Context: In October 2017, ByteDance bought Musical.ly for around $1 billion. After the gigantic acquisition, the mother company merged Douyin (International version) with Musical.ly and, thus, TikTok was born.

So while they are essentially the same platform, there are still some differences between Douyin and TikTok.

Let’s discover some of those now!

Douyin is aimed at domestic users in China, whilst TikTok is aimed at overseas users.

This means that you can’t install and Login TikTok in China, even with a VPN, something which had not been seen before. Likewise, you can’t download Douyin outside of China.

🔥 Douyin (China’s TikTok) Statistics 2022 [UPDATED!] 

The interface of TikTok in each region is the same as Douyin, the only difference is the content.

So hashtags greatly differ on Douyin and Tiktok.

• Common Trends on the Chinese version

  Videos like English tutorials, food videos, cute pet videos, and also funny videos made by influencers or KOLs. Downloads for Chinese Tiktok are not just restricted to younger people either, with a growing number of users above 40 using the app.

• Common Trends on Tik Tok

  Tik Tok is still much more targeted towards 18-25-year-olds and the downloads show that. Young people prefer videos generally related to dancing and travel on Tik Tok. Of course with the pandemic, people have been getting largely creative with home videos also.

FUN FACT – You can actually buy a product on the app with just 3 clicks. This is one example of where the Chinese version is a tad more advanced than Tik Tok.

➡️ Did you know? WeChat has a short-video platform now too >>>

Earning money on Douyin vs earning money on Tik Tok

• How To Earn Money On the Chinese TikTok

  The way to monetize on Chinese Tiktok can include selling goods on Taobao and Jingdong through the app. This is currently the most popular way to earn money using Chinese Tiktok.

  If you want to make money from Douyin, the best way to do this is to build a following by consistent posting, building trust, and focusing on one thing, well, rather than trying too many things.

• How To Earn Money On Tiktok – Selling products is the best way forward. As with Instagram these days, you see large profiles selling products on their page, to many brands. Once you build a strong following, you’ll have brands coming to you.

💸 How To Leverage Douyin For Advertising >>> Learn more

If you wish to know more about Douyin or other short video platforms in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact at contact@thewechatagency.com.