Zoho’s Arattai Falls Out of Top 100 Apps on Google Play as WhatsApp and Telegram Surge Ahead

After months of growing visibility and a wave of patriotic adoption, Zoho Corporation’s messaging app Arattai has slipped out of the top 100 apps list on the Google Play Store, signaling waning user momentum for the homegrown platform once touted as India’s answer to WhatsApp.

Developed by Sridhar Vembu, the founder and CEO of Zoho, Arattai—meaning “chitchat” in Tamil—had positioned itself as a secure, indigenous messaging alternative aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) movement. The app saw renewed attention in September 2025, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to adopt locally developed digital products.

From National Buzz to Declining Rankings

Arattai was initially launched in early 2021, shortly after Meta’s WhatsApp privacy policy controversy triggered massive backlash and spurred interest in domestic apps. The Zoho-backed platform quickly gained traction, surpassing 250,000 users and breaking into the top social networking charts.

However, the recent data indicates that the app has since lost its upward trajectory. While foreign rivals such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal continue to dominate download charts, Arattai’s ranking has steadily declined—now falling out of the top 100 apps on Google Play in India.

Industry experts attribute this to limited network effects, a lack of differentiating features, and the challenge of convincing users to migrate from entrenched messaging ecosystems.

Challenges and Limitations

Arattai offers a suite of features including:

• Voice and video calling,
• Encrypted messaging, and
• Data storage within India, emphasizing privacy and sovereignty.

Despite these advantages, the app reportedly did not support full end-to-end encryption for text chats until recently, a missing feature that likely hurt user confidence in comparison to WhatsApp’s mature encryption system.

The app’s growth, initially bolstered by Zoho’s large employee base and digital patriotism, appears to have plateaued without mass adoption beyond its early supporters.

Future Plans and Integration

Zoho’s founder Sridhar Vembu has continued to update users about the app’s roadmap. Arattai is now shifting its focus toward business integration—particularly within the Zoho ecosystem.

A major upcoming feature is Zoho Pay, a UPI-based payment service that will integrate directly into Arattai’s chat interface, allowing users to send and receive payments within the messaging window.

Zoho is also exploring ways to combine Arattai with its enterprise tools, potentially making it a productivity-focused communication hub rather than a mainstream social messaging app.

The Bigger Picture

While Arattai’s fall from the top charts marks a temporary setback, it highlights the broader challenge facing India’s “Made in India” digital platforms — competing against global tech giants with vast user networks and entrenched ecosystems.

As of now, WhatsApp remains the undisputed leader, followed by Telegram and Google Messages, while Arattai’s journey reflects the uphill climb for local innovators in a crowded messaging market.