Wire

European end-to-end encrypted messenger for teams and individuals, with MLS encryption and open-source apps.

Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableMessaging apps

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Wire

Wire is an encrypted messenger from a Swiss-German company that started as a consumer WhatsApp alternative and now focuses on businesses and governments. Messages, calls, video conferences and files are end-to-end encrypted by default, and Wire was an early adopter of the MLS standard for encryption in large groups. You can sign up with an email address instead of a phone number, use it on up to eight devices, and talk between personal and work accounts. Personal use and small teams are free; paid plans add administration, single sign-on, larger video calls and guest roles, and enterprises can run it on their own servers or in a sovereign cloud. The client apps and server are open source. It runs on Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac, Linux and the web. For individuals the catch is that few friends will be on it, and the product's direction is clearly towards organisations.

Best for: Small teams and organisations that want an encrypted European messenger they can audit or self-host.

What works

End-to-end encryption with the MLS standard
Sign up with email, no phone number required
Open source, with on-premises deployment

Why people leave

Few personal contacts use it
Product direction centres on businesses
Free plan limited to small teams

Top Wire alternatives

See all 5

1
Element
Federated Matrix messaging with self-hosting and a wider open ecosystem.
66.5
2
Threema
Swiss, anonymous and audited, with a separate Threema Work product for companies.
62.6
3
Signal
Free with a much bigger network, if you only need personal chats.
59.6
4
Olvid
European, no phone number, with strong security certifications for organisations.
57.2
5
Slack
A mainstream team chat tool if encryption and sovereignty matter less than integrations.
50.0

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Wire: common questions

Is Wire free?

Wire has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: Free for teams up to 5 people (checked on Wire's own site).

Is Wire open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at wireapp/wire-webapp. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does Wire run on?

Wire is available for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Wire?

The highest-ranked Wire alternatives right now are Element, Threema and Signal. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Wire alternatives

Wire facts

5 of 5 verified

Free plan: Free for teams up to 5 people; Checked Oct 25, 2026wire.com(opens source in a new tab); “Wire for Free Free For small teams (up to 5 people)”
Starting price: €7.45 per person/month (annual); Checked Oct 25, 2026wire.com(opens source in a new tab); “Wire for SMB €7.45 *) For teams”
Devices: Up to 8; Checked Oct 25, 2026wire.com(opens source in a new tab); “Up to 8 devices”
License: GPL-3.0 (web app); Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-3.0 (GNU General Public License v3.0).”
Encryption: MLS, end-to-end by default; Checked Oct 25, 2026wire.com(opens source in a new tab); “Full-feature MLS coverage: Messages, calls, and files are end-to-end encrypted by default.”