# Wire vs ChatWave

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChatWave at every 3 days against Wire's fortnightly. ChatWave also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Wire ships an update fortnightly, ChatWave every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wire | ChatWave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.1 (919 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wire-secure-messenger/id930944768/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **919** | — |
| Positive reviews | 39.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 125 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Wire Swiss GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1039402726) | [CMED CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1730667800) |

## What reviewers say

### Wire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wire-secure-messenger/id930944768)

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:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### ChatWave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatwave/id6502752600)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wire free?

Wire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ChatWave free?

ChatWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Wire or ChatWave have ads?

Neither Wire nor ChatWave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wire or ChatWave?

Wire ships an update fortnightly, and ChatWave every 3 days. Most recently, Wire was updated on October 13, 2026 and ChatWave on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*