TikTok rival Chingari app sets cyberspace on fire with massive downloads

Chingari app, an Indian rival to Chinese TikTok, has witnessed lakhs of downloads and over 2 million views per hour after the government banned 59 Chinese apps over security concerns.

Founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, Chingari was trending at the top spot on Google Play Store.

Not just the public, the app has been given a thumbs-up by investors also. "As Chingari is setting new benchmarks, a lot of investors are showing interest in our app. We are holding crucial discussions to get a good investor(s) on board so as to scale up our free-of-cost social platform," Nayak said in a statement.

Industrialist Anand Mahindra, an active social media user, "who never used TikTok" has downloaded Chingari and tweeted about it, saying "More power to you".

Chingari, which is available in many Indian languages – English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu – allows a user to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content, and browse through feed. A Chingari user gets the opportunity to get creative with WhatsApp status, videos, audio clips, GIF stickers, and photos. It is available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Sumit Ghosh, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Chinagri App, welcomed the government's decision to ban Chinese apps. Ghosh said: "For a very long time, TikTok has been spying on users and sending back the data to China. We are happy that this step has finally been taken."

"Since the word spread that Indians now have a homegrown and more entertaining alternative to TikTok, we have been recording traffic beyond expectations on our app," said Nayak.

Chingari also pays its users based on how viral the content creator's video becomes. For each video a user uploads on the app, the content creator gets points per view and these points can be redeemed for money..