Wire is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite that combines messaging, group calls, conferencing, and file sharing for organizations. Teams and public authorities use it when conversations, documents, and meetings have to stay private while remaining easy to run at scale.
Wire is a secure collaboration platform that handles messaging, audio and video calls, conferencing, and file sharing inside one encrypted workspace. Work starts the way it does in any chat app: create a conversation or group, invite colleagues or outside partners, and send text, files, and voice notes as the day requires. The difference is that encryption is always on and cannot be turned off, covering every message, call, and attachment by default, and it works the same on desktop, mobile, and in a browser. Administrators manage the whole population from a central console, while end users get a familiar interface rather than one that constantly demands security decisions.
The security model is the reason organizations pick it. Identity and devices are verified automatically through certificate-based checks, while those who want extra assurance can still compare device fingerprints manually, and group membership governs access to shared files. Because the platform migrated to the Messaging Layer Security standard, large groups rekey efficiently and the cryptography is designed to remain viable as quantum computing matures. Deployments are flexible: a managed cloud, your own servers, or a hybrid arrangement, with separated tenants when several distinct teams must share infrastructure. Anyone comparing decentralized options such as Jami will find a different trade-off here, since the emphasis is on governance, compliance tooling, and centralized administration rather than peer-to-peer independence.
The practical benefit is that a single tool replaces the patchwork of consumer chat apps, separate meeting software, and shadow file-sharing services that most employees already juggle. Conferencing supports large meetings with screen sharing, chat alongside the call, and moderation controls such as muting participants, so a crisis call or a departmental briefing does not need a second product. Guests can join through a browser without creating an account, which keeps contractors and clients inside the governed environment instead of pushing conversations back onto personal phones. Conversations carry the features people expect from modern chat: replies, mentions, reactions, sketches, GIFs, message editing, search, and self-deleting messages for short-lived information. Files live inside the conversation they belong to, tied to verified group membership, so access follows the people rather than a loose link. Administrators get provisioning through directory integration, single sign-on, device limits, multi-tenancy, and, on enterprise plans, compliance tooling such as retention and audit logging, all while remaining unable to read message content.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Encryption is enabled by default and cannot be switched off, covering messages, conference calls, and every shared file. Each message uses a fresh key, and the protocol provides forward secrecy and post-compromise security, so a stolen key does not expose past conversations. Protection stays invisible in daily use, which means nobody has to remember to turn it on.
Audio and video conferences are end-to-end encrypted and scale to meetings of up to 150 participants across desktop, mobile, and browser, with screen sharing, in-call chat, and hardware device switching. Moderation tools let hosts mute individuals or everyone else at once, keeping briefings and crisis calls orderly without moving to a second product.
Conversations support replies, mentions, drafted messages, formatting, reactions, sketches, animated GIFs, pings, location sharing, and search across history. Editing a message after sending, plus self-deleting messages that expire for both sides, handles the small corrections and sensitive details that come up constantly in real team communication.
Files travel inside the conversation they belong to on Wire, tied to verified group membership, so access follows people rather than a reusable link that can leak. Teams can share documents and collaborate on them within the same secure workspace instead of emailing attachments or subscribing to separate cloud storage with weaker controls.
Every account can verify a contact's device fingerprints manually, and recipients are alerted if a contact begins using a new device. ID Shield goes further by handling identity and device verification automatically through certificates, which removes the manual fingerprint comparison step while still ensuring people are talking to the intended recipient.
External partners can be added to a Wire team with limited rights and temporary conversation data, while guests join through a browser without an account at all. That keeps contractors, clients, and suppliers inside a governed environment rather than forcing sensitive discussions back onto personal messaging accounts outside your organization's control.
Separate servers can federate so distinct organizations exchange messages as though they shared one backend, with administrators deciding which partners may connect and how far searching reaches. Multi-tenancy isolates teams on the same infrastructure, and organizations can choose cloud hosting, their own servers, or a hybrid mix to satisfy data sovereignty requirements.
SAML-based single sign-on, directory-driven provisioning, domain registration, and role-based access control keep user management in step with the rest of your identity stack. Devices per account can be capped, and enterprise plans add retention policies, audit logging, and legal hold, while administrators still cannot read the contents of any conversation.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Wire.
It is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration platform that covers one-to-one and group messaging, audio and video conferencing, screen sharing, and file exchange in one application. It is aimed at organizations, public authorities, and teams that need private communication with centralized administration, rather than a free consumer chat app.
There is a free tier for small teams that includes messaging, calls, and file sharing, while paid plans add larger attachment allowances, advanced administration, single sign-on, and compliance features. Wire is primarily sold to organizations, so most businesses will compare the paid tiers rather than rely on the free plan long term.
All messages, calls, and files are end-to-end encrypted by default in Wire and cannot be switched off, with forward secrecy and post-compromise security protecting both past and future conversations. The source code is open to independent review, and the company holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and Cyber Essentials certifications.
Ordinary administrators and operators cannot read conversation content, and neither can the vendor, because that shielding is built into the protocol. Enterprise deployments can enable legal hold and retention features governed by compliance policy, which grant designated compliance roles access under defined procedures, but routine IT administration never exposes message text.
Yes. Externals are added to a team with limited rights and temporary conversation data, while guests can join a conversation through a web browser without creating an account. Both paths let you work with clients, suppliers, or contractors inside the same governed Wire environment instead of moving the discussion to a personal messaging app.
Yes. Wire can be deployed in the vendor's cloud, on your own infrastructure, or in a hybrid arrangement, and federation lets separate backends exchange messages as though they were one system. Multi-tenancy keeps distinct teams isolated on shared infrastructure, which appeals to organizations with strict data sovereignty and compliance requirements.
Conferencing is end-to-end encrypted and scales to meetings of up to 150 participants, with screen sharing, in-call chat, and moderation tools such as muting individual participants or everyone else at once. That makes it practical for all-hands briefings and crisis coordination without adding a second meeting product to the stack.
Wire is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite that combines messaging, group calls, conferencing, and file sharing for organizations. Teams and public authorities use it when conversations, documents, and meetings have to stay private while remaining easy to run at scale.
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