users search on the app. Lemon8 is more of a browsing feed for ideas. Here is how the two compare on the points that matter to a Malaysian brand:

If Xiaohongshu is completely new to you, start with our Xiaohongshu marketing guide for Malaysia. If Lemon8 is the unknown, our guide on whether your brand should be on Lemon8 covers the basics.

3. Who Uses Lemon8 and Xiaohongshu in Malaysia?

Quick Answer: Neither app publishes an official Malaysian user count. Lemon8’s Malaysian creators post mainly in English and Malay, and its ads draw on TikTok’s 30.7 million adult ad audience here. Xiaohongshu reaches Chinese-speaking Malaysians, about 22% of the population, plus visitors and students from China. KrASIA reported over 1.5 million Malaysian Xiaohongshu users in 2022.

The honest answer to “how many users?” is that nobody knows exactly. What we can verify shows two very different audiences:

Two things stand out. First, Lemon8’s paid reach is not its own, because its ads run on the TikTok audience pool. The 30.7 million figure from our TikTok users in Malaysia data is the ceiling, not Lemon8’s real size. Second, Xiaohongshu’s local audience is narrower but has a clear official tailwind. Tourism Malaysia’s 2025 partnership with the platform targets China travellers for Visit Malaysia 2026.

Age matters too. Both apps lean young, which ties closely to our Gen Z marketing playbook for Malaysia.

4. Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu Ads: How Do You Advertise on Each?

Quick Answer: Lemon8 ads are live in Malaysia and bought inside TikTok Ads Manager as a placement, so any eligible TikTok campaign can deliver on Lemon8. Xiaohongshu offers in-app note boosts and creator deals, but its feed and search ads usually need a verified business account and a cross-border reseller, billed in yuan.

This is the biggest practical gap in the Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu decision. TikTok’s Lemon8 help page, updated September 2026, lists Malaysia among six markets where Lemon8 ads run. The two routes compare like this:

In short, Lemon8 is the easier buy if you already run TikTok, as covered in our guide to TikTok ads for Malaysian SMEs. Xiaohongshu takes more setup. Our steps to register a Xiaohongshu business account and our RedNote advertising guide walk through the paperwork.

Other newer apps follow the same “ads inside a parent system” pattern. Threads ads run through Meta, just as Lemon8 runs through TikTok.

5. Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu Cost: Which Is Cheaper to Start?

Quick Answer: Xiaohongshu has the smaller first payment, with boosts from about RM46, but Lemon8 is cheaper to run properly. One Lemon8 ad group at TikTok’s floor costs about RM2,453 a month. A realistic Xiaohongshu starter month, with creator notes and Chinese content, runs about RM3,300. These are indicative figures.

We converted each platform’s published floor into ringgit using Bank Negara Malaysia’s rates on 9 October 2026 (RM4.0885 per US dollar). The bars show how far apart the entry points sit:

The chart hides one cost that often decides the matter: language. Lemon8 posts can be written by any English or Malay-speaking staff member. Xiaohongshu notes need natural Simplified Chinese, written the way buyers search. If nobody on your team writes it, you are paying a writer or creators every month.

For the full yuan-to-ringgit breakdown, see our Xiaohongshu ads cost guide. Creator rates for both apps follow the local market, explained in our influencer marketing cost guide.

6. Which App Fits Your Malaysian Brand?

Quick Answer: Choose Lemon8 if your buyers are young, browse in English or Malay, and you already run TikTok ads. Choose Xiaohongshu if your buyers are Chinese-speaking, research big purchases, or come from China as tourists, students or property buyers. Run both only if each audience is large enough to justify its own content.

To settle Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu for your own business, we graded common Malaysian business situations on three tests. What language does the buyer use? How long do they research? Can you post in that language every week?

If you sell mainly to Chinese-speaking buyers but are also weighing Meta’s apps, our Xiaohongshu vs Instagram comparison covers that choice. China-based buyers usually move to WeChat after first contact, so plan a WeChat Official Account and consider WeChat Moments ads for follow-up.

7. How Do You Test Lemon8 or Xiaohongshu Without Wasting Budget?

Quick Answer: Run a 90-day test on one app, not both. Post eight to twelve useful organic posts first, let saves show you the winning topics, then put paid money behind those topics only. Track every enquiry back to its source, and compare cost per enquiry with your Google and Meta accounts before scaling.

Whichever side of the Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu choice you land on, the same five steps work:

1. Pick one app. Use the table above. Splitting a small budget across both apps gives you two weak tests instead of one clear answer.
2. Post before you pay. Publish eight to twelve guide-style posts over three to four weeks. On Xiaohongshu, put the main keyword in the title, as explained in our Xiaohongshu SEO guide.
3. Read the saves. Saves and comments show which topics buyers want to keep. Those become your paid creative.
4. Boost the winners. Turn on Lemon8 delivery in TikTok Ads Manager, or boost the Xiaohongshu notes that rank, with a fixed ringgit ceiling.
5. Track the source. Separate Lemon8 from TikTok with the “AdType” custom report, tag website links with UTMs, and ask new customers where they found you.

Lemon8 and Xiaohongshu rarely close the sale alone. People who save your post often search your brand on Google days later, so your SEO and Google Ads need to catch that search, while Meta Ads retarget site visitors. Our article on brand vs performance marketing explains why that first touch still counts.

If your real goal is app downloads rather than store visits, lifestyle apps are the wrong tool. Look at Google App Campaigns for more installs and Apple Search Ads for app owners. And if your brand voice is more text than photos, compare Threads vs X for business instead.

8. Conclusion

Quick Answer: In the Lemon8 vs Xiaohongshu decision, Lemon8 is the easier, cheaper test for brands selling to young English and Malay-speaking Malaysians, especially if TikTok ads already run. Xiaohongshu is the stronger trust channel for Chinese-speaking and China-based buyers, but it costs more to set up. Pick by language, then measure enquiries.

The two apps share a format, not an audience. Lemon8 is a low-friction add-on to TikTok. Xiaohongshu is a Chinese-language search engine for lifestyle decisions. Neither replaces search or core social ads; both work best as a discovery layer that feeds them.

If you want help choosing and testing the right one, ZenWeb’s digital marketing services plan social, search and ads around where your buyers decide.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Lemon8 the same as Xiaohongshu?

No. Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent, and was built for markets outside China. Xiaohongshu, also called RedNote, is a separate Chinese company. Lemon8 copied much of Xiaohongshu’s photo-and-caption format, but the audiences, languages and ad systems are different.

2. Is Lemon8 or Xiaohongshu better for Malaysian businesses?

It depends on your buyers’ language. Lemon8 suits young English and Malay-speaking buyers and brands already on TikTok. Xiaohongshu suits Chinese-speaking Malaysians and visitors, students or property buyers from China who research before spending.

3. Can I run Lemon8 ads in Malaysia?

Yes. Malaysia is one of six markets where Lemon8 ads run, as a placement inside TikTok Ads Manager. Ad groups need a budget above US$20 a day, about RM82 at Bank Negara’s 9 October 2026 rate.

4. Which is cheaper, Lemon8 or Xiaohongshu?

Xiaohongshu boosts start lower, at about RM46, but a proper Xiaohongshu test with Chinese content runs about RM3,300 a month. One Lemon8 ad group at TikTok’s floor costs about RM2,453 a month. These are indicative figures.

5. Can I post my WhatsApp number on Xiaohongshu or Lemon8?

Not on Xiaohongshu. Since March 2025 it treats phone numbers, WhatsApp links and QR codes in notes, comments or profiles as traffic diversion. On Lemon8, paid ads bought through TikTok Ads Manager can send people to your website or a lead form.