Arattai is no longer as popular as it used to be. Based on the recent listings on Google Play, the homegrown messaging app developed by Sridhar Vembu’s Zoho is now out of the top 100 apps list, thus hinting at a lost momentum for the platform that was experiencing a surging trend a month ago.
The app, which promises to be developed indigenously, caught momentum in September 2025 after PM Modi called on the nation to adopt locally developed products as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat agenda. Arattai has been around since 2021, a year when Meta’s WhatsApp got entangled in controversy owing to a change in privacy policies.
Arattai drops down the ranks on app stores
The decline marks a sobering setback for Zoho, which positioned Arattai as a secure, feature-rich alternative to foreign-owned communication apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. The name Arattai, which means “chitchat” in Tamil, suggested a lightweight, casual experience. It was initially released as a test pilot in late 2020 and officially launched in early 2021. The app saw an initial surge, driven primarily by Zoho’s massive employee base and a public keen on supporting domestic technology. It successfully hit a peak of over a quarter million users shortly after its debut, briefly featuring in the top ranks of the ‘Social Networking’ category.
However, the initial traction was insufficient to build critical mass. Unlike market leaders, which have had over a decade to solidify their user bases and network effects, latecomers like Arattai face a huge hurdle, which was getting users to convince their entire social circle to switch platforms.
Compared to the competition, Arattai offers features including end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, and user data stored entirely in India. However, it lacked something as basic as end-to-end encryption for text messaging, which has been reportedly under development since the past month.
Arattai to get many ambitious features.
Based on the frequent updates from Sridhar Vembu, Zoho’s Arattai is now reportedly focusing on its integration with other Zoho business products, with one of them being the upcoming Zoho Pay app. Other than being a standalone app, the payment service, which will include UPI payment, will be integrated with the chat window.
Neither Zoho nor its Chief Scientist, Sridhar Vembu have commented publicly on the matter.
