8 best Wickr alternatives for secure enterprise communication

Wickr, a pioneering enterprise communication tool, shut down on 31st December 2023. Despite its early adoption by the US Department of Defense, the platform's strong encryption attracted illicit activities like child trafficking and drug trade.

This misuse led Wickr to stop accepting new users and cease operations entirely.

If you are among the many users looking for Wickr alternatives to continue secure communication with your people and stakeholders, we are here to help.

In this article, you will find the 8 best choices from the top secure messaging apps that offer unbeatable data protection and other benefits in terms of security, customization, and collaboration.

Why secure communication for enterprises is non-negotiable?

In 2023, there were 2,365 cyberattacks with 343 million victims, a 72% increase since 2021. Clearly, secure communication must be a top priority for organizations.

Here are some key reasons why it has become integral to the organization’s security environment:

Protecting sensitive information

Enterprises transmit financial records, customer data, and business IP electronically. According to IBM, in 2023, the average data breach cost was $4.88 million. End-to-end encryption is key to preventing costly data breaches and reputational damage.

Mitigating cyber threats

the 2021 Accenture ransomware attack claimed to steal 6 TB of data and demanded $50 million. Secure communication tools with strong encryption and authentication are critical for protecting against malware, ransomware, and hacking.

Maintaining business continuity

Secure, reliable platforms are essential for remote work and minimizing downtime from losing access to communications. Having secure backups to quickly restore systems is also crucial.

Meeting regulatory requirements

On average, 25% of business revenue is spent on compliance. Several industries have strict requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS) for protecting data transmitted electronically.

Safeguarding intellectual property

Measures like end-to-end encryption and least privilege access are important to prevent valuable patents, trade secrets, and copyrights from being accessed by competitors or malicious actors.

Maintaining customer trust

Investing in secure communication demonstrates a priority on protecting customer data, helping build trust and competitive advantage.

What features do you need to consider when selecting Wickr alternatives?

Enterprise communication tools serving as Wickr alternatives must deliver the following features:

End-to-end encryption

When evaluating Wickr alternatives, prioritize those that offer E2EE with strong encryption algorithms and additional security features like multi-factor authentication and secure storage.

Integration with other software tools

The ideal enterprise communication tool should be able to integrate easily with other team collaboration software, including Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Slack, and CRMs like Salesforce.

Self-hosting options

Choose flexible Wickr alternatives that can adapt to your infrastructural needs, giving you complete control of your data and conversations. For example, besides cloud-based options, you can choose self-hosted applications that allow businesses to deploy in network-isolated environments.

Versatility

When choosing a secure messaging app, consider its versatility. Opt for a solution that can be used independently as a standalone app and seamlessly integrated into other platforms, like your website, for live chat functionality.

Compliance with data privacy regulations

A secure enterprise communication tool should support compliance with the most stringent data regulations. Make sure the application can be customized to comply with HIPAA, FINRA, or GDPR.

In addition, an ISO certification will be a great advantage in gaining trust and establishing credibility with your customers.

Great user experience and adoption

The Wickr alternatives you choose must centralize all your communications, including with teams, partners, and vendors. For maximum security, you should be able to deploy the app in an air-gapped environment and bring all your files, tools, projects, and users under one roof.

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8 best Wickr alternatives for secure enterprise communication

Now, let's explore the top Wickr alternatives to elevate the security and quality of your business communications:

1. Rocet.Chat

Rocket.Chat is a secure communication platform for enterprises of all shapes and sizes. Trusted by 12M+ users across 150 countries, it is an open-source messaging platform that provides multiple advantages in terms of team and cross-organizational collaboration.

It offers unmatched customization, white-labeling, and confidential computing compared to closed-source applications. For example, ID-only push notifications prevent Apple and Google from reading content.

At present, Rocket.Chat’s versatile platform is widely used by privacy-conscious organizations, including healthcare institutions, government bodies in the US and Europe, nuclear power plants, and the military.

Plus, the platform is also Iron Bank certified and verified as secure for use under the United States Department of Defense's Platform One DevSecOps initiative.

Key features

Connects all your stakeholders, tools, customers, and data in one place and brings all conversations ( including text, audio, video, and URLs) together.
End-to-end encryption ensures safe and secure communication.
Robust authentication methods stop unauthorized access into meetings and collabs.
Offers highly secure video conferencing security to organizations that deal with sensitive data daily, such as healthcare.
Omnichannel customer service features a single interface for effective communication with external audiences like citizens, patients, and customers.
Packed with advanced user management features, such as audit panels, 180+ custom roles and permissions, data loss prevention, and device management.
Access a rich ecosystem of 50+ leading apps directly within Rocket.Chat. Integrate your daily tools to centralize workflows and boost productivity.
Allows secure cloud, on-premise, and air-gapped deployment with custom role-based permissions and retention policies.
SOC 2 compliant and adheres to the strictest regulations set by GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and HIPAA.
Allows adding features and integrations from the Marketplace or using the Apps-Engine to build a solution within weeks.

Deployment and pricing

Enterprises can choose between self-deployment and cloud deployment.

Rocket.Chat offers three service tiers:

Starter with limited features ($0/user/month).
Pro with exclusive features ($4/user/month).
Enterprise with advanced and customizable features (custom quote).

Connect with their certified tech team for a free demo and personalization.

2. TeleGuard

TeleGuard is a modern messenger app and among the top Wickr alternatives from Switzerland. It boasts a highly complex end-to-end encryption algorithm – SALSA20.

It is an independent company that adheres to GDPR compliance and Swiss protection law. Their servers are located in Swiss data centers, doubling their data protection guarantees.

Key features

Serves as a clean and intuitive tool for users with limited tech knowledge.
No storage of user data on the servers. Once the calls are made, data is deleted.
Doesn’t connect to a telephone number or collect user identification data.
Make anonymous calls to mobile networks and landlines worldwide.
Supports 26 global languages.

Deployment and pricing

TeleGuard offers full functionality for iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, and Linux and can be deployed using the Snap Store.

The company offers three paid plans:

Basic (CHF 7.10)
Pro (CHF 14.30)
Enterprise (CHF 21.50)

3. Element (Matrix)

Built by the creators of Matrix, Element is a mobile-first team collaboration and secure messaging app that is ideal for remote working models. It offers end-to-end encryption, decentralized communication, and is often used by organizations and communities for privacy-focused, open-source communication.

Key features

Organize teams and discussions with personalized rooms.
Enable seamless and HD-quality video conferencing for 1:1 and groups.
End-to-end data encryption, written in the Rust programming language, helps avoid data mining and predatory algorithms.
Smart features include editable messages, poll creation, dark and light modes, threads, and voice messages.
Allows users to share screens, files, and locations safely.
Self-hosted or fully managed in the Cloud. Find the open-source code on GitHub.

Deployment and pricing

You can download the Element app directly from the web and deploy it on a web browser, desktop, or mobile app.

It has four pricing plans:

Starter (self-hosted), free for up to 200 users.
Business (cloud) starts at €5 per user/month (paid annually).
Enterprise (self-hosted or cloud), at €5 per user/month (paid annually).
Sovereign, completely customizable.

4. Threema Work

Threema Work, counted among the credible Wickr alternatives, provides all the features that working professionals expect from an advanced instant messenger enterprise app.

It is 100% GDPR compliant and caters to users, including freelancers, large enterprises, SMEs, government bodies, and nonprofit organizations.

Key features

Supports global languages and is fully functional on Android, iOS, and Windows.
Admins can collaborate with the entire workforce or individual departments, as well as customers, vendors, and suppliers.
All communication is end-to-end encrypted, while the servers are hosted in Switzerland.
Offers chat and audio-video messaging, mobile access, employee onboarding, and communication management.
Transmit files, such as PDFs and Office documents.
Share locations, images, and videos, verify contacts via QR code and hide confidential chats using biometric verification or TPIN.

Deployment and pricing

You can self-host with Threema on-premise or contact the sales team for a personalized quote.

The company offers three plans:

Essential for companies with only a few employees and customers ($2/user/month if paid annually)
Advanced for companies with low customization and automation requirements (starts at $2.50/user/month if paid annually)
Professional for organizations that prioritize automation, customization, and administration (starts at $3.50/user/month if paid annually)

5. Wire

For privacy-conscious businesses, Wire can be a dependable alternative tool to Wickr. This Swiss company was founded in 2014 by former Microsoft and Skype employees. This secure messaging tool is known for its robust collaboration suite, which offers facilities for chat, messaging, file sharing, and communication with external stakeholders.

Key features

While all the data flows through Wire’s EU-based network servers, messages are not stored there, thanks to their zero-knowledge encryption.
Allows users to own their data, communicate with partners, and stay in control of data, privacy, and compliance.
Extensive, granular administrative controls designed for complex organizations.
Conversations with guests are encrypted end to end – no download or registration is required.
Seamless scalability, customized to meet each business’s unique needs.
Third-party integration allows you to choose among various deployment options.

Deployment and pricing

Wire offers three deployment options for enterprises: Wire Cloud, Wire Private, and Self Hosting.

Businesses can choose between three pricing tiers:

Free version with limited features.
Enterprise Plan (priced at €7.45/user/month when paid annually).
Wire On-Premises, a fully customizable option.

6. Mattermost

Mattermost is an open-source workspace collab solution that focuses on improving team collaboration, project management, and workflow strategizing into one comprehensive tool.

However, it predominantly emphasizes effective communication throughout complete software development lifecycles.

Key features

A suite of tightly integrated productivity solutions aligned to common business processes.
The only unified platform with a shared set of platform services designed around communication and automation.
Flexible, scalable, and extensible, as a fine ecosystem of community-driven tools and apps support it.
Channel-based collaboration that seamlessly connects people, tools, and processes.
Audio calling and screen sharing, file, image, and link sharing, real-time messaging with video and voice integration, and multi-language code syntax.
HIPAA and FINRA-compliant, multi-factor authentication, active directory, LDAP, SSO, CBA, and more.

Deployment and pricing

Companies can choose between cloud or on-premise deployment, allowing complete data control. The platform comes with three business plans:

Free, self-hosted messaging for private networks.
Professional self-hosted group collaboration ($10/user/month).
Customizable Enterprise solution for mission-critical work.

7. Keybase

Keybase is an open-source secure file-sharing and messaging app focused on storing and organizing chats in a secure server. It provides end-to-end encryption, cloud storage, and identity verification that maps encryption keys.

Key features

Easy to set up for beginners, with an intuitive UI
Access to the entire chat history, even before a user joins a group chat.
Comes with free cloud storage of up to 250GB.
Has a git version control system and a Stellar Lumens wallet for cryptocurrency, all powered by a 256-bit encryption algorithm.
Options to create sub-teams and channels.
Public key cryptography is used to keep messages private.

Deployment and pricing

You can install it on Android, MacOS, Linux, and Windows devices for free. The Keybase source code is available on GitHub.

8. Symphony

Symphony is a secure and compliant enterprise collaboration platform designed for financial companies and trading businesses. What started as an open architecture platform that performed real-time cross-company communication, Symphony’s client base, with over half a million users, has become the largest in the finance industry.

Key features

A suite of tools that support voice chats, video conferencing, screen sharing, AI bots, and integration capabilities.
Enables interoperability for finance businesses by integrating enterprise tools, such as Salesforce, and other messaging platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat, LINE, and SMS.
Allows secure and compliant communication with inside and outside organizations.
Rapidly build low-code bespoke bots to automate communication.
Customize alerts based on multiple criteria.
An extensive directory of verified financial professionals.
Off-channel communication through Virtual Numbers.

Deployment and pricing

Symphony can be downloaded on mobile and desktop devices powered by iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows OS.

Check out the website for detailed pricing information.

Final note

These Wickr alternatives promise to fill in the gap left by the platform. Before you choose your most suitable tool, keep in mind the must-have features and functionalities.

As the winner of the G2 2024 Best Software Awards in Collaboration, Rocket.Chat outshines other options with its end-to-end encryption, open-source platform, live chat engine, two-way communication, stringent access controls, and robust data protection.

For a free demo, get in touch with us today!