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Economy January 23, 2026

TikTok and Chinese-owned Applications Sustain Popularity Amid U.S. Political Pressures

Despite regulatory challenges, ByteDance’s apps and other Chinese platforms remain prominent in America’s app market

By Avery Klein
TikTok and Chinese-owned Applications Sustain Popularity Amid U.S. Political Pressures

In 2025, TikTok, a ByteDance-owned short-video platform, continued to hold its position as the second-most-downloaded app in the United States, overshadowing ongoing political challenges and regulatory scrutiny related to its Chinese ownership. Other apps linked to Chinese companies, including ByteDance’s CapCut and e-commerce site Temu, also maintained significant user interest, demonstrating resilience despite policy tensions. This trend highlights the complex interaction between geopolitical concerns and consumer preferences in the U.S. digital marketplace.

Key Points

  • TikTok remains the second most downloaded app in the U.S. despite political scrutiny related to its Chinese ownership.
  • ByteDance’s CapCut app improved its ranking significantly, now fourth overall in app downloads, highlighting increased demand for video editing software.
  • Chinese-linked apps such as Temu and Shein continue to maintain strong user bases in the U.S., although Temu faced challenges due to U.S. tariffs disrupting its business model.

In the United States app marketplace of 2025, TikTok remained a dominant force, ranking as the second most downloaded application nationwide, according to recent data compiled by Sensor Tower. This enduring popularity comes despite years of political debate and attempts to curtail the app's operation, primarily stemming from concerns over its ownership by ByteDance, a company headquartered in Beijing.

TikTok’s robustness is evident across major digital distribution platforms, including Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. This steadfast user engagement has been reinforced recently through ByteDance’s announcement of a new business venture within the U.S., aimed at guaranteeing the platform’s continued service and compliance with domestic regulations.

Another ByteDance innovation, the video editing application CapCut, also showed significant traction in 2025. The app climbed three positions compared to its ranking in the previous year, securing the fourth spot among all downloaded applications in the U.S., underscoring the growing market for video creation and editing tools.

The presence of other Chinese-linked applications in the American market remains notable. Temu, an e-commerce platform that gained considerable visibility in 2024 following an extensive advertising campaign during the Super Bowl, was the seventh most downloaded app in 2025. However, it experienced a decline from the top rank it held the prior year, influenced by the impact of tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump that affected its business model dynamics.

Fashion retailer Shein, though absent from the overall top ten list, achieved the highest ranking within the U.S. apparel shopping app category in 2025, reflecting its niche strength in fashion e-commerce despite wider geopolitical scrutiny of China-affiliated enterprises.

In contrast to these Chinese-owned apps, native technology applications also showed strong adoption. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, representing the expanding sector of generative artificial intelligence, claimed the top spot as America’s most downloaded app in 2025, signaling sustained consumer and business interest in AI-powered solutions.

Risks

  • Ongoing political and regulatory pressures on Chinese-owned apps like TikTok pose risks to their continued operation in the U.S., impacting tech and social media sectors.
  • Tariffs and trade policies could further disrupt the business models of Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Temu, affecting e-commerce and retail sectors.
  • Heightened scrutiny of China-based companies may influence consumer sentiment and regulatory approaches, potentially limiting market access for these applications.

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