Comparison

Element vs Wire

On the evidence we track, Wire leads this comparison with a composite score of 82/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Element49
Wire82
Score
Vioscale score
Element49 / 100medium · 73%updating
Wire82 / 100low · 43%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Element
Wire
Model
Elementfreemium
Price level
Elementlow
Wirelow
Transparent
Element
Wire
Integrations
Count
Element13
Wire
Security
Disclosure policy
Element
Wire
Gdpr
Element
Wire
Iso27001
Element
Wire
Reliability
Status page
Element
Wire

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for collaboration software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Modality
Messaging
Element
Wire
Video meetings
Element
Wire
Whiteboard
Element
Wire
Meetings
Screen sharing
Element
Wire
Recording / transcription
Element-
WireNone
Security
End-to-end encryption
Element
Wire
SSO / SCIM
Element
Wire
Access
Guest / external access
Element
Wire
Compliance
Compliance controls
Element
Wire
Deployment
Hosting
ElementCloud + self-hosted
WireCloud + self-hosted
Scale
Max participants
Element-
Wire150 video (2000 with MLS enabled)
Ecosystem
App marketplace
Element
Wire
Public API / bot framework
Element
Wire
Commercial
Free tier
Element
Wire

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Element

A secure, encrypted messaging and collaboration system built on the Matrix open standard. Element enables organizations to host their own communications servers, featuring end-to-end encryption, video conferencing, and federation between different organizations or systems.

Independently observed

Wire

Leader

A collaboration platform combining messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing for organizations. All communications are automatically encrypted end-to-end, with administrative controls and deployment options ranging from cloud to fully self-hosted infrastructure.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Element

HybridFree tier

Free open-source tier; Enterprise and Sovereign pricing available via contact

  • CommunityFree
    • Self-hosted Synapse server
    • Element Call included
    • AGPL open source
    • Frontend and backend
    • Server configuration
    • +1 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Synapse Pro server
    • Enhanced security advisories
    • Compliance and enterprise controls
    • Moderation and supervision
    • Retention policies
    • +11 more
  • SovereignContact sales
    • Synapse Pro server
    • Air-gapped deployment
    • Operates without internet connectivity
    • Custom mobile push gateway
    • Air-gapped setup and support
as of verify ↗

Wire

Leader
from €7.45/moHybridFree tier

Free tier available. Enterprise subscription from €7.45/user/month (annual). On-premises deployment by quote.

  • Wire for FreeFree
    • End-to-end encrypted messaging
    • Voice and video calls
    • File sharing
    • Audio and video messages
    • Ephemeral messages
    • +2 more
  • Wire Entreprise€7.45/seat/mo (billed annually) or €8.94/seat/mo (monthly)
    • All Wire for Free features
    • Video conferences up to 150 participants
    • SSO and SCIM provisioning
    • Granular administrative controls
    • Feature configuration per team
    • +6 more
  • Wire On-PremisesContact sales
    • All Wire Entreprise features
    • Federation with Wire Cloud
    • Full data sovereignty
    • Complete deployment support
    • Multi-tenancy
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Element
Wire
iOS
Element
Wire
Android
Element
Wire
macOS
Element
Wire
Windows
Element
Wire
Linux
Element
Wire
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Element
Wire
Self-hosted
Element
Wire
On-premise
Element
Wire
Hybrid
Element
Wire
Air-gapped
Element
Wire

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Element

13 total
  • Jitsi
  • Etherpad
  • Grafana
  • Google Calendar
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • EtherCalc
  • TradingView
  • Github
  • Gitlab
  • JIRA
  • RSS
  • Webhooks
Independently observed

Wire

Leader

Not documented yet.

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.