Can Made-In-India Arattai Replace WhatsApp? 5 Features That Set It Apart

For years, WhatsApp held an unshakable monopoly in the messaging space, with over half a billion active users in India. Now, Arattai, a made-in-India messaging app developed by Zoho Corp, is emerging as a tough competitor.

Launched as an alternative to WhatsApp, Arattai offers several standout features that distinguish it from its competitors.

5 features that make Arattai outshine:

1. Pocket: There are times you want to save important information but aren't sure where to store it. On WhatsApp, many users create a personal group just to save messages or notes. Arattai has eliminated this hassle by launching a Pocket feature, acting as users' personal cloud storage. You can save messages and revisit them later, share media from external apps, and even add notes for personal reference. The best part is that this storage can be accessed seamlessly across devices.
2. No Forced AI: WhatsApp had recently introduced Meta AI integration, which many users found distracting and unneeded. There is no way to turn it off. But, as of now, Arattai has not imposed this AI feature on users, keeping the experience seamless and smooth.
3. Meetings: WhatsApp is often seen as an informal tool for work-related chats, but most people still switch to Google Meet or Zoom for proper meetings. Arattai has launched a feature called Meetings, which lets users create instant meetings, join ongoing ones, or schedule them directly from the app without the need for downloading an additional app. The option is easily accessible from the bottom dock.
4. Mentions: On WhatsApp, mentions in group chats can sometimes get lost in the flood of notifications. Arattai solves this issue by launching a Mentions tab, similar to Slack. Every time you're mentioned in a conversation, it gets neatly listed in one place, making it easy to track and respond without missing anything important.
5. No Ads: One of Arattai's strongest selling points is its ad-free experience. The app assures users that their data will not be used for commercial purposes, unlike WhatsApp's parent company, Meta, which shares user data for targeted advertising. Arattai also stores all user data in Indian data centres. While voice and video calls on Arattai are end-to-end encrypted, plain text messages are not yet fully encrypted, unlike WhatsApp's complete end-to-end encryption.