Around Alternatives in 2026: What Replaces Around Now That It's Gone?

Around was a video-calling app that put colleagues on screen as small floating video circles instead of a grid, and it is no longer available: the Miro marketplace lists "Around by Miro Labs" as deprecated. If your team chose Around because it wanted to see real faces instead of avatars, the closest replacement is Katmai, a photorealistic 3D virtual office in the browser where your team is present on live video all day, not just during a call, at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests. The other options below are live-video or avatar spaces that cover parts of what Around did.

This guide is published by Katmai, which makes virtual office software. Competitor prices come from each vendor's own pricing page in October 2026; check them before you buy.

The best Around alternatives at a glance

What Around did, and why you need a replacement

Around was built for calls. Its trick was the camera: it cropped each person to a small circle, floated the circles over your screen and kept the call out of the way while you worked. It was never an office. When the call ended, your team disappeared again. Around's domain is now parked and redirects to a for-sale lander, and the Miro marketplace marks the app as deprecated, so teams that relied on it need something new, and it is worth asking for more than a call this time.

1. Katmai: real people, all day, in a real-looking office

Katmai keeps the thing Around got right, real faces on live video, and puts it inside a photorealistic 3D office that your team is in for the whole working day. You see who is at their desk, who is in a meeting and who is free. You walk over and talk instead of starting a call. Clients and candidates join free by link and see your team, not a grid. It runs in the browser with no download and no headset; Katmai recommends 16GB of RAM and an i7 processor or better. It is $25 per user per month, every feature included, with no minimum number of users. Getting started is a demo, then a configuration meeting where the Katmai team sets up your spaces and adds your users.

2. Cosmos Video: live video on a flat map

Cosmos Video is the closest thing to Around's camera-first idea: each person is a small live video tile that moves around a 2D floor plan, and you hear the people near you. It is free for up to 4 people online at once, its Premium plan allows up to 150 online and is billed by concurrent users, and the paid price is filled in by script, so open Cosmos Video's pricing page to see it. It is a map, not an office, but it is real video.

3. Flat.social: video on a 2D map, built for meetings and events

Flat.social puts video and audio on a 2D map, in the browser only, and positions itself for meetings, events and online schools, with a virtual office as one use. It is free for up to 5 people at once, $6 per seat per month for 10 to 100 seats, and a Day Pass is $2 per seat per day with a 10-seat minimum. Seats are concurrent capacity, not named users. Good for a weekly social; thin as a daily office.

4. Kumospace: an avatar office with a free tier

Kumospace is an avatar office in the browser. It is free for up to 5 registered members with one floor and 50 guests, and Business is $16 per user per month paid annually with a 5-member minimum, adding unlimited floors, recording and analytics. Guests are capped at 4 hours a week. You trade Around's real faces for characters, and video opens when avatars meet.

5. Gather: the pixel-art office

Gather is a 2D pixel-art avatar office. Essential is $12 per member per month billed annually or $15 billed monthly, after a 30-day trial, and there is no free plan since Gather 2.0 launched on September 15, 2025. Guests are not billed. It is the most popular avatar office, and it is still avatars.

How to choose

If what you miss about Around is seeing real people, pick a live-video product: Katmai for an office your team stays in, Cosmos Video or Flat.social for a map you gather on. If your team is fine with characters, Kumospace and Gather are cheaper and more playful. Only Katmai combines real video with an office that looks like one, and that is the point of replacing a call tool with a place to work.

FAQ

Is Around still available?

No. The Miro marketplace lists "Around by Miro Labs" as deprecated, and the around.co domain is now parked and redirects to a for-sale lander.

What is the best Around alternative?

Katmai, if you want real faces in an office your team is in all day. It is a photorealistic 3D office on live video at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests.

Which Around alternatives use real video instead of avatars?

Katmai, Cosmos Video and Flat.social show real video. Kumospace and Gather use avatars, with video when characters meet.

Is there a free Around alternative?

Cosmos Video is free for up to 4 people online at once, Flat.social for up to 5 at once and Kumospace for up to 5 registered members. Katmai starts with a demo.

What is the difference between Around and Katmai?

Around was a call. Katmai is an office: a photorealistic 3D space where your team works together on live video all day, at $25 per user per month with every feature included.

Related: Katmai vs Cosmos Video · Katmai vs Flat.social · Browser-based virtual office software · All alternatives guides · Katmai pricing · Book a Katmai demo