‘Arattai is just another WhatsApp copy. Nothing new,’ says OkCredit CEO; netizens hit back

A heated debate has erupted on LinkedIn after OkCredit CEO Harsh Pokharna criticised Zoho’s messaging platform Arattai, calling it “just another WhatsApp copy” with “no real innovation.”

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Pokharna, in a LinkedIn post, said Arattai’s recent surge in popularity, with traffic jumping from 3,000 to 350,000 daily sign-up, was more about marketing than disruption.

“Arattai is just another WhatsApp copy. Nothing new. No real innovation, except the emotion ‘it’s made in India,’” he wrote, adding that users switch apps only when “the product is 10x better.”

He further called the app’s growth as a PR move designed to keep Zoho in the spotlight. 

“Let’s be real. This isn’t about beating WhatsApp. This is about staying in the news. It’s a PR play,” Pokharna said, arguing that Arattai’s surge in downloads was unlikely to dent WhatsApp’s dominance.

“Every headline, every tweet, every ‘Made in India’ cheer - pushes Zoho’s brand up. And that feeds Zoho’s real businesses - B2B products like HR, Mail, etc - that actually make money. So yeah, Arattai’s traffic may crash servers. But it won’t shake WhatsApp. Because It’s not a revolution. It’s a marketing campaign,” he said.

“And no matter how strong the hype gets, patriotism can’t beat product-market fit,” he added.

Netizens reaction

However, Pokharna’s remarks triggered widespread backlash from users defending Arattai’s Made-in-India ethos.

Several users countered the criticism, saying local alternatives often begin as “clones” before evolving into independent products.

“Would you ask the same question to people in China who use WeChat instead of WhatsApp or in Russia who use Yandex instead of Google?” a user wrote, calling Arattai a “great step in the right direction.”

“Everyone’s calling Arattai a failed “WhatsApp clone.”but that’s the wrong lens; Zoho never plays consumer games. They build trust funnels, not chat apps. every Zoho product is a moat to protect the core; privacy, sovereignty, and enterprise credibility. Arattai isn’t about replacing WhatsApp. It’s Zoho’s signal to the state, experiment with infra, and insurance against platform dependency,” another expressed.

“Calling it a WhatsApp copy misses the point. What Zoho’s doing is proof that Indian companies can build, launch, and dare to compete in spaces we usually avoid,” a third noted.

In response, Pokharna clarified that his comment was not meant to dismiss Indian startups but to emphasize the importance of innovation alongside replication. He said that while he supports Indian companies like Arattai for building in challenging spaces, he believes innovation must accompany such efforts for them to succeed globally.

“Harsh reality is oneday WhatsApp will be dead like all other dead social media companies. It is all about time. Arattai may not replace, that doesn't mean it is not replacable. There are many countries in the world where WhatsApp doesn't exist today. WhatsApp is a social menance, but it has integrated well. Govt can make it obsolete in one day, but there are sleeper cells, western agent and our own politicians who are keeping it alive. But history will change. So no need to glorify WhatsApp or underestimate Arattai,”