Comparison

Trillian vs Wire

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Trillian

This secure messaging platform offers instant communication for businesses, healthcare organizations, and individuals. It modernizes employee communication, provides HIPAA-compliant messaging for healthcare, and allows free, private communication for personal use.

Highlights
  • Secure business instant messaging
  • HIPAA-compliant healthcare communication
  • Free individual messaging
  • Modern employee communication
  • Privacy-focused personal chat
Features
Read full description

Trillian is both a free instant messenger for individuals and a powerful business and clinical communication platform used by companies and healthcare systems of all sizes. Here's how we can help you: • FOR BUSINESSES: Does your business still rely on texting or cumbersome email chains? Let Trillian's modern and secure business instant messaging modernize employee communication without compromising on security or control. • FOR HEALTHCARE: Your healthcare organization needs secure instant messaging, and Trillian's HIPAA-compliant secure messaging platform has you covered. We help teams of all sizes improve clinical communication without breaking the bank. • FOR INDIVIDUALS: Stay in touch with family and friends without compromising your privacy. Your unique Trillian username can be used to send unlimited messages free of charge over your existing data plan and/or WiFi. Whether you're looking to empower secure employee instant messaging or just to keep in touch with family and friends, Trillian can help. Thanks for checking us out! Terms of Use: https://trillian.im/legal/customer-agreement/

About

Wire

Securely communicate and collaborate with end-to-end encryption. This app offers a unified platform for calls, chats, file sharing, and video conferences, designed for both small teams and large organizations. It prioritizes privacy with features like self-deleting messages and guest links.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Secure calls and video conferences
  • File and document sharing
  • Self-deleting messages
  • Guest rooms for external collaboration
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Customizable interface
Features
Read full description

Communicate and collaborate securely and easily. From anywhere. Always. Wire is secured with end-to-end encryption and makes life easier. Get everything done in one app. • Simple to use and beautifully designed • A single tool to make small teams and complex organizations more productive • Security and privacy at the core Wire offers a free version for friends and family. Work securely, wherever you are • Communicate and share information easily – call, chat, send pictures and files, audio and video messages – and be protected by the industry's most secure end-to-end encryption • Stay in control of your data • Increase privacy through self-deleting messages for sensitive information, device fingerprints, and guest links with passwords • Eliminate risks with constant bitrate in calls Stay connected and work productively • Communicate with your teams through private or group conversations to bring the right people together • Share and collaborate with files, documents, and links • Enjoy high-quality calls and video conferences • Invite partners, customers, and suppliers to collaborate through the unique guest rooms – perfect for one-time conversations • Set up meetings quickly • Use formatting options to write clear and structured messages • Collaborate smoothly with the help of mentions, replies, and reactions • Send a ping to get someone's attention • Use QR codes to connect with people • Share your location in a conversation • Add conversations to a custom folder helps you organize your conversations by topics • Archive conversations to keep your list clean • Rely on full administrative controls Get things done and enjoy it • Customize the app to your needs: choose your favorite color, theme, and suitable text size • Draw a sketch in any conversation • Send audio messages if you are on the go or too busy to type • Use animated GIFs – text, select, share • Use emojis to make your messages more fun • History backup lets you take all the conversations, pictures, videos, and files when upgrading to a new phone • Use Wire on up to 8 devices. Messages are separately end-to-end encrypted for each device. Your conversations are in sync across devices. • Use up to 3 different Wire accounts on your device simultaneously — all without logging in and out wire.com

Screenshots

Trillian3 screens
Wire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Trillian at 4.1 against Wire's 3.1. Trillian also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 39%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Wire's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Trillian sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Wire asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Trillian holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 574 and 920 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Trillian's written reviews are positive against 39% of Wire's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trillian ships an update every 5 days, Wire fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Trillian versus Wire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrillianWire
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (574 ratings) — better3.1 (920 ratings)
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews — better38.8% of reviews
Number of ratings574920 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB124 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCerulean Studios, LLCWire Swiss GmbH

Customer experience

Trillian

All ratings574 ratings
Positive79.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral9.8%
Negative32.9%

Wire

All ratings920 ratings
Positive48.6%
Neutral8.3%
Negative43.2%
Written reviews340 reviews
Positive38.8%
Neutral16.2%
Negative45.0%

Bugs and requests

Trillian

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Wire

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Messages getting stuck on 'Sending'
  • Inability to delete call history
  • Crashes on app launch after updates
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions
  • Issues with photo/video sharing and playback

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add read receipts
  • Allow customizable notification sounds
  • Improve contact management and group chat features
  • Add support for Apple Watch
  • Provide backup and restore options for chat history

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Trillian

Subscriptions2
  • Trillian Pro - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Trillian Pro - Yearly$47.991 Year
One-time2
  • Trillian Pro - One Month$4.99
  • Trillian Pro - One Year$47.90
None

Wire

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trillian free?
Trillian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wire free?
Wire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Trillian or Wire?
Trillian is rated higher. Trillian averages 4.1 out of 5 from 574 ratings, while Wire averages 3.1 from 920 ratings.
Do Trillian or Wire have ads?
Neither Trillian nor Wire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trillian or Wire?
Trillian ships an update every 5 days, and Wire fortnightly. Most recently, Trillian was updated on October 1, 2026 and Wire on September 29, 2026.

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