Comparison

Wire vs Element Classic

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

Head to head
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

About

Element Classic

This app is a legacy version of a communication platform, offering secure messaging and collaboration. It will receive security updates until the end of 2025 but no new features.

Highlights
  • Secure messaging
  • Collaboration
  • Legacy version
  • Security updates
Features
Read full description

Element Classic is the previous-generation of Element mobile app. Friends, family and communities should use the free and open source Element X app which is faster, easier to use, and more powerful. New users of public sector organisations, enterprises and professional teams users should use the Element Pro app that is built for work and organizations. Element Classic is available at least until the end of 2025 and will receive critical security updates but no further enhancements or new features.

Screenshots

Wire4 screens
Element Classic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Wire at fortnightly against Element Classic's monthly. Element Classic's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Element Classic holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 917 and 578 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Wire's written reviews are positive against 44% of Element Classic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wire ships an update fortnightly, Element Classic monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Wire versus Element Classic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWireElement Classic
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (917 ratings)3.3 (578 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.8% of reviews43.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings917 — better578
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB172 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperWire Swiss GmbHVector Creations Limited

Customer experience

Wire

All ratings917 ratings
Positive48.6%
Neutral8.3%
Negative43.1%
Written reviews340 reviews
Positive38.8%
Neutral16.2%
Negative45.0%

Element Classic

All ratings578 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative36.7%
Written reviews286 reviews
Positive43.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.0%

User reviews

Wire

From 917 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and smooth
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Elegant and intuitive design
  • 👍 Great voice and call quality
  • 👍 Useful features like drawing, GIFs, and file sharing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, crashes, and freezes
  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications and message delivery
  • 🐛 Laggy performance on older devices
  • 🐛 Confusing user interface
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Element Classic

From 578 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 💡 Innovative features
  • 🌐 Decentralized and open-source

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 📚 Steep learning curve
  • 🤔 Confusing user experience
  • 🚫 Lack of key features

Bugs and 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

Element Classic

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Constant crashes and freezes
  • Issues with message decryption and verification
  • Unreliable notifications and sync issues
  • Inability to leave or delete empty rooms
  • Problems with image and video sharing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to pause notifications
  • Option to set messages to disappear after a certain time
  • Improved search functionality
  • Better integration with other apps and services
  • Customizable font size and notification sounds

In-app purchases

None

Wire

No in-app purchases

None

Element Classic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wire free?
Wire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Element Classic free?
Element Classic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wire or Element Classic?
Element Classic is rated higher. Wire averages 3.1 out of 5 from 917 ratings, while Element Classic averages 3.3 from 578 ratings.
Do Wire or Element Classic have ads?
Neither Wire nor Element Classic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wire or Element Classic?
Wire ships an update fortnightly, and Element Classic monthly. Most recently, Wire was updated on September 23, 2026 and Element Classic on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons