Around vs Gather: Complete Comparison (2026)
In comparing Around and Gather in 2026, Gather is the stronger choice for remote teams wanting a fun, persistent virtual office for daily presence due to fun virtual office concept. Around excels for remote teams wanting a less formal, always-on video presence with minimal screen real estate. Around offers Floating bubble UI, Screen sharing, Noise cancellation starting at $9/user/mo with a free plan. Gather provides Virtual offices, Customizable 2D spaces, Proximity-based audio from $7/user/mo with a free tier. For teams prioritizing value, Gather delivers a hiltonsoftware Score of 78/100. Around and Gather compete in the video conferencing segment of the SaaS market, where cloud-native solutions, API integrations, and workflow automation drive enterprise and SMB adoption. Other leading video conferencing tools include Zoom, Google Meet, Webex. Around serves 200K+ users globally (founded 2020) while Gather reports 10M+ active users (founded 2020).
Around vs Gather at a Glance
What are the main differences between Around and Gather?
Around and Gather differ across ease of use, features, value, support, integrations, scalability, and learning curve. Gather leads in 7 of 7 categories.
What are the pros and cons of Around vs Gather?
Which is better, Around or Gather?
After evaluating Around and Gather across features, pricing, integrations, and user satisfaction, Gather earns a higher hiltonsoftware Score of 78/100 versus Around at 69/100. Gather stands out for "fun virtual office concept" and "great for remote team bonding". Around delivers competitive advantages in "minimal screen real estate", making Around a viable alternative.
Both Around and Gather offer free plans. Around paid plans start at $9/user/mo while Gather begins at $7/user/mo. ROI depends on which features justify upgrading.
Bottom line: Choose Around for remote teams wanting a less formal, always-on video presence. Choose Gather for remote teams wanting a fun, persistent virtual office for daily presence. Both Around and Gather are established video conferencing platforms.
Remote teams wanting a less formal, always-on video presence.
Remote teams wanting a fun, persistent virtual office for daily presence.
Around vs Gather: Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by Elena Kowalski, Security & Enterprise Editor. Last updated: 2026-04-24. Pricing verified: March 2026.
Read our scoring methodology to understand how the hiltonsoftware Score is calculated.