Launched in 2021, Arattai Is Gaining Mainstream Attention, Thanks to the Government’s Push For ‘Made In India’ Products

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Arattai, a messaging app by Chennai-based technology firm Zoho Corporation, is currently making waves with a massive growth in daily sign-ups from 3,000 a day to an astonishing 350,000, within just three days. From social media buzz to smart positioning, this spyware-free alternative to WhatsApp is also getting support from users and the government alike.

This ingenious messaging platform has reached a major milestone by climbing to the top of the Social Networking category on the App Store.

More About India’s Homegrown Messaging App

Launched as a side project in 2021, the messaging app is now gaining unprecedented mainstream traction. Arattai, which is synonymous with "casual chat" in the Tamil language, is designed for everyday communication. According to Zoho Corporation, “Arattai enables users to send text and voice messages, make audio and video calls, share photos, videos, and documents, post stories, and create group chats, all within a secure and user-friendly interface.”

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“We have faced a 100x increase in Arattai traffic in 3 days (new sign-ups went vertical from 3K/day to 350K/day). We are adding infrastructure on an emergency basis for another potential 100x peak surge. That is how exponentials work,” wrote Zoho co-founder and Chief Scientist, Sridhar Vembu, in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).

Future Plans for Arattai 

Sridhar Vembu confirmed that the company is rapidly scaling up infrastructure to cope with the explosive growth. “We are adding infrastructure on an emergency basis for another potential 100x peak surge. That is how exponentials work,” he said on X. He also revealed that the surge in users had arrived months ahead of the company’s planned November marketing campaign and feature rollout.

Endorsement by Union Minister

In the wake of India's effort to push indigenous 'swadeshi' products, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently endorsed the 'Made in India' Arattai app as an alternative to other similar apps, including WhatsApp.

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"Arattai instant messaging app developed by @Zoho is free, easy-to-use, secure, safe and 'Made in India'. Guided by Honourable PM Shri @narendramodi ji's call to adopt Swadeshi, I appeal to everyone to switch to India-made apps to stay connected with friends and family," Pradhan wrote on X.

Separately, Union IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also mentioned Zoho's products in a Cabinet briefing, citing a government presentation created using Zoho Show rather than Microsoft PowerPoint.

How is Arattai different from WhatsApp?

The conversation over Arattai call is end-to-end encrypted, but not end-to-end encrypted messaging, which, many experts believe, might be a turn-off for privacy-focused users.

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With its rapid growth in popularity and strong support from both the government and tech leaders, Arattai might be a stepping stone in redefining India’s digital communication landscape.