RedNote Video Download: Is RedNote the Same App as Xiaohongshu?
Short answer: yes. Here's why the names differ, and how to save a public RedNote video as a clean MP4.
Is RedNote a different app from Xiaohongshu?
No — RedNote is the English-language name used for 小红书 (Xiaohongshu) outside China, most visibly since the app climbed the U.S. App Store charts. “RedNote,” “Xiaohongshu,” and “小红书” all point to the exact same product, same servers, and same accounts. If you signed up through the App Store listing labeled RedNote, you're using the identical service that Chinese-speaking users know as 小红书. There is no separate “RedNote” company or competing app — it's one platform with three names attached to it depending on region, storefront, and how a person found out about it.
Why does the same app have three different names?
小红书 is the original Chinese name, which translates loosely to “Little Red Book.” When the app started gaining traction with English-speaking users, it needed an English-facing brand for app store listings and press coverage, and “RedNote” became the name most commonly used in that context. Meanwhile, “Xiaohongshu” is simply the pinyin romanization of 小红书 — the same three characters spelled out phonetically for readers who don't use Chinese characters. So you end up with a native name, a romanized version of that name, and a separate English marketing name, all describing one app. None of that affects how links or posts work: a post shared from the app carries a URL on the xiaohongshu.com or xhslink.com domain no matter which name the user associates with the app.
Can RedSave download videos from RedNote links?
Yes. Whether a link was copied from an app labeled RedNote, Xiaohongshu, or 小红书, the underlying URL structure is identical, and RedSave processes it the same way regardless of labeling. There's no separate “RedNote mode” to switch on — you paste the link exactly as copied, and RedSave reads the domain and post ID to fetch the public media attached to it.
How do I download a RedNote video without a watermark?
Follow these three steps:
- 1
Copy the share link from RedNote
Open the public video post you want to save in the RedNote (Xiaohongshu) app or on the web, tap Share, then Copy Link.
- 2
Paste it into RedSave
Go to RedSave and paste the link you copied into the input box, then tap Fetch.
- 3
Preview and download the MP4
Once the video loads in the result panel, tap Download MP4 to save it to your device — no watermark added or removed.
Why does the file save as MP4?
Most video posts on the platform are stored by the provider as MP4 in the first place, so RedSave isn't converting anything — it's simply passing the original file straight through. MP4 also happens to be the format that plays and edits cleanly across almost every phone, laptop, and video editor, which is part of why so many people searching for “RedNote video download” specifically want an MP4 result rather than some other container format.
Do I need a RedNote account to download a video?
No. RedSave only needs the public post link — it doesn't ask you to sign in with a RedNote, Xiaohongshu, or any other account. The one requirement is that the post itself has to be public. Private posts, deleted posts, or posts restricted to followers can't be fetched through a link alone, since the platform doesn't expose their media URLs to anyone outside that access group.
What if I searched “RedNote downloader” and landed on a review site instead?
Searching “RedNote download” or “RedNote video downloader” often surfaces app-ranking roundups and general RedNote explainer articles before it surfaces an actual downloading tool. If you already have a post link in hand, you don't need to dig through comparison content — paste it directly into RedSave's input box on the homepage and it will be processed the same way as any Xiaohongshu link.
Does this also work for photo posts, not just video?
Yes. RedNote posts are frequently photo-only, and the same input box handles both — paste a photo post link and RedSave shows an image grid instead of a video player, with a save button under each photo. For a walkthrough focused specifically on saving multiple images at once, see how to save Xiaohongshu photos.
What about xhslink.com short links from RedNote?
Short links in the format xhslink.com/... are generated automatically whenever someone taps Share on a RedNote post, and RedSave accepts them exactly like a full xiaohongshu.com/explore/... URL. The difference is that short links are meant to be temporary and can expire after a while, whereas the original post URL tends to stay valid longer. For the complete breakdown of both formats, see the xhslink download guide.
Will more RedNote content show up in English over time?
As the app has picked up English-speaking users, English-language and bilingual posts have become noticeably more common alongside the original Chinese-language content. That shift doesn't change anything about how RedSave works — the post's language has no bearing on whether its link can be fetched, since RedSave reads the URL structure and public media, not the caption text. A post written entirely in English downloads exactly the same way as one written entirely in Chinese.
What if the RedNote link won't load in RedSave?
Double-check that the link starts with https:// and that the post is genuinely public — not deleted, not private, and not gated behind a login prompt. If everything looks correct and it still fails, walk through the troubleshooting steps for failed downloads before trying again.