Over the past week, Indian messaging app Arattai has become a phenomenon, topping app store lists and heralding a new era for the domestic tech revolution.
Record-Breaking Surge in Sign-ups
According to Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu, Arattai saw its daily sign-ups explode from around 3,000 to 350,000 — a 100× increase within just three days. This massive influx of users has stretched the app’s infrastructure, prompting Zoho to quickly ramp up server capacity and invest in scaling operations.
Why the Surge?
Several factors appear to be driving Arattai’s rapid adoption:
Homegrown & Swadeshi Appeal: With India placing greater importance on technological self-reliance, Arattai is viewed as an indigenous alternative to international apps such as WhatsApp.
Government Endorsement: Prominent government leaders have openly endorsed or embraced Arattai. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called it “free, secure, and safe.” Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also recently on-boarded, adding yet another credibility boost.
Technical Design for All Devices: Zoho has highlighted that Arattai works well even on low-end phones and in low-bandwidth networks — a key benefit in much of India.
Privacy Promise: Arattai keeps user data in India and already provides end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls. But complete encryption for text messages is still in the works.
Features & Limitations
Arattai offers several of the standard features: 1-to-1 and group chat, sharing media, voice and video calls, stories, and broadcast Channels. However, compared to WhatsApp’s older ecosystem, it does not yet have default end-to-end encryption of messages — something users expect.
Due to this shortfall, some users concerned about privacy are still cautious. Zoho has indicated that work on full message encryption is in progress.
Can Arattai Replace WhatsApp?
In spite of its momentum, Arattai has an uphill task. WhatsApp has strong network effects — billions already on the platform, business systems that are integrated, and entrenched user habit. According to analysts, though Arattai might not completely displace WhatsApp, it can find a niche with users concerned about data sovereignty, national identity, and privacy.
Much will depend on:
1. Feature parity — making Arattai as feature-packed and dependable as WhatsApp
2. Scalability and stability — preventing crashes, lag, or downtime
3. Trust & security — particularly after they implement full message encryption
4. User adoption momentum — persuading people to invite their social networks along
Download Arattai App: https://www.arattai.in/
