The Buzz Around Arattai
India loves a good WhatsApp killer story. After Koo came Arattai, Zoho’s desi chat app. But while ministers cheer and headlines roar, the question remains: does Arattai actually protect your privacy, or just wave the flag?
And when it comes to messaging apps, privacy and security are what matter, not just patriotism or hype.
What’s in the App?
Arattai feels instantly familiar. If you’ve used WhatsApp, you’ll know the drill:
- Text and multimedia chats
- Voice and video calls (E2EE)
- Stories, Channels, and Groups (up to 1,000 people)
- Multi-device sync (up to 5 devices + Android TV)
- A nifty “Pocket” vault for self-chats
The real differentiators: ad-free experience, India-only data hosting, and a focus on regional language inclusivity.
The Privacy Puzzle
Here’s where things get messy:
- Calls are safe: Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted.
- Texts are not: Regular messages are not end-to-end encrypted (yet). That means Arattai, or anyone with server access could technically read them.
“With end-to-end encryption, only you and the person you’re talking to can read the message. Without it, the app provider could, in theory, peek at your chats.”
- Metadata collection: Arattai collects your phone number, device ID, IP, and diagnostics. Even if they can’t read your texts, knowing who you talk to, when, and where you are paints a very intimate picture of your life.
- India-only servers: Sounds patriotic and sovereign, but let’s be clear—data stored only in India is still vulnerable to government overreach through lawful access requests.
Key gap: Until chats get audited end-to-end encryption, Arattai lags behind WhatsApp (yes, even with all its Meta baggage) and Signal.
Features: Arattai vs. Competitors
The Bigger Picture
Why does Arattai matter? Because it signals a growing push for digital self-reliance in India. It’s built by Zoho, a respected, bootstrapped company known for not bowing to investors or ad revenue. That’s a big plus compared to Big Tech giants whose profits depend on your data.
But let’s not give Zoho a free pass. Unlike Signal, Arattai is not open-source. Unlike WhatsApp, it doesn’t publish transparency reports. So the question is: why should we trust Zoho more than Meta? Being Indian and ad-free doesn’t automatically make it more private.
And about the India-only servers claim: yes, it reduces cross-border risks. But it also means your data falls entirely under Indian jurisdiction, where government overreach and surveillance are very real risks. Sovereignty cuts both ways.
Should You Try It?
If you:
- Want an ad-free Indian messenger,
- Care about data staying in India, and
- Don’t mind that your texts aren’t fully locked down yet,
…then yes, Arattai is worth experimenting with.
If you:
- Need ironclad privacy,
- Don’t trust promises without audits and transparency reports, and
- Want a mature global user base,
…stick to Signal for privacy and WhatsApp for convenience—for now.
Final Word
Arattai is refreshing, patriotic, and promising, but unfinished. Calls are secure, the app is ad-free, and Zoho has the credibility to back it up. But without full encryption for texts, no transparency reports, and no open-source code, it can’t yet compete with Signal’s privacy guarantees or even WhatsApp’s default protections.
Verdict: Arattai is not a WhatsApp killer (yet). It’s more like WhatsApp Lite with Indian servers. Keep an eye on it, but keep your sensitive conversations elsewhere until Zoho delivers on its encryption promises.