Made In India Arattai vs Meta's WhatsApp: What's Different And Same Between These Two Messenger Apps

The Arattai app has quickly gained traction and became a sensation within the last couple of days. Fun fact? It is not even a newly developed app! Interestingly, the app was launched back in 2021 and here we are in 2025 – witnessing the steep popularity of Arattai. A complex name to be taken, but a sky-rocketed growth that quickly became popular amongst masses. It even topped the App Store in Social Networking. But how does it fare against our year’s old chatting app — WhatsApp? Does it have potential to replace WhatsApp as your daily chatting app? Also Read: How To Use WhatsApp On 2 Phones: Quick Steps Here

Here is everything that we know about the newly famed app — Arattai and its comparison with WhatsApp. Also Read: Arattai App: India’s Swadeshi Answer To WhatsApp Gets Government Backing

Arattai vs WhatsApp: Who Launched It And When

As mentioned before, Arattai was launched in 2021 by Zoho, which was founded by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas back in 1996. On the other hand, WhatsApp was first launched globally in 2009, and it was later introduced in India in 2010. It was founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, and later it joined Facebook in 2014. So, what’s the main difference? Arattai is a “made-in-India” app, while WhatsApp is part of tech giant Meta.

Arattai vs WhatsApp: Chatting Interface

The first thing you’ll notice is how clean and simple Arattai feels. The design doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel – if you’re used to WhatsApp, you’ll feel a similar experience. Moreover, the extra sections like Meetings, Pocket, and Mentions are easy to access right from the home screen or profile.

In comparison, WhatsApp feels more familiar, but also more “basic.” Arattai’s UI adds a touch of productivity-focused design, which makes sense since it comes from Zoho, a company known for business software.

Arattai vs WhatsApp: Features

Apart from UI, Arattai comes with similar features like WhatsApp, such as: 

Meeting Section: While WhatsApp is good for quick calls, Arattai steps up with a dedicated Meetings section, just like a Google Meet within the app. The good part is that you can record meetings too, something WhatsApp still doesn’t offer.

Personal Storage: We’ve all used the “message yourself” trick on WhatsApp to save documents, reminders, or links. Arattai makes this a lot more organized with its Pocket feature, which is like a personal storage. 

Location Sharing: WhatsApp lets you share your live location for a fixed time. But what if you just want to share it until you reach your destination? That’s where Arattai comes in as it comes with ‘Till I reach’. 

Mentions Tab: Scrolling through endless group chats to find where someone tagged you? Arattai simplifies this with a Mentions page. 

Multi-Device Support: Both apps support multiple devices, but Arattai app is also available via Android TV support. Now, you might not want to text from your TV, but for joining or hosting meetings, it actually makes sense.

Security: Here’s one area where WhatsApp is still ahead of Atarrai as WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted, while Arattai is still rolling it out for text messages. However, Zoho has confirmed end-to-end encryption for messages is coming soon.