Homegrown Arattai hits top spot on app store: What it is and how it works

Developed by Chennai-based Zoho Corporation, messaging app Arattai has topped the App Store as daily sign-ups surged from 3,000 to 350,000

Homegrown messaging app 'Arattai' has surged to the top of the Social Networking category on the App Store. Developed by Chennai-based Zoho Corporation, the app is being promoted as India’s own messaging solution. Arattai was launched in January 2021, shortly after WhatsApp announced changes to its privacy policy.

 

We’re officially #1 in Social Networking on the App Store!  Big thanks to every single Arattai user for making this possible. ????#StayConnected #Arattai pic.twitter.com/gqxPW108Nq

— Arattai (@Arattai) September 27, 2025

  Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently encouraged users to try Arattai, highlighting its Indian origin.

 

"Arattai instant messaging app developed by Zoho is free, easy-to-use, secure, safe and made in India. Guided by Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji's call to adopt Swadeshi, I appeal to everyone to switch to India-made apps," Pradhan wrote on X.

 

 

What is Arattai?

 

The name Arattai means 'casual chat' in Tamil. Much like WhatsApp, it offers a range of features:

 

• Text and voice messaging

• Voice and video calls

• Sharing of photos, videos and documents

• Stories, groups and channels

• Multi-device support across smartphones, tablets and desktops (up to five devices)

• Importing conversations from other chat platforms

 

While Arattai provides end-to-end encryption for calls, messages do not yet have the same level of protection. End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and receiver can access content, preventing third-party interception.

 

Who can use Arattai?

 

The app is accessible to everyone. It is available for download on both Android (Google Play Store) and iOS (Apple App Store). Users can start using it by registering with their mobile number.

 

The app has seen a 100-fold increase in traffic in just three days. Daily new sign-ups surged from 3,000 to 350,000.

 

"We are adding infrastructure on an emergency basis to handle another potential 100x peak surge. That is how exponentials work. As we add more infrastructure, we are also fine-tuning and updating the code to fix issues as they arise. We have all-hands-on-deck working flat out," Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu said in a post on X. 

 

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.  As we add a lot more infrastructure, we are…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) September 28, 2025

  Developed by Zoho Corporation

 

Arattai is developed by Zoho Corporation. Founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas, the Chennai-based company offers more than 55 business applications across email, CRM, HR, accounting and project management.