Arattai

Honest Arattai Messenger Review: A Privacy Gamble or a Worthy Contender?

Juggling multiple messaging apps, worrying about dealing with frequent crashes on slower networks?  That's where Arattai Messenger steps in. It's a cloud-based instant messaging app built specifically by Zoho for users who value simplicity. Arattai  Messenger claims to have delivered enterprise-grade features so that you can communicate easily.

But does this popular messaging alternative actually live up to its bold promises? The issue of privacy is a significant one with Arattai Messenger, as it remains a gray area for many users. While the company assures that it will not use data for monetization, the lack of default end-to-end encryption for text messages is a key concern.

Here's my honest Arattai Messenger review to help you determine whether it's worth adding to your phone or should stay in the app graveyard. Let’s begin!

Pros and Cons of Arattai

Standout Arattai Messenger Features

Among a wide range of messaging apps, Arattai Messenger is gaining huge popularity. It is built on Zoho's enterprise infrastructure and delivers everything from basic chats to advanced video conferencing without compromising security. Here's what the app offers:

1. Instant Messaging and Group Chats

The Arattai app helps you stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues through real-time text messaging. If it's a quick check-in or a detailed discussion, Arattai Messenger makes communication effortless across your devices.

2. Voice and Video Calls

Arattai Messenger helps you make audio and video calls directly within the app without switching platforms. All voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring your conversations remain private. The company even claims that it helps users enjoy high-quality connections even on lower bandwidth networks. Some of my colleagues at MobileAppDaily praised its performance on low-bandwidth networks, while others mentioned frequent call failures and disconnections.

3. Meetings with Advanced Features

With the Arattai app, you can host or join virtual meetings instantly or schedule them in advance without requiring additional software. It even lets you record your meetings for future reference and share them with participants who missed the session. 

You can also invite non-Arattai Messenger users as guests without signup requirements, and customize your meeting space with branded logos and themes for a professional touch. Moreover, Arattai Messenger allows you to join meetings on your TV through the Android TV app for an immersive, large-screen experience, supporting up to 250 participants.

4. Channels for Broadcasting

Arattai Messenger allows you to broadcast content to large audiences through dedicated channels organized around specific topics or interests. You can even assign multiple admins to manage and share relevant information while keeping content within the channel clutter-free, where only admins can post, ensuring subscribers receive quality updates. 

5. Stories

Arattai Messenger also helps you share fleeting moments with your circle through 24-hour disappearing stories like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram. You can post photos, videos, or text updates that vanish after a day - a casual way to keep loved ones updated on your daily highlights. You can even turn on notifications for specific users' stories to never miss updates from your favorite people.

6. Media and File Sharing

Send photos, videos, documents, voice notes, and files within your chats. You can even share important work documents, memorable photos, or voice messages, hassle-free.

7. Custom Stickers and Reactions

Arattai Messenger gives you access to a library of stickers through which you can express yourself beyond words. These are animated stickers, custom emojis, and quick reactions. So, you can respond instantly with emojis, and make chats more engaging and fun with expressive visual elements that bring energy and emotions alive to every message.

8. Tab for Mentions

Additionally, there’s a smart feature to even track all messages where you've been tagged in one consolidated ‘Mentions’ tab. This is inspired by workplace tools like Slack, which make it much easier to keep up with important conversations inside busy groups. It makes sure you never miss a message when someone needs your attention.

9. Location, File Sharing, and Doc Scan

Arattai Messenger even enables you to share your live location or specific locations within chats to help friends find you, coordinate meetups, or share points of interest. You can also share any file from the internal memory of your phone or even scan external files to share them further with your contacts.

10. WhatsApp Chat Import

Further, you can even import your existing WhatsApp conversations, both one-on-one and group chats, directly into Arattai Messenger. This migration feature makes switching platforms seamless, allowing you to preserve your chat history without starting from scratch.

11. Privacy and Security Controls

You can take control of your digital footprint with comprehensive privacy settings, by hiding your last seen and online status, restricting who can add you to groups, and enabling app lock for extra security. However, the app's overall security remains a gray area. Despite these controls, recent news about its privacy has questioned its reliability.

Helpful read: Best Apps for Secret Texting

Arattai Messenger Pricing

Arattai Messenger provides a simple way to communicate with friends and family, completely free of charge.

Comparing Arattai App with Its Alternatives

Arattai Messenger by Zoho competes in a crowded market dominated by long-standing giants. Here's a look at how it stacks up against its main alternatives: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.

Also read: WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram - A War Between Top Messaging Apps

MobileAppDaily’s POV on Arattai App

Arattai Messenger is a promising messaging alternative that prioritizes simplicity. It's designed to address concerns about data sovereignty and ad-based monetization. It's lightweight and works across multiple devices, including Android TV. It also brings unique features like built-in video meetings and username-based connections.

However, Arattai Messenger faces tough questions about security. Calls are end-to-end encrypted, but text messages are not fully protected, a gap that could deter privacy-focused users. Performance issues like call failures and meeting disconnections must be resolved. Overall, Arattai Messenger represents a meaningful alternative worth trying—though it's not quite ready to be one of your sole messaging apps like WhatsApp just yet.