Olvid vs Threema Work (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Olvid grades higher than Threema Work: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Olvid grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. Threema Work grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Olvid
End-to-end encrypted messenger needing no phone number
Threema Work
Encrypted business messenger from Switzerland
Which one is for you
Pick Olvid if
- Fits if you want an encrypted messenger that needs no phone number
- Works for companies that want an admin console and phone-managed deployment
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want outbound calls, at €4.99 a month for one person
- Watch out: prices are in euros only, with taxes included for individuals and excluded for business
- Watch out: the Enterprise plan adds a flat €4,990 a year on top of the per-user price
- Watch out: bots and AI add-ons have no published price
- Skip it if you need Linux, as it appears only on the pricing table and not the download page
Pick Threema Work if
- Fits if your company wants chat with servers in Switzerland and no phone number needed
- Makes sense if you want central user management for up to 200 people
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 200 users, as Core stops at 200
- Pricey if you want broadcast, automation or the API, which need Professional at $5
- Watch out: syncing users with Azure AD costs extra
- Watch out: the page converts CHF and EUR figures one-to-one into USD
- Watch out: self-hosting (OnPrem) is sold through sales with no published price
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAOlvidVery good | 2.4GPAThreema WorkFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe free plan has no message limits. Calling out needs €4.99 a month for one person, or €9.90 for business, so the useful extras sit around the category middle. | BCore is $3.00 per user a month billed annually, inside the cheapest quarter of team-chat tools, which starts at $3.50. Professional is $5.00. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever for messages, attachments and groups. Outbound calls need a paid license after a one-month trial. | DA 30-day free trial is offered, but the page doesn't say whether it needs a card. There is no free plan. |
| Features | CEncrypted messages, calls, edit and unsend, profiles and a management console. Outbound calls are paid. | BUser management, calls and group chats, broadcast messaging, automation and an API. Nothing in the listing shows a missing core piece, though broadcast and API need Professional. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there is no phone number or account to set up. | CNo store rating on record. An admin has to set up users, so there is some setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with bots and an enterprise management console. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus an API on Professional and an Azure AD link. No desktop app is listed in the data. |
| Best for | encrypted chat without a phone number | encrypted team messaging hosted in Switzerland |
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: Olvid and Threema Work. How we grade
Price against what you get
Olvid starts at about $5.57 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Threema Work starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Olvid scores higher, and starts $2.57 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other team communication apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Olvid for less, and 2 score higher than Threema Work 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
- Olvid is open source, according to its own site.
- Olvid also covers chatbots.
- Threema Work also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Olvid | Threema Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | €4.99 per user / month, incl. taxes (in-app purchase) | $3.00 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Free forever: unlimited messages and attachments, group discussions, multiple profiles, Olvid Web and inbound audio and video calls. | None |
| Free trial | The pricing table shows a 1-month free trial of outbound calls for free-plan users. | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Olvid | Threema |
| Price read from | olvid.io | threema.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Olvid
- Prices are published in euros only; the in-app price includes taxes and the business prices exclude them.
- Outbound audio and video calls need a paid license after the 1-month trial.
- Olvid Web works with an Android-compatible device, and the Linux app is mentioned only on the pricing table, not the download page.
- Bots, Olvid x AI and a turnkey integration are options with no published price; a discount depends on the number of users.
Threema Work
- Core is limited to 200 users; Broadcast, automation and API access need Professional.
- Syncing users with Azure AD costs extra, according to the feature table on the pricing page.
- Pricing is shown per user; the page marks it annual payment and says USD figures are converted one-to-one from CHF and EUR.
- The pricing page names the app, web client and a desktop app but lists no platform detail beyond iOS, Android and web.
Key features
Olvid
- No personal data to sign up
- The site says no phone number, email, name or address is required, and the app does not ask for the address book.
- Encrypted messages and calls
- Messages and attachments are end-to-end encrypted. Incoming calls are free for all users; outbound calls are a paid option.
- Edit, unsend and ephemeral messages
- Edit a sent message, delete it for the recipient or set automatic deletion by time or single read.
- Multiple profiles and devices
- Several profiles, including hidden ones, are on the free plan. The pricing page lists syncing all devices as a feature.
- Management Console
- The Enterprise offer adds SSO via OpenID Connect or SAML 2.0, CSV user import, group management and instant key revocation.
- Olvid Bots
- Information, command and chat bots automate messages and tools, sold as options on the business tiers.
Threema Work
- Central user management
- A management cockpit lets admins preconfigure contact lists, revoke IDs, see active users and manage people with tags.
- Calls and group chats
- Text and voice messages, voice, video and group calls, group chats, polls and emoji reactions are listed on every business plan.
- Broadcast messaging
- Threema Broadcast sends one-to-many messages through distribution lists, feeds and bots; Professional includes it, with the Broadcast API.
- Privacy design
- Usage without a phone number, SIM card or email address is listed, and Threema says it is GDPR-compliant and avoids metadata.
- Automation and API
- Professional adds an API for automated administration and for the Threema Gateway, with unlimited gateway credits.
- Self-hosted option
- Threema OnPrem runs on your own infrastructure with full control of data, and the OnPrem plan adds air-gapped operation and white-labeling.
Plans
Olvid
Free€0
forever
No limits on messages or attachment size, groups, edit and unsend, ephemeral messages and incoming calls.
In-app purchase€4.99
per user / month, incl. taxes, billed monthly
Individual license bought in the app through the App Store or Google Play, managed there. Outbound audio and video calls need a paid license.
Business€9.90
per user / month, excl. taxes, billed monthly
Bought on the Olvid Store; license activation links are handed to users. Outbound calls are included, with MDM deployment.
Enterprise€9.90
per user / month, excl. taxes, plus a flat €4,990 a year
Billed annually. Adds the Management Console, SSO, user and group management, instant revocation and MDM deployment.
Threema Work
Core$3.00
per user / month, billed annually
Central user management for up to 200 users, 99.5% availability SLA and 24-hour support response.
Professional$5.00
per user / month, billed annually
Unlimited users, Threema Broadcast, automation and API access, 99.9% SLA and 6-hour support response.
OnPremCustom
Self-hosted Threema with full white-labeling, air-gapped operation and premium support. Sold through sales.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Olvid or Threema Work?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Threema Work is cheaper to start with: $3 a month for each person, against about $5.57 a month for each person for Olvid. Olvid starts at €4.99 per user / month, incl. taxes (in-app purchase), and Threema Work starts at $3.00 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Olvid or Threema Work?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Olvid has a free plan. Threema Work does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Olvid and Threema Work run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Olvid lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and 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.