Jami vs Wire (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Jami grades higher than Wire: 3.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Jami grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Wire
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations
Which one is for you
Pick Jami if
- Fits if you want private calls and chat without an account on a company server
- Works for a small group on mixed Windows, Mac, Linux and phone devices
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need channels, a directory or an admin console, as none are listed
- Skip it if you want a mature browser version, since the web version is a first preview as of September 2026
- Too light for company rollouts, as it is closer to a messenger than a workspace
- Watch out: the project runs on donations and is a GNU project of Savoir-faire Linux
Pick Wire if
- Fits if your messages, calls and files all have to be end-to-end encrypted
- Works for government bodies or regulated firms that need chat on their own servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want your chat wired into other tools, as no integrations or public API are on record
- Tight if you're staying free, with 5 team members and no conference calls beyond 2 participants
- Not for you if a well-rated phone app matters, going by its 3.07 from 920 App Store ratings
- Watch out: browser calling works only in Chrome, and the Linux app is an experimental community build
- Pricey if you budget in dollars or pass 100 people, as prices are in euros only and bigger teams need an Enterprise quote
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAJamiVery good | 2.0GPAWireFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree with no paid plans; the project asks for donations instead. | CWire for SMB is €7.45 a person a month paid annually, €8.94 monthly, which is about what team chat costs, and single sign-on and SCIM are in from that first paid plan. Prices are published in euros only, and NGOs can apply for 40% off. |
| Free plan and trial | AEntirely free, and the site says there are no limits on file size, accounts or storage. | CWire for Free stops at 5 people, and the harder limit is that it cannot start a conference call with more than 2 participants. You do get the essentials on every platform and up to 8 devices. Past five of you, it's the paid plan, as there's no trial listed. |
| Features | CChat, group chat, audio and video calls and multiple devices per account. No admin console, directory or channels are listed, which most team chat tools have. | CEverything is end-to-end encrypted on the MLS protocol, messages, calls and files alike, with conferences up to 150, Wire Drive for documents, guests joining from a browser and on-premises or hybrid deployment. The listing's own note: calling in a browser works only in Chrome. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but it is a program you install and use with nothing to set up. | D3.07 from 920 App Store ratings, which is poor by any reading: nearly as many reviewers left one star as five. The Linux desktop app is an experimental community build, and browser calling is Chrome-only, so somebody is sorting out what people run it on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. Only a first preview of a web version, and no integrations listed. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, up to 8 devices each, and federation so separate Wire backends talk to each other. But there are no integrations on record at all and no public API listed, so it doesn't join up with the rest of your tools. |
| Best for | private peer-to-peer calls and chat | end-to-end encrypted chat and calls for organisations |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Jami and Wire. How we grade
Price against what you get
Jami has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wire starts at about $8.32 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Jami scores higher and starts $8.32 a month lower. Of the other team communication apps on the chart, none scores higher than Jami for less, and 37 score higher than Wire for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Wire is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Jami | Wire | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €7.45 per person / month, paid annually |
| Free plan | None | Wire for Free: teams of up to 5 people with collaboration essentials on all platforms and up to 8 devices. It cannot start conference calls with more than 2 participants. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Savoir-faire Linux | Wire Swiss GmbH |
| Price read from | jami.net | wire.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Jami
- The site lists no admin console, directory or team workspace features such as channels; it is closer to a messenger than a team chat suite.
- The vendor lists a first preview of Jami Web as of September 2026, so there is no mature browser version.
- The project is funded by donations and is a GNU project of Savoir-faire Linux.
Wire
- Prices are listed in euros only.
- Wire for Free stops at 5 team members and cannot start a conference call with more than 2 participants.
- The SMB plan covers teams of up to 100 people; larger organizations need a custom Enterprise quote.
- The Linux desktop app is a community-supported experimental build, and browser calling works only in Chrome.
Key features
Jami
- Instant messaging and group chats
- Text chat with individuals and groups, plus audio and video message recording.
- Audio and video calls
- One-to-one calls with screen sharing and media streaming, including video conferences and rendezvous points that need no third-party hosting.
- Peer-to-peer design
- Jami says it needs no server to relay data between users and uses end-to-end encryption with perfect forward secrecy.
- Multiple devices per account
- Several devices can be linked to one Jami account, and no personal information is required to create it.
- Extension platform and SIP
- A built-in extension platform adds features, and Jami can also act as a SIP client.
Wire
- Encrypted messaging
- Group and 1:1 conversations with search, reactions, sketches, audio and video messages and self-deleting messages, all end-to-end encrypted with MLS.
- Calls and conferences
- Audio and video conferencing for up to 150 participants on web, desktop and mobile, with screen sharing and moderation tools such as muting participants.
- Wire Drive
- Integrated file management and online document collaboration, with files kept inside conversations tied to verified group membership.
- Guests and externals
- Externals are team members with limited access rights, while guests can join a conversation from a web browser without an account.
- Cloud, on-premises or hybrid
- Wire can be deployed in its cloud, on your own infrastructure or both, and federation lets separate Wire backends interact as if they were one.
- SSO, SCIM and admin controls
- Paid plans add SAML-based single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, administrative controls and feature configurations such as restricting file sharing.
Plans
Jami
Free$0
No paid plans. The site says there are no limits on file size, accounts or storage, and asks for donations.
Wire
Wire for Free€0
For small teams of up to 5 people: collaboration essentials on all platforms and up to 8 devices.
Wire for SMB€7.45
per person / month, paid annually (€8.94 paid monthly)
Teams of up to 100 people. Video conferences with up to 150 participants, SSO and SCIM, administrative controls, and external and guest roles.
Wire for EnterpriseCustom
More than 100 people. Federation with Wire Cloud, ID Shield, full deployment support, data sovereignty and multi-tenancy.
Ways to pay less
Jami
No public discounts listed.
Wire
- Annual discount
About 17% less with annual payment
Wire for SMB costs €7.45 per person / month with annual payment against €8.94 with monthly payment.
- Nonprofit
40% discount for NGOs
Wire's pricing FAQ says it offers NGOs a 40% discount, applied for by contacting the company.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Jami or Wire?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Jami is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $8.32 a month for each person for Wire. Jami is free, and Wire starts at €7.45 per person / month, paid annually.
Which has a free plan, Jami or Wire?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Jami and Wire have a free plan.
Which platforms do Jami and Wire run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Wire lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.