Messengers
Wire privacy rating
End-to-end encrypted messenger and team collaboration app from Switzerland, with chats, calls and file sharing using Proteus and MLS. Accounts use an email address, and organizations can self-host federated backends.
Summary
Wire scores 61 out of 100 (grade C) on the messengers criteria. It meets 5 of 8 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales, end-to-end encrypted by default, no phone number needed and decentralized. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry, independent audit and metadata protection. It is based in Switzerland: Not in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes; GDPR-style data protection law.
Score 61 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
-
Yes
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
The server is AGPL-3.0 and the apps are GPL-3.0.
-
No
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The apps use only opt-in, self-hosted Countly analytics, but the website uses Google Analytics and HubSpot after cookie consent.
-
Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Funded by paid team and enterprise plans, with no ads.
-
No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
-
Yes
End-to-end encrypted by default Weight 3 of 3
Are all chats, including groups, end-to-end encrypted by default?
Messages, calls and files are end-to-end encrypted by default, and encryption cannot be turned off.
-
Yes
No phone number needed Weight 2 of 3
Can an account be created without a phone number?
Accounts can be registered with an email address instead of a phone number.
-
No
Metadata protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the service minimize who-talks-to-whom metadata (for example sealed sender or no user identifiers)?
The server stores each user's connections and conversation memberships.
-
Yes
Decentralized Weight 1 of 3
Can people run their own server or talk peer to peer?
Organizations can run their own Wire backend, and backends can federate with each other.