Lemon8 App: What it is, How it Works & Will it Get Banned?

Lemon8, a relatively new social media platform developed by ByteDance (rings a bell? Yep, it’s the same company behind TikTok) has been making waves since its launch in 2020. Think of it as a mix of Instagram, Pinterest, and Canva – Lemon8 is your ideal platform for creating and discovering aesthetic, lifestyle-driven content. But recent news has put its future in the U.S. on shaky ground, along with other apps caught up in the TikTok ban saga. Let’s dive in. 

What is Lemon8? 

Lemon8 is a video and photo-sharing app centered around lifestyle topics such as wellness, travel, food, and beauty. 

First launched in Japan in 2020, the app expanded to the U.S. and U.K. in February of 2023. It quickly gained traction, becoming one of the most downloaded apps in the U.S. App Store. However, after an initial phase of popularity, growth slowed down. As a reaction to that, TikTok introduced an integration in November 2024, allowing users to log into Lemon8 using their TikTok accounts.

Integration with TikTok

“Lemon8 remains a separate app, but TikTok and Lemon8 will share a unified user login,” TikTok stated in a press release.

What does it mean? 

This means that TikTok and Lemon8 are linked, allowing creators to use the same account to log in to both apps. Because of this connection, creators can easily share content between TikTok and Lemon8 without extra effort. The goal of this integration is to make photo sharing smoother for TikTok users, helping them reach more people and increase engagement across both platforms.

TikTok’s decision to integrate with Lemon8 might be a strategic move to boost Lemon8’s user base, especially since the app lost some traction after its initial U.S. launch. The approach is similar to how Instagram launched Threads as an integrated app, which helped it quickly gain users. It seems that ByteDance is following a similar strategy, using TikTok’s massive reach to drive engagement on Lemon8.

Key Features & User Experience: Comparison with Popular Platforms

The aesthetics are no coincidence – Lemon8 positions itself as a lifestyle community app, designed for users who love to explore and share content on topics like fashion, wellness, and travel. You can either scroll through your For You page or browse content in the following categories:

• Fashion
• Beauty
• Food
• Wellness
• Travel
• Home 

Lemon8 also allows users to tag clothing items and add labels to indicate where the items are from. Many of these tags come from influencers collaborating with major brands to promote their products.

At first glance, Lemon8 stands out as a visually appealing platform. Its interface bears similarities to several popular platforms (which might also be a reason why it’s struggling to find its own unique voice among the apps): 

• Content Discovery: Just like TikTok, Lemon8 features “For You” and “Following” feeds, which makes it easy to browse trending content or stay updated on posts from beloved creators.
• Visual Aesthetics: Just like Pinterest, the platform is all about high-quality, influencer-style imagery with a grid layout, ideal for users who enjoy visually pleasing content. 
• Photo Editing Tools: Just like Instagram – with built-in Canva-like editing features –, Lemon8 lets users edit their photos using collages, filters, effects, stickers, and text templates.

This mix of features creates an engaging space for content creators and lifestyle enthusiasts. 

How to Use Lemon8

Lemon8 is overall really simple to use and doesn’t have many complexities. The interface is clean and simple, allowing for easy use. Follow these easy steps: 

1. Download the app on the App Store or Google Play. 
2. Enter your birthday and pronouns.  
3. Choose a username. 
4. Choose your interests from beauty, fashion, food, travel, wellness, and pets. 
5. From here you can view feeds across each of these different categories, as well as view your personalized “For You” page. 

You can view creators’ profiles, like content, and share content outside of the app. 

How to Upload Content to Lemon8 

Creativity is rewarded on this app, so for emerging creators, marketers, and lifestyle bloggers, this is a great opportunity to share your talent!

This is how you upload content: 

1. Head to the app and find the yellow + icon at the bottom of the page. 
2. From here, you can upload content from your camera roll to share. There is no camera inside the app, so you aren’t able to record on the spot, like in TikTok. 
3. Upload up to 3 photos and videos of up to 60 seconds. After you have chosen the content you want to post, then click on Next.
4. On this next page, you can edit your content. Choose from built-in templates, crop your content, erase part of the content, retouch with a filter, and add tags, text, and stickers. 
5. Finally, you have the option to add a headline, caption, hashtags, and a location. Lemon8 even has a “Caption ideas” feature, where you can find new ideas, for each category. 

After posting, you will be able to view the number of likes and shares your content is receiving. You can also see your new followers and comments inside the Notifications tab, represented by a bell icon. 

How to Delete a Lemon8 Account

If you no longer wish to use the app, follow these steps to delete your Lemon8 account:

1. Go to the Lemon8 settings on your profile.
2. Select “Account” and then “Delete Account”.
3. Enter your password and confirm your decision.
4. Read the pop up message and click on “Agree”. 
5. Tap “Delete”. 

Just like with TikTok, deleting your Lemon8 account doesn’t happen instantly – it’s scheduled for deletion. If you change your mind, you have a window to reactivate it before it’s permanently removed. To restore your account, simply log in using your registered email and password, then tap “Log in” in the dialogue box to complete the reactivation process.

Can You Make Money on Lemon8?

While Lemon8 doesn’t yet offer built-in monetization tools like TikTok or YouTube, there are still ways to make money on the platform. Since it focuses on lifestyle content and high-quality visuals, creators can leverage their audience to generate income in several ways:

• Driving Traffic to Your Website: If you have a blog, online store, or another digital platform, you can use Lemon8 to attract visitors by sharing engaging content and including links in your bio.

• Brand Partnerships: Many influencers collaborate with brands to promote products in sponsored posts. Since Lemon8 is highly visual, brands in fashion, beauty, and wellness are particularly interested in working with creators on the platform.

• Affiliate Marketing: By sharing product recommendations with affiliate links, you can earn commissions when followers make purchases through your unique links. Many brands and platforms, such as Amazon Associates or RewardStyle, offer affiliate programs.

• Promoting Your Own Products: Whether you sell digital products, physical goods, or services, Lemon8 can serve as a visually appealing showcase for your offerings, helping you connect with potential buyers.

Curious to know which platform pays the most to content creators? Take a look: 

Is Lemon8 Getting Banned? 

If TikTok faces a ban on April 5, 2025, as recent reports suggest, Lemon8 will likely be affected as well. Both apps are part of the same ByteDance ecosystem, meaning they fall under the same regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. However, there’s still a chance for a different outcome – if a U.S. buyer acquires the app before the deadline, it could remain available.

Want to know which other ByteDance apps might be impacted? Read more in our article:

Is Lemon8 Worth it? 

With all the uncertainty around the ByteDance apps, this is the overarching question that everyone has been asking. So, is it worth investing in a whole new social network? 

Obviously, it will be different for each person. However, based on the growth we have seen recently and thanks to the TikTok integration, we know that it has already reached a wide audience. 

So, if you are a creator, small business owner or work in one of the categories mentioned, this may be your chance to try out this app. It also looks like there are already influencers emerging on the app and finding new ways to monetize their accounts.

In case you need it, I will leave you a content planning guide from us at Metricool, to support your new Lemon8 endeavors.

Kata , 14 March 2025