The Wire Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Wire in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Wire
The Insider’s Guide
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Wire’s own pages.
Made by Wire Swiss GmbH · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Wire’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Wire’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 0 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade
Wire is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted collaboration app from Wire Swiss GmbH, covering messaging, audio and video conferences, and file sharing. It is built on the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol and can run in Wire's cloud, on-premises or as a hybrid, with federation between separate backends. Prices are listed in euros, and there is a free tier for teams of up to 5 people.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Wire, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for end-to-end encrypted chat and calls for organisations
Wire is end-to-end encrypted chat, calls and files for organizations, run in Wire's cloud, on your own servers or a mix, with single sign-on from the first paid plan at €7.45 a person.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $8.35 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: €7.45 per person / month, paid annually.
- 3
There is a free plan
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.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Wire Drive
Integrated file management and online document collaboration, with files kept inside conversations tied to verified group membership.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 0 of 33
That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Wire you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Wire at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from €7.45 per person / month, paid annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Wire Swiss GmbH, since 2012
- Category
- Team Communication
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 3.1 on the App Store, 920 ratings
The report card
Best for end-to-end encrypted chat and calls for organisations
Wire is end-to-end encrypted chat, calls and files for organizations, run in Wire's cloud, on your own servers or a mix, with single sign-on from the first paid plan at €7.45 a person. The iPhone app sits at 3.07, no integrations or public API are on record, the Linux app is an experimental community build, browser calls need Chrome, and the free plan stops at 5 people with 2-person calls.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Wire 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 | C | Wire 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 | C | Everything 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 | D | 3.07 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 | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Wire is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Organizations that need end-to-end encryption for messages, calls and files
- Governments and regulated sectors that require on-premises deployment
- Teams that bring outside partners in as guests or externals
- NGOs, which are offered a 40% discount
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$8.35
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Wire has a free plan. Paid plans start at €7.45 per person / month, paid annually.
Past five of you, it's the paid plan, as there's no trial listed.
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 Enterprise
Custom
More than 100 people. Federation with Wire Cloud, ID Shield, full deployment support, data sovereignty and multi-tenancy.
The free plan
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.
Read from wire.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on wire.comNonprofit
40% discount for NGOs
Wire's pricing FAQ says it offers NGOs a 40% discount, applied for by contacting the company.
Stated on wire.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, end-to-end encrypted, team chat, video calls, file sharing.
The listing's own note: calling in a browser works only in Chrome.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Who makes Wire
Wire is made by the Wire Group, whose parent company is Wire Group Holdings GmbH in Berlin; Wire Swiss GmbH is one of its wholly owned subsidiaries. It earns money from paid plans and licences for its encrypted messaging software, sold to businesses and governments as a cloud service or for their own servers, alongside a free plan.
- Founded
- 2012wire.com
- Based
- Berlin, Germanywire.com
- Ownership
- Privately held. Privately held. Its About page says the parent, Wire Group Holdings GmbH, is majority-owned by European institutional investors holding over 90%, and names Janus Friis, Cipio Partners, Schwarz Gruppe and Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners as principal shareholders.wire.com
- Funding
- Announced on its own blog in August 2022 that it had raised €24 million in a round led by Cipio Partners and Iconical, Janus Friis's investment vehicle. Before that, UVC Partners announced it had led a $21m Series B in April 2021. In April 2024 Wire said Schwarz Group companies planned to invest, without giving an amount.wire.comuvcpartners.comwire.com
- Team
- 100+ employees in 12 countries, according to its careers pagewire.com
- Founders and leaders
- Hiring
- 2 open positions, both in product: a Senior Product Manager and a Senior Product Ownerwire-1.jobs.personio.de
- Partner program
- Three tiers (Registered, Select, Premier) for value-added resellers, managed security service providers and system integrators. Resellers get tier-based discounts, deal registration and incentives such as Premier-tier rebates; the rates are not published.wire.com
- Lately
- Pydio v5.1: Gain More Control Over Tag Cloud Metadata · Oct 1, 2026
- New Wire Drive Function: See Exactly How Much Storage Your Team Is Using · Sep 29, 2026
- Prevent Adminless Groups Is Now Available on Wire · Sep 28, 2026
- Any App, Any Team: Build Once, Share With Every Team on Wire · Sep 28, 2026
Read on Oct 6, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/33
Other team communication apps it is graded above
Wire's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 1 of 33) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at about $8.35 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 17 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 18 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 34 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Wire’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 33
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 33
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 33
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 33
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 33
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 31 team communication apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Wire is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Wire you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 32 of the 33 other team communication apps grade higher. It costs $100.18 a year. Wire is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Video calls.
- Storing and serving files for other people.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and SCIM.
What this rests on. Wire’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Element, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Slack and Microsoft Teams
The 5 tools Wire is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Element
Free plan
- 2.4GPA
Mattermost
Free plan
Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards.
- Wire is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Wire also covers video calls and file sharing.
- Mattermost also covers kanban boards, workflow automation and AI agents.
- 2.4GPA
Rocket.Chat
Free plan
Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams.
- Wire also covers video calls.
- 2.8GPA
Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.
- Wire is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Slack also covers workflow automation and documents.
- 3.0GPA
Microsoft Teams
Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.
- Only Wire lists a Linux app.
- Wire is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation and whiteboard.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Wire free?
Wire has a free plan. Wire for Free: teams of up to 5 people with collaboration essentials on all platforms and up to 8 devices.
How much does Wire cost?
Wire lists 3 plans. Wire for Free: €0.
What platforms does Wire work on?
Wire is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Wire offer any discounts?
Wire publicly lists the following: About 17% less with annual payment; 40% discount for NGOs.
How is Wire rated?
Wire's iPhone and iPad app averages 3.1 out of 5 from 920 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Is Wire open source?
Yes. Wire is open source, according to its own site.
Is Wire end-to-end encrypted?
Wire describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
Who makes Wire?
Wire is made by a company of the same name. Privately held.
What are the alternatives to Wire?
The closest alternatives to Wire in our directory are Element, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Slack and Microsoft Teams.
How does Wire compare with other team communication apps?
Wire's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 1.
Is Wire good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Wire C for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $8.35 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 17 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Wire?
To replace Wire you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Wire’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Wire's own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-17.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Wire Swiss GmbH. Prices change, so check wire.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Wire, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/wire
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Wire: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/wire
Know someone choosing between team communication apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/wire/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded team communication apps after Wire, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Team Communication Insider's GuideEvery one of the 34 team communication apps we grade, compared
- Discord Insider's GuideFree text, voice and video chat built around servers3.6 GPA
- Pumble Insider's GuideTeam chat with unlimited message history on the free plan3.6 GPA
- Zoho Cliq Insider's GuideTeam chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Wire’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Wire is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Wire Swiss GmbH. Prices and plans change: check wire.com before you buy.