Arattai: The Made-in-India Messenger from Zoho Challenging WhatsApp

Arattai, which means "casual conversation" in Tamil, is India’s rapidly rising messaging app, developed by the renowned Zoho Corporation. As digital privacy and data sovereignty become top national priorities, Arattai isn’t just another chat app—it’s a statement of India’s push for homegrown, secure, and user-focused digital solutions.

What is Arattai?

Arattai is a free instant messaging and calling app aimed at both everyday chats and productivity features. Unlike mainstream messengers, Arattai lets you sign up without a mobile number—using just a unique username—so your privacy is protected from the start. The platform offers personal chats, group messaging, smart meeting links, media storage, and is optimized for low-bandwidth, making it accessible in both cities and rural areas.

Who Started Arattai?

Launched by Sridhar Vembu and Zoho’s engineering team, Arattai was born from the vision that India deserves a messaging solution built for its own needs. Zoho, a homegrown tech giant known for business apps and a privacy-first philosophy, soft-launched Arattai during the pandemic in 2021. Thanks to millions of dollars in R&D and relentless feedback-driven improvements, it has now crossed 7.5 million downloads in 2025, gaining endorsements from public figures and rapid word-of-mouth spread.

How is Zoho Backing Arattai?

• Engineering Backbone: Arattai benefits from Zoho’s two decades of secure, scalable cloud technology and multi-language UI expertise.
• Local Data Commitment: All user data is kept on Indian servers, never sold, and never used for ads, countering privacy worries that surround foreign-owned apps.
• Agile Feature Development: Continuous upgrades bring new features such as audio/video call encryption, personal cloud, group mentions, meeting links, and even Android TV support.
• Active Community Engagement: Zoho leadership, including Sridhar Vembu, actively seeks feedback on social platforms and is focused on Indian user needs over global market trends.

Standout Features

• No Phone Number Needed: Create your account using just a username, keeping your personal phone number private.
• Multi-Device Access: Use Arattai on mobile, web, and even smart TVs.
• Ad-Free, Light, Local: Fast, uncluttered, and adapted for Indian languages and Bharat-tier phones.
• Productivity Tools: Meetings, personal cloud for media and notes, “Mentions” tab for group chats, and more.
• Ongoing Improvements: End-to-end encryption for text chats is planned, adding to existing audio/video end-to-end encryption.

How Arattai Is Challenging WhatsApp in India

• Privacy First: No data monetization, local servers, and user control—countering Meta/WhatsApp’s controversial privacy changes.
• Username Registration: Giving users the ability to chat without exposing their phone numbers, a feature WhatsApp doesn’t offer.
• Pocket-Friendly Design: Handles weak data signals and entry-level smartphones seamlessly, unlike bloated foreign apps.
• Customization for India: Language options, rural support, and features actually requested by Indian users, not global one-size-fits-all updates.
• Community & Advocacy: Government voices and tech influencers are urging citizens to “go local,” which has supercharged Arattai’s viral adoption and shaped it as a national digital success story.

Recent 2025 Milestones

• 7.5 million downloads and growing, with daily signups surging from 3,000 to over 350,000.
• Business and government trials in progress; plans for Zoho enterprise suite integration.
• New performance upgrades and TV support, keeping Arattai at the forefront of accessible, secure messaging.

Conclusion

Arattai is boldly taking on WhatsApp by meeting India where it is: privacy-conscious, language-diverse, and eager for locally managed, user-focused tech. With strong engineering, no-ads policy, rapid updates, and support from both users and influencers, Arattai’s rise is redefining what Indian messaging apps can achieve on a global stage.