Introduction
ByteDance has achieved a significant milestone in the AI industry as its chatbot Doubao has become China's most popular AI application, surpassing the previously dominant DeepSeek. According to QuestMobile data from August 2025, Doubao now boasts over 157 million monthly active users, while DeepSeek has slipped to second place with 143 million users. The achievement marks a remarkable comeback for ByteDance after DeepSeek's viral January 2025 launch temporarily overshadowed Doubao.
In a broader global context, venture capital firm a16z has ranked Doubao as the fourth-most-popular generative AI app worldwide, placing it alongside industry giants like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. This success story reveals valuable insights about what drives AI adoption: user-friendly design, social integration, and accessibility often matter more than having the most advanced AI model.
The Doubao Success Story
A Strategic Comeback
When DeepSeek became a global sensation in January 2025, shocking both Silicon Valley and the Chinese tech industry, ByteDance found itself in an unexpected position. Despite having already launched Doubao with tens of millions of users, the company watched as DeepSeek dominated headlines and captured the public's imagination virtually overnight. No one was talking about Doubao anymore.
But ByteDance, the company behind TikTok and known in China as the "app factory," leveraged its deep expertise in building viral mobile applications to engineer a comeback. By August 2025, Doubao had not only regained the top position in China but also captured nearly 40 percent of users who left DeepSeek, according to QuestMobile data.
The "Everything App" Approach
Doubao's success stems from its ambitious, sprawling strategy that combines multiple AI capabilities into a single, user-friendly platform. Unlike Western AI apps that often focus on specific functionalities, Doubao offers users "a little bit of everything":
Core Capabilities:
- Text, Audio, and Video Chat: Multimodal conversational AI with natural interactions
- Content Generation: Images, spreadsheets, presentations, and podcasts
- Video Creation: Five-second video generation capabilities
- AI Agent Platform: Customizable AI agents for specific scenarios that users can share
- Douyin Integration: Deep integration with China's TikTok for seamless content sharing
"It's like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Sora, Character.ai, TikTok, Perplexity, and more in a single app," notes WIRED's analysis of the platform. This comprehensive approach has proven particularly effective in attracting users who want an all-in-one AI solution rather than managing multiple specialized applications.
What Makes Doubao Different
Personable Design Philosophy
Unlike most popular AI chatbots that present themselves as utilitarian tools, Doubao was deliberately designed to feel personal and approachable:
Human-Centered Interface:
- Avatar: Features a human-looking cartoon character with a short bob hairstyle
- Friendly Name: "Doubao" literally translates to "steamed bun with bean paste"
- Welcoming Experience: The character greets users when they open the app
- Warm Aesthetics: Colorful, engaging interface that encourages exploration
According to ByteDance Vice President Alex Zhu, the name Doubao mimics "the nickname a user would give to an intimate friend," creating an emotional connection that distinguishes it from competitors.
Dermot McGrath, a Shanghai-based investor and technologist, observes: "There's a warmer, more welcoming feel. ChatGPT, for example, feels like a tool you open to complete a task and then close again. Doubao has more features and a more colorful user interface that keeps you interested longer."
Targeting Mass-Market Users
While DeepSeek gained reputation for excellence at math and logic tasks, appealing to technically sophisticated users, Doubao deliberately targets a broader demographic:
Accessibility Focus:
- Lower Cognitive Barriers: Clear visual cues and scenario-based guidance
- Voice-First Options: Strong emphasis on voice and video interactions
- Simplified Onboarding: Easy-to-understand interface for non-technical users
- Regional Appeal: Support for 20 different Chinese regional dialects
Irene Zhang, a researcher at ChinaTalk, notes: "It's marketed at people who are not the most technologically informed, people who may prefer voice chat and video interaction over text. Some of the earliest Doubao users I heard of were my friends' grandmothers and aunties."
The Social Virality Strategy
Designed for Sharing
ByteDance's deep expertise in creating viral content platforms shines through in Doubao's social features. The app doesn't just provide AI capabilities—it actively encourages users to share their AI-generated content on social media:
Viral Mechanisms:
- Watermark Branding: All Doubao-generated images include the Doubao watermark
- Social Platform Integration: Seamless sharing to Chinese social media platforms
- Douyin Deep Integration: Native video viewing and content tagging
- Meme Generation: Text-to-speech with regional dialects for viral audio content
Wei Sun, principal AI analyst at Counterpoint Research, explains the strategy: "It's where convenience meets dopamine, especially for young generations. It's just enough for virality. That light, low-effort user experience is exactly what drives social sharing and sticky engagement in China. It may not be the best in class, but it's best for distribution."
Everywhere on Chinese Social Media
The results of this viral strategy are visible across Chinese social media platforms. Doubao-generated images are ubiquitous, easily identified by the Doubao watermark in the bottom right corner. On RedNote (China's hottest social media platform), when users ask questions ranging from interior design advice to coding help, comment sections fill with Doubao-generated responses and visualizations.
Influencers have embraced Doubao's text-to-speech function with 20 different regional dialects, creating viral videos featuring voice-based memes and comedic content tailored to specific regional audiences. This grassroots adoption has created a self-reinforcing cycle of awareness and engagement.
Why Doubao Beat DeepSeek
The App Factory Advantage
ByteDance's success with Doubao reflects the company's institutional strengths developed over years of creating viral mobile applications:
Organizational Capabilities:
- Rapid Iteration: Fast testing and deployment of new features
- Cross-App Traffic: Driving users between different ByteDance platforms
- User Behavior Understanding: Deep insights into what makes apps sticky and engaging
- Distribution Mastery: Proven ability to grow user bases quickly
Poe Zhao, a Beijing-based tech analyst who writes Hello China Tech, positions Doubao as representing "the second generation of AI platforms in China" compared to DeepSeek's "first-generation AI app, similar to the early days of ChatGPT."
DeepSeek's Limitations
While DeepSeek gained fame for its efficient AI models and strong technical performance, the company faced challenges in the consumer product space:
Product Challenges:
- Minimalistic Interface: Still basically just a text chatbot
- Limited Multimodal Features: Lagging in image, audio, and video capabilities
- Server Stability Issues: Frequent inability to handle traffic spikes
- No Social Integration: Missing viral sharing and distribution features
- Technical Focus: Primarily appealing to AI-savvy users
Many users who initially flocked to DeepSeek during its viral moment left seeking broader functionality, with QuestMobile data showing nearly 40 percent of DeepSeek departures converging on Doubao instead.
Expansion Beyond Mobile
Ecosystem Integration
ByteDance is aggressively expanding Doubao beyond smartphones and computers into a broader technology ecosystem:
Integration Partnerships:
- Smart Glasses: Embedding Doubao into wearable devices
- Automotive: In-car assistant partnerships with carmakers including Tesla
- OEM Devices: Collaborations with various device manufacturers
- IoT Devices: Expanding into internet-of-things applications
This ecosystem approach mirrors strategies employed by major AI companies globally, from Apple's integration of AI across its device lineup to Google's Assistant presence across Android devices and smart home products.
Second-Generation AI Platforms
Evolution of AI Consumer Apps
Doubao represents an important evolution in AI application design that industry observers are calling "second-generation" AI platforms:
First-Generation Characteristics (DeepSeek, early ChatGPT):
- Text-focused interfaces
- Minimalistic design
- Model performance emphasis
- Power user orientation
Second-Generation Characteristics (Doubao):
- Rich multimodal functionality
- Clear visual cues and guidance
- Scenario-based design
- Mass-market accessibility
- Social integration
- Cross-platform presence
This generational shift reflects a maturing understanding of how to make AI accessible and valuable to mainstream consumers rather than just early adopters and technical enthusiasts.
Global Implications
The Western Awareness Gap
Despite ranking as the fourth-most-popular generative AI app globally with 157 million monthly active users, Doubao remains almost unknown in Western markets. This awareness gap highlights the increasingly bifurcated nature of the global AI industry, where Chinese and Western AI ecosystems operate largely in parallel with limited crossover.
The international version of Doubao, branded as Cici, supports 18 languages including English, but has gained little traction outside Chinese-speaking markets. This contrasts sharply with the global recognition achieved by Western AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, which have become household names worldwide.
Lessons for the AI Industry
Doubao's success offers important lessons for AI companies globally:
Key Takeaways:
- Design Matters: User-friendly interfaces can outcompete superior models
- Social Integration: Viral sharing mechanisms drive organic growth
- Accessibility: Lowering barriers to entry expands addressable markets
- Multimodal Approach: Users want comprehensive solutions, not specialized tools
- Cultural Adaptation: Success requires understanding local user preferences
As the AI industry matures, companies that balance technical capabilities with thoughtful product design, distribution strategies, and cultural sensitivity are likely to capture the largest user bases—regardless of whether they have the most advanced underlying models.
What's Next for Doubao
ByteDance continues to invest heavily in Doubao's development and expansion. The company is reportedly working on:
Future Developments:
- Enhanced multimodal capabilities
- Expanded ecosystem partnerships
- International market expansion
- Advanced AI agent features
- Deeper integration across ByteDance's product portfolio
With its strong position in the Chinese market and proven ability to drive viral adoption, Doubao is well-positioned to remain a dominant force in consumer AI applications, even as competition intensifies from both established players and new entrants.
Conclusion
ByteDance's success in making Doubao China's most popular AI chatbot—overtaking the once-dominant DeepSeek—demonstrates that in the consumer AI market, user experience, accessibility, and distribution often matter more than having the most technically advanced model. By leveraging its expertise in building viral applications, integrating social features, and targeting mass-market users, ByteDance has created a "second-generation" AI platform that sets new standards for consumer AI products.
With 157 million monthly active users and the fourth-place global ranking, Doubao proves that there are multiple paths to AI success. As the industry continues to evolve, the lessons from Doubao's rise—prioritizing user-friendly design, viral distribution, and broad accessibility—will likely influence how AI companies worldwide approach consumer product development.
For those interested in exploring AI assistants with different design philosophies, check out our coverage of ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini. To understand more about AI models and their capabilities, visit our models section, including coverage of leading Chinese models like DeepSeek V3.1, Qwen 3, GLM-4.6, and Kimi K2.
Sources
- How ByteDance Made China's Most Popular AI Chatbot - WIRED
- ByteDance's Doubao Becomes China's Leading AI Chatbot - Startup Ecosystem Canada
- QuestMobile Intelligence Data (August 2025)
- a16z Generative AI App Rankings