Overview

Wire is an encrypted communications and collaboration platform for organizations, bringing messaging, calls, conferences, and file sharing into one service. It is best suited to teams that need security-focused administration or control over where the service runs, rather than people seeking a personal messenger.

Its combination of encrypted conversations, document collaboration, and cloud or self-hosted deployment is compelling for organizations with strict security requirements. The trade-off is that the strongest fit is organizational, while small teams should weigh the paid plan’s per-person pricing and check Linux’s experimental status before adopting it.

Key features

Messaging, calls, and collaboration

Group chats include search, reactions, sketches, file sharing, and audio and video messages. Conferences support up to 150 participants, with screen sharing and moderation tools. That makes Wire suitable for teams that want meetings and everyday discussions in one encrypted workspace; the 150-person ceiling may be a constraint for larger all-hands events.

File management and online document collaboration extend Wire beyond chat. Files stay in conversations associated with verified group membership, which ties access to the team context rather than treating shared files as a separate collaboration space.

Security and deployment

Wire says messages, calls, and files are end-to-end encrypted, so only conversation participants can decrypt them. It also states that it holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and Cyber Essentials certifications, and that its source code is fully open source on GitHub for verification. These are meaningful credentials for security-conscious organizations, though they do not remove the need to assess a deployment against an organization’s own requirements.

Cloud, private-cloud, and on-premises deployments are available, including offline or air-gapped installations. Wire says its servers are in Germany and Ireland. This range is a strong reason to consider it when infrastructure control matters; organizations wanting only a straightforward hosted chat service may not need that flexibility.

Pricing

Wire has a free plan and paid pricing. Wire for Free costs 0.00 USD per free and supports up to 5 people and 8 devices, with collaboration essentials. It is a sensible way for a very small team to start, but its five-person cap rules it out for larger groups.

Wire for SMB costs 7.45 EUR per month per person with annual payment, or €8,94 per person/month with monthly payment. It raises the team limit to 100 people and adds conferences for up to 150 participants, SSO and SCIM, and administrative controls. Annual billing lowers the stated monthly rate, while monthly payment offers a less committed term at the higher rate. For organizations with more than 100 people, Wire for Enterprise has custom pricing.

Wire for Partners also has custom pricing and is aimed at partners, with marketing support, opportunity support, and deal registration. Across plans, the pricing page lists use on up to 8 devices and up to 3 accounts on one device. Standard support is listed, with optional premium support offering first replies within 16 hours during business hours, premium+ within 4 hours, and optional 24/7 platinum support. These options let organizations match support coverage to their needs, but additional support is not part of the standard package.

Platforms

Wire supports web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and API access. The Linux binary is described as experimental with community support, so organizations that depend on Linux desktops should treat it as a qualification point rather than assume a fully supported release.

Who it's for

Wire fits organizations that need encrypted team communications alongside file collaboration, administrative controls, or deployment flexibility. Its stated customer base includes governments, parliaments, the military, and global enterprises with strict security requirements. Small groups can begin on the free plan, while teams needing SSO, SCIM, or administration will need the SMB plan or an enterprise arrangement. It is less suitable for a group of more than five that needs to remain free, or for Linux-dependent teams unwilling to rely on experimental software.

Pros and cons

Pros: End-to-end encryption covers messages, conference calls, and files, giving organizations a consistent security model across core communications.
Pros: Cloud, private-cloud, and even offline or air-gapped on-premises deployment serve teams that need control over hosting.
Pros: SMB combines SSO and SCIM, administrative controls, and conferences for up to 150 participants in one paid plan.
Cons: The free plan stops at 5 people, limiting its usefulness as a lasting option for growing teams.
Cons: SMB is priced per person, and monthly payment costs more than annual billing, so the recurring cost rises with team size.
Cons: Linux is experimental and community-supported, a material caveat for organizations standardizing on that platform.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, start with Secure Team Chat Software, Secure Messaging Apps, Encrypted Messaging Apps, Team Collaboration Software, or Team chat apps.

Consider Rocket.Chat if a freemium option with a free tier for 50 users and broad desktop, mobile, web, and self-hosted platform support better suits your team. Element is another freemium option with free Community pricing for 1–100 users and support for self-hosting. Choose eXpress if its free trial or stated option to run on your server or in a secure cloud matches your deployment needs.

8seats may suit smaller teams prioritizing a free plan for up to 10 employees, unlimited guests, 365-day message history, and 1 GB of storage. Mattermost offers a freemium alternative with self-hosted platform support and an Enterprise plan described as including sovereignty features. Troop Messenger may be worth considering for a free trial and a free plan described for 1–50 users with 50 GB storage. TigerConnect Physician Scheduling is a paid option for readers specifically seeking physician scheduling. Crypho is another freemium alternative with support for web, desktop, and mobile platforms.

Verdict

Wire is a strong choice for organizations that want encrypted messaging, conferencing, and file collaboration with a choice of hosted or tightly controlled deployment. Its key advantage is that breadth of security and deployment options in one workspace; look elsewhere if the five-person free cap is too restrictive, per-person SMB pricing does not fit, or experimental Linux support is a deal-breaker.

	Ricochet Refresh	Wire
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	€7.45/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Account requirement	none	—
Desktop apps	Yes	—

Ricochet Refresh vs Wire

Ricochet Refresh

Wire