What is the difference between Jitsi and Gather?

Jitsi is best for Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing, while Gather is best for Remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio. Jitsi starts at Free and Gather starts at Free.

Is Jitsi or Gather cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Gather?

Both Jitsi and Gather offer free tiers.

Jitsi vs Gather

Jitsi is free, open-source video meeting solution with no account required and self-hosting option, while Gather is virtual office space with spatial audio, customizable maps, and proximity-based chat. Jitsi is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Jitsi is built for anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing, whereas Gather targets remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio.

At a glance

	Jitsi	Gather
Best for	Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing	Remote teams wanting a virtual office with spatial audio
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Custom Maps	—	✓
E2E Encryption	✓	—
Games	—	✓
No Account Needed	✓	—
Open Source	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Spatial Audio	—	✓
Virtual Office	—	✓

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

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 Jitsi and Gather are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Jitsi offers E2E Encryption, No Account Needed and Open Source that Gather lacks. Gather brings Custom Maps, Games and Spatial Audio that Jitsi does not have.

Team fit: Jitsi is geared toward any size teams, while Gather is aimed at small teams 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. Gather is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

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

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
Your team size fits the small teams profile Gather is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 10 users