Arattai for Business: what it is and how it works

Arattai is the messaging app built by Zoho in Chennai. It started in January 2021 as a tool for Zoho and its partners and became widely known in September 2025, when daily sign-ups jumped from about 3,000 to 350,000 in three days. In October 2026 Zoho launched Arattai for Business and the Arattai Business Platform.

Two pieces: the app and the platform

• Arattai for Business is an app that lets companies talk to customers directly, as a dedicated business channel.
• The Arattai Business Platform connects a company's existing software and automation to Arattai, through an API. This is what tools like SG Reach and Zoho CRM use.

At launch Zoho said healthcare and educational institutions get one million free messages a month, and government and public service organisations can use the platform at no charge.

What a business can send

Business messages on Arattai use approved templates, much like WhatsApp. The Business API groups them into promotions, transactions and authentications, and templates contain named variables such as a customer name or an amount. When a customer replies, the business can continue the conversation with normal text messages.

Privacy and data

Arattai hosts its data in India and rolled out end-to-end encryption for direct chats in November 2025, with group chats to follow. For businesses that care about data residency, this is often part of the appeal.

Where Arattai fits

Arattai is best treated as an additional channel, not a replacement:

• Reach customers who prefer an Indian app or do not use WhatsApp.
• Run free or low-cost messaging for schools and hospitals within the free allowance.
• Use it as a step in smart fallback: if WhatsApp cannot deliver, try Arattai before SMS.

Practical limits

New accounts on the Business API can only message a limited number of unique people per day, so large campaigns need pacing over several days. People who are not on Arattai cannot receive messages, so plan a fallback for them.

How SG Reach helps

SG Reach connects to the Arattai Business Platform over OAuth, syncs your approved templates and sends campaigns with variables mapped from your contact fields. Replies arrive in the same inbox as WhatsApp, chatbot flows answer them, and campaigns that hit the daily limit continue automatically the next day.