{"id":19031,"date":"2024-02-13T14:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T14:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/?p=19031"},"modified":"2024-02-13T14:08:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T14:08:00","slug":"wire-vs-signal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/blog\/wire-vs-signal\/","title":{"rendered":"Wire vs Signal: Two Instant Messengers That Care About Data Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Privacy scandals and data safety issues we\u2019ve witnessed in the past few years have led to an increased demand for secure messengers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wire and Signal are among the most popular messengers<\/a><\/span>, with various safety features that ensure privacy and data conservation.<\/span><\/p>\n

While none of these two apps will <\/span>reach the popularity of<\/span> WhatsApp<\/span><\/a> or Messenger<\/span> any time soon, they\u2019ve both found their niche audiences and are steadily gaining users.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the key differences between these two messengers and which one should you use?<\/span><\/p>\n

To answer these questions, we used both Wire and Signal for two weeks, analyzed them, and summarized our findings in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s learn more about each messenger and their success.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Wire?<\/h2>\n

Launched in late 2014, Wire started as an<\/span> encrypted chat app<\/span><\/a>, although end-to-end encryption wasn\u2019t rolled out until 2016. Since its inception, <\/span>Wire has been considered an<\/span> alternative to Skype<\/span><\/a>\u2014one of its founders<\/span>, Janus Friis, is also the co-founder of Skype, and many early Wire employees <\/span>previously worked <\/span>at Skype.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018, Wire launched a<\/span> team collaboration<\/span><\/a> solution with features like video calls, file-sharing, and conferencing. At the moment, Wire offers two solutions for companies: Wire Pro (<\/span>a team<\/span> collaboration platform for businesses), Wire Enterprise (<\/span>a platform<\/span> with added features for large companies), and Wire Red (a crisis collaboration suite).<\/span><\/p>\n

For personal use, they offer Wire Personal, a secure messaging app that we\u2019ll be focusing on in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Signal?<\/h2>\n

Known for its open-source code and increased transparency,<\/span> Signal<\/span><\/a> is a secure messenger that runs on donations, as a non-profit organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

It started as a successor to two apps: RedPhone and TextSecure<\/span>\u2014the former being a secure voice-calling app<\/span>, the latter an encrypted messaging protocol.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018,<\/span> Signal Messenger<\/span> received a $50 million donation from Brian Acton, <\/span>WhatsApp\u2019s <\/span>co-founder. In the following period, the app added a lot of functionalities, including view-once images, support for iPads, and stickers. Between August and September 2020, Signal also added one-to-one voice and video call options to their desktop app.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edward Snowden has been quoted saying that<\/span> Signal is his favorite messaging app<\/span><\/a>. So, if you aren\u2019t <\/span>suspecting<\/span> that this could be just a smart marketing move, that\u2019s quite an endorsement.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Did We Compare Them?<\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Signal or Wire? This question doesn’t have a definite answer but our comparison will help you find the best option for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we were using these two apps, we were looking at six specific criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n