Element vs Wire
On the evidence we track, Wire leads this comparison with a composite score of 66/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for collaboration software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Element
A secure messaging and video conferencing system that prioritizes data control and independence by enabling organizations to self-host their communications infrastructure on open standards.
Wire
LeaderWire is a secure communication platform offering messaging, audio/video calls, conferencing, and file sharing. Built on zero-knowledge architecture with always-on end-to-end encryption, it serves governments, critical infrastructure providers, and 1,800+ organizations globally.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Element
Free community version. Pro version billed per seat per month.
- CommunityFree
- Free frontend and backend
- Self-hosted community server
- ProProfessional server with per-seat/month pricing
- Professional home server with dynamic scaling
- 90% resource savings vs Community
- Advanced security advisory
- Level 3 support with SLA
- Long-term support (LTS)
- +9 more
Wire
LeaderFree tier available. Wire for Enterprise from €7.45/user/mo (annual billing). On-premises deployment available via sales.
- Wire for FreeFree
- Messaging
- Audio and video conferencing
- File sharing
- Wire for Enterprise€7.45/user/mo (annual) or €8.94/user/mo (monthly)
- All Wire for Free features
- Video conferencing (up to 150 participants)
- SSO and SCIM
- Administrative controls
- Role-based configurations
- Wire On-Premises (Wire Local)Contact sales
- All Wire for Enterprise features
- Federation with Wire Cloud
- ID-Shield
- Full deployment support
- Data sovereignty
- +1 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Github
Element
- Jitsi
- Etherpad
- Grafana
- Google Calendar
- Spotify
- YouTube
- EtherCalc
- TradingView
- Gitlab
- JIRA
- RSS
- Webhooks
- LDAP
- SCIM
- OIDC
- OAuth
Wire
Leader- GitHub
Element or Wire: which one depends on you
A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.
Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.