What is the difference between Whereby and Around?

Whereby is best for Teams wanting no-download video meetings, while Around is best for Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video. Whereby starts at Free and Around starts at Free.

Is Whereby or Around cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Around?

Both Whereby and Around offer free tiers.

Whereby vs Around

Whereby is browser-based video meetings with no downloads required — share a link and people join instantly, while Around is lightweight video calling tool with floating bubbles, noise cancellation, and minimal screen space. Whereby is built for teams wanting no-download video meetings, whereas Around targets remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video.

At a glance

	Whereby	Around
Best for	Teams wanting no-download video meetings	Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Breakout Groups	✓	—
Embeddable	✓	—
Floating UI	—	✓
Lightweight	—	✓
No Downloads	✓	—
Noise Cancellation	—	✓
Recording	✓	—
Screen Sharing	—	✓

Whereby

Strengths

Includes No Downloads as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
1 free meeting room — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

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 Whereby → Full review

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

The bottom line

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

Feature gaps: Whereby offers Breakout Groups, Embeddable and No Downloads that Around lacks. Around brings Floating UI, Lightweight and Noise Cancellation that Whereby 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: Whereby's biggest strengths are: includes no downloads as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. 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.

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

Choose Whereby if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting no-download video meetings
You specifically need Breakout Groups and Embeddable
You care about includes embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
The free tier works for you: 1 free meeting room

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