Zoho’s messaging app Arattai is emerging as a serious alternative to WhatsApp in India.
While the app already provides end-to-end encryption for calls, encryption for chat messages is set to roll out soon.
Unlike WhatsApp, Arattai offers features such as personal cloud storage for messages, media, and notes across devices, the ability to schedule and join meetings directly within the app, and no forced AI integration.
“End-to-end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users. In case of a back up, the encrypted device data is backed up but no server-level features are provided (unlike Zoho Cliq),” Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu explained on X on Wednesday.
The move aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for ‘Swadeshi’ or self-reliance, encouraging the use of Made-in-India products to boost economic growth and innovation, particularly in response to US tariffs.
“Zoho Cliq, from which Arattai started, keeps data in cloud storage because business users and admins need search, filtering, archiving, integration and other functions. We are actually turning off that cloud storage in Arattai to offer end-to-end encrypted chat. That is in testing right now. We were going to roll it out in November and we have accelerated the schedule now,” Vembu added.
Arattai has experienced explosive growth. Downloads crossed 7.5 million as of early October 2025.
Daily sign-ups jumped from 3,500 to as high as 350,000 in a single day, reported India Today.
It received endorsements from Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Piyush Goyal, and Dharmendra Pradhan. Indian industrialist Anand Mahindra shared on X that he had downloaded Arattai "with pride" and wished it success.
The app had a soft launch in 2021 and was little known until the government push highlighted it. Its rise is closely linked to India’s drive for self-reliance, as the country grapples with the impact of steep US trade tariffs.
Despite the surge in downloads, Arattai still lags far behind WhatsApp, which dominates India with an estimated 500 million monthly active users, reported BBC.
For millions of Indians, WhatsApp remains central to communication, used for everything from sending bulk greetings to running businesses.