Move over WhatsApp: Zoho’s Arattai is bringing end-to-end encryption and homegrown power to Indian chats
Zoho’s homegrown messaging app Arattai, led by co-founder Sridhar Vembu, is set to roll out end-to-end encryption for text messages, positioning itself as a privacy-first Indian alternative to WhatsApp.
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Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu said the company’s homegrown messaging app Arattai will soon offer end-to-end encryption for text messages, expanding a feature currently available only for voice and video calls.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Vembu said the new encryption system is in the testing phase and could be introduced sooner than planned. “We were going to roll it out in November and we have accelerated the schedule now,” he wrote.
Vembu explained that the shift to end-to-end encryption would also reduce costs for Zoho by limiting the amount of data stored on its servers. “End-to-end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users,” he said.
Zoho’s business messaging platform, Cliq, which served as the foundation for Arattai, stores data in the cloud to enable features such as search, archiving and integration. But those functions will be turned off in Arattai to prioritize privacy. “We are actually turning off that cloud storage in Arattai to offer end-to-end encrypted chat,” Vembu noted.
End to end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users. In case of back up, the encrypted device data is backed up but no server level features are…
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 8, 2025
A Homegrown Alternative to WhatsApp
Launched by Zoho during the pandemic, Arattai — which means “chat” in Tamil — has been marketed as a homegrown alternative to WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging app that dominates the market.
While Arattai has lagged behind WhatsApp in encryption support, it offers several features designed to differentiate it from global rivals. One is Pocket, a built-in personal cloud that lets users store messages, media and notes for access across multiple devices — eliminating the need for workarounds like self-chat groups.
The app also avoids AI-driven integrations. In contrast to WhatsApp’s recent addition of Meta AI, which some users found intrusive, Arattai has opted for a simpler, AI-free experience.
Another notable feature is Meetings, which allows users to create, join or schedule video calls directly within the app, removing the need for separate services such as Zoom or Google Meet.
Zoho, one of India’s most successful software companies, has long positioned itself as an independent challenger to global technology giants like Microsoft, Google and Salesforce. With Arattai, it hopes to bring the same competitive spirit to the messaging space — this time, with privacy as its biggest selling point.
![“We should protect that [Tata culture] ferociously. The day we lose that… the day we decide to cheat or do something that benefits us and not the customer, we will have lost a very important asset,” late Ratan Tata had said.](https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2023/08/Ratan-Tata-1019x573.jpg?impolicy=website&width=645&height=363 "“We should protect that [Tata culture] ferociously. The day we lose that… the day we decide to cheat or do something that benefits us and not the customer, we will have lost a very important asset,” late Ratan Tata had said.")
