What is the difference between Around and Gather?

Around is best for Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, while Gather is best for Remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio. Around starts at Free and Gather starts at Free.

Is Around or Gather cheaper?

Around starts at Free and is free. Gather starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Gather?

Both Around and Gather offer free tiers.

Around vs Gather

Around is lightweight video calling tool with floating bubbles, noise cancellation, and minimal screen space, while Gather is virtual office space with spatial audio, customizable maps, and proximity-based chat. Around is built for remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, whereas Gather targets remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio.

At a glance

	Around	Gather
Best for	Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video	Remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Custom Maps	—	✓
Floating UI	✓	—
Games	—	✓
Lightweight	✓	—
Noise Cancellation	✓	—
Screen Sharing	✓	—
Spatial Audio	—	✓
Virtual Office	—	✓

Around

Strengths

Includes Floating UI as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Noise Cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Includes screen sharing alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections

Try Around → Full review

Gather

Strengths

Includes Spatial Audio as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Virtual Office as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Free for 10 users — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes custom maps alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Gather → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Around and Gather are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Around offers Floating UI, Lightweight and Noise Cancellation that Gather lacks. Gather brings Custom Maps, Games and Spatial Audio that Around does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Around's biggest strengths are: includes floating ui as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes noise cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. Gather's biggest strengths are: includes spatial audio as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes virtual office as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows.

Watch out for: With Around, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Gather, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Around if...

You need a tool built for remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video
You specifically need Floating UI and Lightweight
You care about includes noise cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows

Choose Gather if...

You need a tool built for remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio
You specifically need Custom Maps and Games
You care about includes virtual office as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 10 users