What Is Lemon8? A Look at TikTok’s Chosen Successor & 10 Royalty Free Tracks to Kickstart Your Lemon8 Content

As a potential TikTok ban in the United States continues to loom large, content creators, marketers, and brands are looking for alternative options for their short-form content. And while there’s quite a bit of debate about which short-form content platform might eventually take most of TikTok’s American audience, there’s one platform in the running that TikTok itself recommends.

Let’s examine Lemon8, TikTok’s sister app, and explore what this platform might offer creatives and creators as a possible TikTok alternative. Plus, if you’re ready to dive in and start creating content on this platform right away, let’s give you some royalty free music selections and tips on launching your profile on this new platform.

What is Lemon8?

So, what is Lemon8, and how does this TikTok sister app function? Let’s start with the basics. Lemon8 is a photo and video-sharing platform that presents content in a format that’s more similar to Pinterest boards than your usual TikToks. 

Owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, Lemon8 has been one of the most downloaded lifestyle apps in both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store.

Lemon8’s branding bills it as a “lifestyle community-focused app powered by TikTok” that promises users will discover and share authentic content on a variety of topics. These topics are a big part of Lemon8’s offering and include beauty, fashion, food, travel, and more.

How does Lemon8 work?

Lemon8 works a bit as you might expect. At its core, Lemon8 is a photo and video-sharing platform, but instead of your usual vertical-scrolling format, Lemon8 features a format that’s closer to Pinterest boards.

Users can easily edit and share photos in this format and engage in discussion with like-minded people. Lemon8 also offers spaces where users can connect, inspire, and support one another.

According to Lemon8’s Apple App Store description, users can find their communities, create easily, and use hashtags to explore and discover. Lemon8 also offers an in-app suite that allows users to easily compose texts and edit photos and videos.

Users can access a library of intuitive templates, stickers, filters, and fonts for their photos and videos. They can also use campaign features and intuitive search functionality to find trending content, top-performing creators, and whatever answer they might be looking for.

How does Lemon8 compare to TikTok?

As mentioned above, Lemon8 is similar to TikTok in a few ways but also slightly different than you might expect from an app billed as a sister platform. The biggest difference is the Pinterest board-style format versus TikTok's traditional vertical scrolling format.

Besides the format, though, Lemon8 offers both the Following and For You tabs, which operate very similarly to how TikTok works with its FYP. The algorithm is likely quite similar, too, which is really the key feature that made TikTok so popular with creators looking to launch brands and careers. 

Lemon8 users can also upload swipeable photo collections similar to Instagram and vertical-style videos like you would have found on TikTok, which is currently offered on Instagram or Facebook Reels. So for creators looking to make the jump directly from TikTok, you should be able to add your old content.

How does music on Lemon8 work?

As you might expect, the music on Lemon8 works quite similarly to the music on TikTok. Users can create content based on audio, create their own videos, and add background music to the app.

However, similar to TikTok, the music options, controls, and features are quite limited—and will most likely change as the app evolves and grows. That’s why we recommend that aspiring content creators consider using royalty free music that has been properly licensed in their Lemon8 videos and content.

If you’re curious about what royalty free music terms mean, here’s a great primer on what royalty free music is and how you can use it for commercial use.

The best royalty free music for Lemon8

Furthermore, to get you started, here are some hand-selected royalty free music selections that we recommend for your Lemon8 content. These tracks should provide a good glimpse into the variety of music in our Soundstripe royalty free music library, which also has thousands more tracks to choose from.

• Description: A medium-energy, electronic song best described as fun and happy. Synths and samples are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 100
• Key: Ab/G# Major
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as hopeful and inspiring. Synth and piano are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 103
• Key: Bb/A# Major
• Listen and license here

• Description: A high-energy, score song that is best described as suspenseful and inspiring. Strings and cello are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 170
• Key: E Minor
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy rock song that is best described as happy and hopeful. The guitar and electric guitar are the primary instruments on this track.
• BPM: 124
• Key: Eb/D# Major
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill and happy. Synths and drums are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 102
• Key: Eb/D# Major
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy rock song that is best described as angry and fun. The guitar and electric guitar are the primary instruments on this track.
• BPM: 155
• Key: G Major
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy pop song that is best described as fun and happy. Piano and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 85
• Key: Ab/G# Majo
• Listen and license here

• Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as chill and fun. Ambient tones and drums are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 95
• Key: A Minor
• Listen and license here

• Description: A high-energy, electronic song that is best described as happy and hopeful. Synth and bass are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 122
• Key: G Minor
• Listen and license here

• Description: A low-energy, acoustic song that is best described as calm and reflective. Guitar and acoustic guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
• BPM: 83
• Key: A Major
• Listen and license here

You can explore more royalty free music playlists if you’re looking for a specific genre or style for your Lemon8 videos. But those are some of our top picks.

How to get started with Lemon8 today

So, if you’re curious about diving into Lemon8 to check it out or as the best TikTok alternative option for yourself, here’s a full guide to getting started with Lemon8.

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks, royalty free music and sound effects, and other resources for creating content for Lemon8 in the future, too, as this app continues to grow as a possible TikTok replacement.