Zoho is making major moves to challenge Big Tech. Recently, its homegrown messaging app, Arattai, surged to 7.5 million downloads across both app stores as of October 3, 2025. The company has simultaneously entered the competitive workplace market with the launch of Vani, a new AI-powered collaboration platform designed to rival established players like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.Sridhar Vembu, Co-founder, Zoho Corporation, said in a post that Vani “represents many years of R&D” and that customers are already “using it and loving it”.“In other news, we have launched Vani, which does fresh thinking on team collaboration. We call Vani the all-in-one, visual-first intelligent platform,” he said, while also sharing a video explaining the product.“Vani sparks creativity! It represents many years of R&D and we already have customers using it and loving it. Please try it with your team (Vani is desktop/browser only right now, mobile will come in due course),” Vembu added.
What is Vani
According to Zoho, Vani is an intelligent, visual-first platform designed to provide a cohesive approach to workplace collaboration and creativity. The announcement, made on October 1, 2025, positions Vani as a tool to shift teams away from static applications toward dynamic, value-driven workspaces.The company said that Vani aims to streamline workflows by bringing brainstorming, planning, and innovation into a single shared infinite canvas. This includes tools for whiteboards, flowcharts, diagrams, mind mapping, and video calling, all integrated with existing data from a user’s desktop, cloud drives, and spreadsheets.
Key features of the Vani platform
Vani is built around several innovative features designed to enhance team efficiency and focus. These include: Space and Zone model: This structure provides organisation for complex projects. A Space serves as the overall project canvas, while Zones are sub-canvases used to segment work by contributor, function, or phase.Templates and kits: The platform includes an extensive library of templates and kits to accelerate workflow. Mind mapping tools: Teams can quickly brainstorm, organise, and visually connect raw ideas into structured plans.AI capabilities: Artificial intelligence (AI) is woven into the workflow, enabling users to instantly generate content and structured visuals like flowcharts, the company said, adding that summary tools also provide quick insights across entire Zones or specific elements within the canvas.
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