What is the difference between Around and Jitsi?

Around is best for Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, while Jitsi is best for Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing. Around starts at Free and Jitsi starts at Free.

Is Around or Jitsi cheaper?

Around starts at Free and is free. Jitsi starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Jitsi?

Both Around and Jitsi offer free tiers.

Around vs Jitsi

Around is lightweight video calling tool with floating bubbles, noise cancellation, and minimal screen space, while Jitsi is free, open-source video meeting solution with no account required and self-hosting option. Jitsi is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Around is built for remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, whereas Jitsi targets anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing.

At a glance

	Around	Jitsi
Best for	Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video	Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Floating UI	✓	—
Lightweight	✓	—
No Account Needed	—	✓
Noise Cancellation	✓	—
Open Source	—	✓
Screen Sharing	✓	—
Self-Hosted	—	✓

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

Jitsi

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections

Try Jitsi → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Around and Jitsi are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Around offers Floating UI, Lightweight and Noise Cancellation that Jitsi lacks. Jitsi brings E2E Encryption, No Account Needed and Open Source that Around does not have.

Team fit: Around is geared toward small teams teams, while Jitsi is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Jitsi is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Around is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

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. Jitsi's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Around, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Jitsi, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

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
Your team size fits the small teams profile Around is designed for

Choose Jitsi if...

You need a tool built for anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and No Account Needed
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Your team size fits the any size profile Jitsi is designed for