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WhatsApp & Signal Replacement

The Secure Alternative to Shadow Collaboration

Employees reach for WhatsApp and Signal because they're instant, mobile, and open to anyone.

Wire delivers the same experience, plus the governance, security, and compliance your organization is accountable for. 

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The Shadow Collaboration Challenge

Employees want to get work done.

Nobody uses WhatsApp for sensitive work because they love consumer tech. They use it because it works: instant, on their phone, external parties added in seconds. When approved tools create friction, people work around them. Policy alone won't fix that.

47% 
bypass official tools for speed
A client needs an answer now. Getting them into the official platform means a ticket. WhatsApp doesn't.
84%
feel secure, but only 29% are
Legal uses WhatsApp with outside counsel because Teams adds too much overhead.
81%
collaborate outside the org
The Finance team uses personal email for partners. There's no record of it for the regulators.

Source: The State of Secure Collaboration 2026, Wire's survey of enterprise security and compliance leaders.

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The Typical Options Are Not Enough

Employees aren't choosing chaos. They're choosing what works. The alternative has to be just as easy.

Consumer Apps

✓ Fast, mobile, zero training

✗ No governance, no oversight

✗ Security, legal, HR, compliance exposure

✗ Insecure

Enterprise suites

✓ Governed, secured, and compliant

✗ Built for internal use

✗ Desktop-centric

✗ External setup needed

product shot mobile and desktop calling tighter-1200px
Meet Wire

The collaboration your people want. The control you need.

  • Work with anyone, anywhere. Connect with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and partners through one secure space instantly, on any device.
  • Feels like WhatsApp. Works like enterprise. Messaging, calls, voice notes, file sharing. Your team already knows how to use it.
  • IT stays in control. Central admin, SSO/SCIM, and policy controls. No sensitive data connected to personal phone numbers.
  • Secure by design. Always-on end-to-end encryption, no backdoors, and full control over your data.
See Wire in action
Why Consumer Apps Fall Short

Compare Wire against WhatsApp & Signal

Capability Wire WhatsApp Signal
End-to-end encryption by default ✓ ✓ ✓
Mobile-first, easy to use ✓ ✓ ✓
Secure collaboration with external users ✓ ✗ ✗
Enterprise governance and IT admin console ✓ ✗ ✗
SSO / SCIM identity management ✓ ✗ ✗
Sovereign cloud and on-premises deployment ✓ ✗ ✗
Approved for government classified use ✓ ✗ ✗

✓ Supported    ✗ Not supported

Full Wire vs. Signal comparison
Proven Where the Stakes Are Highest

Trusted by regulated, security-critical organizations

1
German Government (BSI)

Approved for Classified Work

Wire is the only messenger the German government (BSI) approved for VS-NfD classified data. Trusted for state secrets, ready for your business.

Learn more
2
Schwarz Group

Built for Everyday Work

Schwarz Group (Lidl and Kaufland) uses Wire from headquarters to storefront. Proof that Wire works for large, distributed, mobile workforces at scale.

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3
Dr. Georg Haar Foundation

Privacy-Compliant Communication

The Dr. Georg Haar Foundation uses Wire for GDPR-compliant communication that protects sensitive data and keeps work and private life separate.

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Wire in the News

The move towards Wire

Heise Online

Instead of Signal: President of the Bundestag recommends switching to Wire

How Wire replaces Signal and becomes the standard for government secrecy

READ HERE
Wire 2026-08-05 at 11_52 AM
Politico

European civil servants are being forced off WhatsApp

READ HERE
The Irish Times

German lawmakers explore Wire for secure communication

READ HERE
Frequently Asked Questions

Does WhatsApp create compliance exposure IT can't account for?

WhatsApp's infrastructure sits outside the EU under Meta, which has already drawn regulatory penalties, including a €1.2 billion GDPR fine in 2023 for international data transfer violations. Wire offers EU-hosted, on-premises, and sovereign deployment, so regulated communication stays inside the jurisdiction the organization actually answers to.

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Why can't WhatsApp or Signal replace enterprise collaboration tools?

Both are built for personal messaging, not team or cross-organization collaboration. WhatsApp is consumer-first with no secure guest access and only partial GDPR and NIS2 compliance, while Signal lacks admin controls, compliance certifications, and cross-organization federation. Neither offers the governance layer that gets lost when employees default to them for work. Wire delivers the same simplicity employees expect from both, with that enterprise layer built in rather than bolted on.

Learn about Wire vs WhatsApp

Learn about Wire vs Signal

If WhatsApp and Signal are already end-to-end encrypted, why isn't that enough?

Encryption protects what's said, not who said it, when, or whether it's stored anywhere IT can find it. Compliance frameworks like GDPR and NIS2 require more than just content protection, they require governance measures: admin oversight, identity management, and audit-ready retention. Neither WhatsApp nor Signal offer that layer. Wire adds it without changing the encrypted, easy-to-use experience employees already rely on.

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Isn't Signal already proven to be secure enough for sensitive work conversations?

Not for enterprise use. Despite strong encryption, Signal was at the center of Signalgate, where sensitive government discussions ended up exposed to the wrong participants. This was a failure that had nothing to do with weak encryption and everything to do with missing enterprise controls: no admin oversight, no guest management, no way to govern who's actually in a conversation. Wire pairs that same encrypted simplicity with the governance layer that prevents exactly that kind of exposure.

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Can Wire meet specific data residency or sovereignty requirements?

Yes, unlike apps such as WhatsApp and Signal, Wire supports sovereign cloud, private cloud, and on-premises deployment, giving organizations control over where data resides and under which jurisdiction it operates.

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Can Wire be scaled for larger organizations?

Yes. Wire uses the MLS (Messaging Layer Security) standard; designed for efficient end-to-end encryption in large groups, so performance and security regardless of how how large the team is.

For example, Schwarz Gruppe uses Wire across a large, distributed, mobile workforce, from headquarters to storefront. Learn more here.

Which options for external communication does Wire offer?

Most organizations collaborate with external partners, which can be for instance clients or contractors.

Wire offers two options for secure external communication – externals and guests.

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Do guest users need a Wire account?

No. People outside your organization can join a Wire conversation through a shared link, no Wire account required. On a desktop, they can join from a browser.

Once the guest closes the browser, they lose access to all conversation history. 

Learn more

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Delete WhatsApp and Signal for good

Wire gives employees the boundaryless collaboration they need, with the governance, security, and sovereignty your organization is accountable for. Start eliminating risky shadow apps today.

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