The Rise and Fall of Hike: India’s First Homegrown Rival to WhatsApp That Couldn't Survive
Before Zoho’s Arattai emerged as a strong contender to WhatsApp in India, there was another ambitious Indian app that once aimed to challenge the global messaging giant — Hike Messenger. Launched with great fanfare and hailed as the country’s answer to WhatsApp, Hike eventually faded into obscurity and was officially shut down. But what went wrong with this once-promising homegrown app?
Let’s take a closer look at how Hike went from India’s WhatsApp challenger to a cautionary tale in the startup ecosystem.
A Bold Beginning That Sparked Hope
When Hike Messenger was launched, it generated immense excitement among Indian users who wanted a “Made in India” messaging platform. Backed by Bharti Enterprises and led by Kavin Bharti Mittal, son of telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal, Hike promised to deliver a uniquely Indian experience with features tailored for local users.
The app offered offline messaging via SMS, regional language stickers, news updates, and private chat options — all in one platform. During its peak, Hike had over 100 million users and was seen as India’s best shot at breaking WhatsApp’s monopoly.
However, just a few years later, the same app that once inspired national pride quietly disappeared from the digital landscape.
The Fall: From Messaging to Gaming, Then Shutdown
In 2021, Hike’s CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal announced that the company would pivot from messaging to real-money gaming. The app was rebranded to focus on online games and digital entertainment. For a brief period, it managed to attract attention, but things soon took a turn.
As the Indian government tightened regulations around online gaming, particularly real-money formats, Hike’s new model became unsustainable. Mittal eventually confirmed that the company would shut down operations, citing “market challenges and regulatory hurdles.”
In a LinkedIn post, he explained that continuing to invest in the gaming model was no longer viable given the evolving rules. The dream of reviving Hike in a new form came to an end.
Why Hike Failed to Compete with WhatsApp
Despite its innovative features and strong funding, Hike could never truly replace WhatsApp for most users. Here are the key reasons behind its downfall:
1. Complex User Interface
While WhatsApp focused on simplicity and speed, Hike overloaded its app with multiple features — stickers, news, payments, games, and more. This “super app” approach made it cluttered and confusing for users who simply wanted a fast, easy messaging experience.
2. Lack of Network Effect
In messaging apps, success depends on who else is using it. WhatsApp already had a massive user base, and Hike couldn’t attract enough people to switch platforms. Without that network effect, its growth stagnated.
3. Trying to Do Too Much
Hike tried to become India’s version of WeChat, combining messaging, payments, and entertainment. But in trying to do everything, it failed to do one thing perfectly — messaging. This lack of focus weakened its core product.
4. Competition and Market Timing
By the time Hike entered the market, WhatsApp had already cemented its dominance. Its clean interface, reliable performance, and global reach made it the default choice for messaging across all age groups.
Lessons from Hike’s Journey
Hike’s story serves as a reminder that even strong funding, patriotic sentiment, and innovative ideas can’t guarantee success without clarity of purpose and user-centric design.
Kavin Bharti Mittal himself reflected on this, admitting that Hike perhaps tried to do too much at once, and in the process, lost the simplicity that made WhatsApp so appealing.
Despite its fall, Hike paved the way for other Indian tech companies like Zoho to dream big. Today, Zoho’s Arattai is gaining traction as India’s next big hope to rival WhatsApp — but with a sharper focus and lessons learned from Hike’s missteps.
The Bottom Line
The journey of Hike — from India’s most promising startup to a discontinued app — is both inspiring and instructive. It showed that Indian entrepreneurs could take on global tech giants, but also underscored the importance of focus, simplicity, and adaptability in product design.
As Arattai rises to carry forward the dream of a truly Indian messaging platform, Hike remains a key chapter in India’s digital history — a story of ambition, innovation, and lessons learned the hard way.
