Zoho’s Arattai provides a seamless and secure communication experience for businesses, families, and groups, highlighted by a dramatic surge in popularity driven by privacy, multi-device support, and its made-in-India identity.

Arattai, developed by Zoho, is a secure, privacy-focused messaging app designed for seamless communication across businesses, families, and groups. Its rapid adoption, driven by end-to-end encryption, multi-device support, and user-friendly features, addresses the growing demand for trustworthy digital communication in India For the World.

The app, named after the Tamil word for "casual chat," enables secure messaging, media sharing, calls, stories, and channels. While Arattai offers end-to-end encryption on calls, it is still working to bring the same security to messages. Promoted as an indigenous "Swadeshi" alternative to global apps like WhatsApp, Arattai’s free and user-friendly interface, combined with strong government support and Zoho’s focus on privacy, has established it as a leader among India-made digital communication

Arattai Background and Adoption

Arattai, developed by Zoho Corporation, experienced a remarkable growth in user sign-ups, skyrocketing from 3,000 to 350,000 new daily users in just three days following public endorsements and a shift in preference toward homegrown, privacy-focused digital platforms. Government officials and tech industry leaders praised the app for its reliability and security, catapulting it to the top of Indian app store charts.

Arattai, a homegrown messaging app developed by Zoho, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in user traffic, with daily sign-ups skyrocketing from 3,000 to 350,000 in just three days—a 100-fold increase. This rapid growth, propelled by government endorsements and a growing preference for privacy-focused, made-in-India digital platforms, has thrust Arattai to the top of India's app store rankings. Launched in 2021 as a side project, Arattai offers a comprehensive suite of communication tools including text, voice, video calls, group chats, stories, and broadcast channels across multiple devices. While voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, chat message encryption is still being developed. Zoho is urgently expanding infrastructure and refining the app to handle the surge, aiming to solidify Arattai as a secure and user-friendly alternative to global giants like WhatsApp. Despite WhatsApp's dominance with over 500 million users in India, Arattai's growth highlights a significant shift towards digital sovereignty and privacy-conscious communication. The app's future success will depend on scalability, infrastructure stability, and full implementation of privacy protections.

Arattai Features and Use Cases

It supports text messaging, voice and video calls, media sharing, stories, and channels. The app features end-to-end encryption for calls but is still working on encrypting text messages fully. Boosted by endorsements from government ministers and India's growing demand for digital sovereignty, Arattai has rapidly gained popularity, topping app store rankings. However, while it offers strong privacy features and multi-device support, it has yet to fully match WhatsApp’s encryption capabilities. Arattai’s identity as a Swadeshi platform, combined with its commitment to not monetizing user data, positions it as a promising challenger in India’s messaging app market, though replacing WhatsApp remains challenging.

• Businesses benefit from Arattai’s group chat, broadcast channels, document sharing, and the promise that personal data is not monetized or used for advertising.

• Families and personal groups enjoy seamless text, voice, and video calls, animated stickers, and stories, making staying connected easy and fun.

• The platform supports up to 1,000 participants in group chats, multi-device sync, and is accessible on Android, iOS, desktop, and even Android TV, making it flexible for various user needs.

Arattai Security and Privacy Focus

Central to Arattai’s value proposition is end-to-end encryption for calls and a strong stance on privacy, ensuring user data remains confidential. Although chat message encryption is still being refined, Zoho's refusal to monetize user data sets Arattai apart from global competitors, which is appealing especially in the context of growing digital sovereignty concerns in India.

Arattai Impact and Limitations

Arattai’s ascent has led to rapid infrastructure expansion and highlighted the importance of scalable backend systems in the face of exponential user growth. While it is seen as a potential challenger to established apps like WhatsApp due to its privacy-first approach and local roots, full end-to-end encryption for all messages is still a work in progress, which is a key area for further development.

Arattai, the messaging app from Zoho, has seen meteoric growth with a 100-fold surge in signups, partly fueled by calls for “swadeshi” products and government endorsements. It climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store and is approaching the top ranks on Google Play. Arattai offers features like end-to-end encrypted calls, secret chats, channels, stories, and support for instant meetings and Android TV. However, it lacks end-to-end message encryption by default, making full WhatsApp replacement challenging. Amid rising concerns over spam and privacy on WhatsApp, Arattai’s promise of better privacy, nationalistic appeal, and user-friendly experience has drawn attention. Still, the real test lies in scaling infrastructure, matching WhatsApp’s reliability, and overcoming entrenched network effects to foster daily usage among India’s billions of messaging users.

Conclusion

Arattai’s case demonstrates how a combination of government support, privacy focus, and user-friendly features can rapidly boost adoption of a homegrown app for both personal and business communication. Its journey continues as Zoho strengthens infrastructure and works to match global competitors in privacy and security standards.

Arattai's explosive rise is igniting a new wave of digital community-building among Indians who value "local-first" technology. Beyond messaging, its platform is quickly evolving into a safe space for grassroots creators and micro-communities keen to connect without intrusive algorithms or ads. Unlike global counterparts, Arattai can seamlessly integrate with India's regional startups, offering potential for collaboration—imagine automated farmer updates, local commerce, and educational content bundled directly into chat channels. If this trajectory continues, Arattai could shape digital citizenship by giving users not only secure chats but tools to empower local voices, businesses, and social causes, helping to transform messaging apps from mere utilities into engines of social innovation and self-reliance.